SETTING THE SCENE
The No. 22 Valdosta State Blazers travel to Gulf South Conference newcomer Chowan University Saturday for 1 p.m. kick at Garrison Stadium (5,000) in Murfreesboro, N.C.  The Blazers enter with a 4-0 record and a 1-0 mark in GSC play, while Chowan is 0-4 overall and 0-2 in GSC play.  
 
CALLING THE GAME
TALK 92.1 FM will broadcast the Blazer games all season long with Mike McDowd having the call and Blazer Director of Athletics Herb Reinhard providing color this week.  The game also will be streamed live on FloSports.  Fans can access links to the radio broadcast and video broadcast at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.
 
BLAZERS HEAD TO NORTH CAROLINA 
The Blazers make their first trip to North Carolina since 2014 when they faced both Lenoir-Rhyne and North Carolina-Pembroke.  The Blazers won 36-7 at UNCP that year during the regular season and won 23-21 at Lenoir-Rhyne in the playoffs.  VSU is 4-0 all-time in the State of North Carolina, while the Blazers are 13-3 all-time against teams from the Tar Heel State.  Chowan will be the eighth school from the state VSU has faced Catawba (2-1), Gardner-Webb (2-0), Lenoir-Rhyne (2-0), Lees-McRae (1-0), North Carolina Pembroke (1-2), Wingate (2-0) and Winston-Salem State (3-0).  VSU is 6-3 at home against teams from North Carolina and 3-0 in neutral site matchups.
 
ABOUT THE CHOWAN HAWKS
The Hawks, located in Murfreesboro, N.C., which is located in the Northeast corner of North Carolina, very close to the Virginia boarder.  Chowan was a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) before joining the GSC this year as an affiliate member in football.  The Hawks went 7-4 last season and 7-1 in CIAA play.  This season, the Hawks are 0-4 under first year head coach Paul Johnson who was hired in January, 2023.  Most recently, Chowan dropped a 31-3 decision at home to No. 14 Benedict last weekend.  The Tigers held Chowan to a season-low 104 yards of offense in the game, while kicker Jose Colunga hit a 28-yard field goal for the Hawks' only points.  BC held a 28-3 lead at halftime and the teams combined for one field goal by the Tigers in the fourth quarter for the only scoring of the second half.  Chowan recovered its own onside kick to begin the game against Benedict last weekend.  This season, Chowan is fourth in the GSC in passes intercepted (3), while it leads the league in fumbles recovered with four for 23rd nationally.  Chowan is 13th nationally in fourth down conversion defense, holding teams to a .200 clip on 1 of 5.  The Hawks are second in the GSC in kick return defense holding teams to a 17.12 clip for 43rd nationally, while they are only allowing 161.8 yards through the air for second in the GSC and 26th nationally.  Chowan is third in the GSC in turnovers gained (7) for 57th nationally, but have committed ten turnovers as a team. Individually Traevon Mitchell leads the team with 1.6 tackles for loss per game for second in the GSC and 36th nationally.  He has 6.5 tackles for loss for the season (29 yds), while Dwayne Smith is second in the league in tackles per game at a 7.0 clip with 28 total tackles for the season.  Quarterback Rashad McKee leads the team with 69 yards on the ground, while he is 49 of 103 for 677 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions.  Demetrius Moore leads the team with 191 yards receiving on eight catches and one touchdown.  Jakari Norwood is second in rushing with 67 yards on 40 carries and two rushing touchdowns. 
 
ABOUT CHOWAN UNIVERSITY
Murfreesboro, N.C., is in Hertford County, N.C., and is in the northwest portion of the county south of the Meherrin River.  Chowan University was founded in 1848 at Chowan Baptist Female Institute, a four-year women's college.  It was renamed Chowan College in 1910.  In 2007, Chowan, along with four other private North Carolina Christian colleges began a process to change their relationships with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, in order to obtain more academic freedom and select their own trustees. The state convention also agreed to start transferring funds traditionally given directly to the universities into a new scholarship fund for Baptist students.  In 2009, the schools gained autonomy from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and established a "good faith and cooperative" relationship with it. The four other schools were, Mars Hill University, Campbell University, Wingate University, and Gardner-Webb University.
 
WATCH ON FLOSPORTS
The Gulf South Conference enters its second year of a four-year agreement with FloSports to broadcast all GSC football games this fall.  ALL VSU football home regular season and road conference livestream broadcasts will be available exclusively through FloSports.  Check back with vstateblazers.com on how to sign up and watch on FloSports.
 
