VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State Blazer defense put together an all-around great performance to open Gulf South Conference play, defeating North Greenville University, 28-3, Saturday evening.  
 
The Blazers didn't allow a touchdown in the victory over the Crusaders as it was the first time since the 21-3 victory over Albany State on Sept. 18, 2021, that the Blazers have achieved this spectacular feat. 
 
VSU improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the GSC, winning its fifth game in five playing seasons over the Crusaders. North Greenville fell to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.  
 
Defensively, VSU was lights out, stopping the NGU offense three times in the red zone while allowing 112 yards rushing and 221 passing. The Blazer defense was led by graduate student Nick Jackson with eight total tackles while the Blazers combined for one sack for eight yards and one interception. 
 
The Blazer offense had a solid 293 yards through the air. Junior Sammy Edwards was 18 of 28 completing passes to seven different targets in the matchup. Sophomore Ted Hurst led the team with 72 yards on two receptions and a touchdown while graduate student Xavier Williams had three receptions for 71 yards. Meanwhile, the Blazer rushing attack finished with 44 rushing yards as sophomore Bud Chaney accounted three of the Blazers four touchdowns and 26 yards.  
 
The Blazers received the ball to open the game, starting their drive at the VSU 27-yard line. From there, the Valdosta State offense started to zip down the field as Edwards completed two key passes to junior Council Allen for 17 yards and Hurst for 23 yards, respectively. Sophomore Isaiah Flowers and Chaney capped off the drive with a combined 25 rushing yards as Chaney muscled the ball in the end zone to put the Blazers up early, 7-0 with 9:48 left to play in the quarter. 
 
Later in the first quarter, the VSU offense struck again as a 48-yard pass from Edwards to Williams put the Blazers at the NGU 25-yard line. Chaney continued to be a force in the ground game for Valdosta State, capping off the drive with 18 yards rushing and his second touchdown of the evening for a 14-0 lead with 34 seconds remaining in the quarter. 
 
Valdosta State was clicking on all fronts early as the Blazer defense had held the Crusaders to only 28 yards of offense in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Blazer offense had 167 yards of total offense for the quarter with 120 passing yards on seven completions and 47 rushing yards on 10 attempts. 
 
North Greenville struck back at the beginning of the second quarter, driving down the field to the Valdosta State 32-yard line. However, the Blazer defense was able to lock the NGU passing game down, holding the Crusaders to only a field goal as Valdosta State led 14-3 with 11:48 left to play in the half.  NGU's Special Teams Player of the Week, Colin Karhu, nailed a 50-yarder.  
 
Later in the second quarter, the VSU offense put together another successful drive as Edwards completed a 31-yard pass to junior Noah Gillan, giving the Blazers a big first down at the NGU 30-yard line. Graduate student B.K. Smith then made a big 20-yard grab to put the Blazers at the NGU 16, before Edwards found Allen for a 15-yard reception, moving the Blazers to the NGU one-yard line. A few plays later, Edwards floated a ball to Gillian in the end zone to put Valdosta State up 21-3 with 3:18 remaining. Gillan's touchdown catch marks his first touchdown since Oct. 30, 2021, and his second touchdown as a Blazer. 
 
Down 21-3, the Crusaders started to drive, dinking and dunking all down to the VSU 20-yard line. With North Greenville in striking distance of the VSU end zone, graduate student Bryon Broussard picked off Dylan Ramirez at the VSU four-yard line to end the half with VSU up 21-3. 
 
For the first half, Valdosta State had 212 passing yards behind Edwards, who was 14 for 20 with one touchdown. Meanwhile, the rushing game accounted for 36 total yard as Flowers led the pack with 24 yards.  For the Crusaders, Ramirez was seven for 14 for 82 yards and one interception while the NGU rushing attack grinded out 60 total yards for the half. VSU had a 10-7 advantage in first downs for the half.  
 
The Crusaders opened the third quarter with a quick three-and-out as the Blazer defense stopped the NGU rushing attack three-straight times, forcing the Crusaders to punt. The VSU offense then came out with a slow start to the half. Back-to-back false start penalties and a dropped pass left the Blazers with third and 17 at the VSU 46. However, Edwards used his legs to scramble out of the pocket as he hit Hurst wide open for 49 yards to the NGU 5. Valdosta State capped off the drive with a five-yard rush by Chaney to put the Blazers up 28-3 with 8:20 left in the quarter. The touchdown marked Chaney's third time seeing the end zone for the night and a career-high for the sophomore running back. 
 
Looking to respond, the Crusaders put together a lengthy 7:33 drive that spanned 16 plays for 74 total yards. NGU marched all the way down to the VSU one-yard line where the Blazers were faced with a goal line stand on fourth-and-one. The Crusaders attempted to run the ball up the gut but were quickly denied by the Blazer defensive front who held strong, forcing the turnover on downs.
 
In the fourth quarter, following a three-and-out by the Blazers, North Greenville, once again, began to dink down the field on short passes, getting all the way to the VSU 25-yard line. With the Crusaders knocking on the door, the Blazer defense responded with a massive fumble recovery at the VSU 10, stopping the NGU offensive short once again. 
 
The Blazers and Crusaders punted the ball back and forth for the remainder of the game until the clock hit zero as VSU stood victorious to a final score of 28-3. For the first time since 2021, the Blazers are undefeated four weeks into the season. 
VSU returns to the road next week with a 1 p.m. game at GSC-newcomer Chowan in Murfreesboro, N.C.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for links to the game.