RECAPPING NORTH GREENVILLE
The Blazers put together one of the most complete games under head coach Tremaine Jackson during his two seasons at VSU.  The Blazers posted a 28-3 victory over North Greenville for the largest margin of victory in the series at VSU improved to 5-0 all-time against the Crusders.  It was the first time VSU had not allowed an opponent to score a touchdown in a game (when the opponent scored points of any kind) since  a 21-3 victory over Albany State in Valdosta on Sept. 18, 2021.  It was the first time not allowing a touchdown in a conference game since Oct. 14, 2017, in a 55-3 victory over Mississippi College.  VSU last shutout a team in a 55-0 victory over Delta State on Oct. 9, 2021.  Despite only holding a 337-333 advantage in total offense, VSU made the most of its chances offensively and the defense was outstanding, holding NGU to 0 for 3 in the red zone in the game, while NGU was 6 of 14 on third down and 0 of 2 on fourth down.  Despite having just 44 yards on the ground in the game, VSU had a career-high three rushing scores from sophomore Bud Chaney, while junior quarterback Sammy Edwards was 18 of 28 passing for 293 yards, no interceptions and one touchdown pass to junior Noah Gillan.  Chaney finished with eight carries for 26 yards and the three scores.  Chaney is one of two players in the league (Cameran Brown of West Georgia) who have three rushing touchdowns in a game this season.  Defensively, graduate student Nick Jackson finished with eight total tackles and six solo stops with one pass breakup to earn GSC Defensive Player of the Week honors, highlighting the defense that registered three tackles for loss for 11 yards and one sack for eight yards, while forcing two turnovers and seven pass breakups.  The Blazers have not allowed a team to have 400 or more yards of offense in a game this season. 
 
JACKSON EARNS GSC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS 
Nick Jackson, a Valdosta native, was instrumental in the Valdosta State 28-3 win over North Greenville in its conference opener.  He finished with a team-high eight total tackles, including six solo stops, while also recording one pass breakup. The Blazers defensive, led by Jackson, stymied the Crusaders to just 221 passing yards and 112 rushing yards for the game, while holding NGU 0-for-3 in the red zone.  For the season, Jackson is tied for third on the team in tackles with 13, while he is third in solo tackles with ten.  Jackson has one pass breakup for the season.  He and the Blazer "D" are 14th nationally in scoring defense (13.5) to lead the GSC, while they are 32nd nationally in total defense at 283.2 yards per game for second in the league.  VSU is 37th nationally in rushing defense at 97.5 yards allowed on the ground per game, while the opposition is held to 185.8 yards per game through the air.  VSU leads the league in first downs allowed (60) for 37th nationally.  Jackson is the second Blazer to earn GSC Player of the Week honors this season as junior quarterback Sammy Edwards was named Offensive Player of the Week twice so far this season.
 
OUTTA STATE FOR THE FIRST TIME
It's week five of the season and this will be the first time the Blazers travel outside Georgia and spent the night on the road this season.  The only previous road game was a day trip to Albany State on Sept. 9, which Albany, Ga., is approximately 90 miles.  The trip to Chowan is the longest of the regular season for the Blazers at 595 miles and a time of 8:45.  
 
THE TREMAINE JACKSON SHOW
Returning for another season is the Tremaine Jackson Show.  The show takes place following each game Blazer football game this season and will be available for viewing online in the afternoon on Sunday following the game.  Listen to Dave Garner (home games) and Mike McDowd (road games) as they interview Jackson along with select players following each game this season.  Visit the football page at www.vstateblazers.com for how to access the show.
 
THE COACH TREMAINE JACKSON RADIO SHOW
Each Monday evening from 7-8 p.m. come out to Berta's Pizza Kitchen (formerly The Salty Snapper) to listen to head coach Tremaine Jackson and his weekly radio show with Big EL hosting the show on 105.9 WVGA FM in Valdosta or online at www.valdostatoday.com.  Jackson will breakdown last week's game and preview the upcoming game.  
 
AGAINST BLUE 
Chowan is fourth team this season with the color blue the Blazers will face.  Point University, Albany State and Keiser University all had blue as a color, while VSU is scheduled to face four more teams this season with the color blue (Mississippi College, Shorter, West Florida and West Georgia).
 
IN DAY GAMES
The Blazers begin a stretch of six-straight games this weekend of games beginning before 6 p.m. local time.  VSU is 1-0 this season in day games and will not have another night game until Nov. 11 versus West Georgia at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  Since 2018, VSU is 18-4 in day games.   
 
IN THE ZONE 
The Blazer "D" held North Greenville to 0 for 3 in the red zone on Saturday in the 28-3 victory over the Crusaders.  VSU currently is seventh nationally in red zone defense at a 0.500 clip for second in the GSC behind West Florida (0.333).  The VSU opposition has gone just 5 of 10 inside the red zone this season.
 
GOOD ON THIRD
The Blazers are fifth nationally in third down conversions at a .561 clip to lead the GSC as they are 23 of 41 on the pivotal down.  Conversely, the team is 24th nationally and tops in the league in third down defense at a .288 clip allowing just 15 of 52 conversions.  
 
THIS BUD'S FOR YOU
Blazer sophomore Bud Chaney scored the final two touchdowns of the game in a 49-25 win over Keiser University on Sept. 16.  Chaney, played in his first game of the season, finished with eight carries for a team-high 36 yards on the ground and the two scores.  His two touchdowns came exactly 1:07 apart in the fourth quarter.  KU fumbled deep in its territory on a strip sack fumble from sophomore De'Von Reaves and a recovery from junior Andrew Farley.  Then last Saturday in the GSC opener versus North Greenville, Chaney had eight rushes for 26 yards and a career-high three rushing scores.  Chaney has 16 carries for 62 yards and is tied for sophomore Isaiah Flowers for the most rushing touchdowns on the team with five.   
 
THE LAST CRUSADE
The Blazers turned the Crusaders away on a fourth down stop at the VSU one-yard line on a 16 play drive using 7:33 of the clock.  It marked the longest drive in terms of plays and time against the Blazers this season.  The Blazers held NGU to 0 of 2 on fourth down and 6 of 14 on third down in the game.  
 
SOLID SAMMY
VSU quarterback Sammy Edwards is 46 of 64 passing (71.9%) in his last two games with no interceptions, while throwing for 772 yards and five touchdowns.  He is averaging 386.0 yards per game during the spurt and has a passing rating of 198.98.  For the season, Edwards is 11th nationally in completion percentage at a .694 clip to lead the GSC.  Edwards is 77 of 111 passing with three interceptions and nine touchdowns for 1,198 yards.  He is ninth nationally in passing efficiency at a 181.1 clip for second in the GSC.  Edwards' nine touchdown passes are good for 24th nationally and second in the league, while his 1,198 yards throwing are good for eighth nationally and tops in the league, while his 299.5 yards per game through the air is good for ninth nationally and also best in the league.  Edwards averages 15.56 yards per completion which is good for 22nd nationally and second in the league.  His 19.25 completions per game is good for 31st nationally and tops in the GSC.  
 
JACKSON NAMED STEEL'S JEWELRY BLAZER ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Nick Jackson earned Steel's Jewelry Blazer Athlete of the Week honors following his eight total tackles and six solo stops against North Greenville on Saturday.  Jackson earned GSC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts, while he became the third football Blazer to earn Steel's Jewelry Blazer Athlete of the Week this season, joining Sammy Edwards (2) and B.K. Smith.
 
BK HAVE IT YOUR WAY
Graduate student wide receiver B.K. Smith was a crucial part of the Blazer offense against Keiser (Sept .16), catching eight targets for a season-high 124 yards and one touchdown in the 49-25 win. Smith's biggest catch came on a 17-yard touchdown reception on the first VSU drive of the game, tying things up with the Seahawks early, 7-7. The Louisville, Ky., native, has a total of 16 targets for 239 yards and three touchdowns through four games this season.
 
THIS WEEK IN THE GSC 
Conference play is in full swing and there are three undefeated teams in league play, including VSU (1-0), West Florida (1-0) and Delta State (2-0).  This week, Mississippi College (1-3, 0-2) travels to Shorter (2-2, 1-1), while VSU visits Chowan (0-4, 0-2).  Delta State (4-0, 2-0) heads to West Alabama (2-2, 1-1) and West Florida (3-1, 1-0) travels to North Greenville (2-2, 1-1).  West Georgia has a bye week.  
 
FLOWERS FAST START
Sophomore Isaiah Flowers is 15th nationally in rushing touchdowns with five to lead the GSC, while he is 24th in scoring at 9.0 points per game for tops in the league.  He is 15th nationally in total touchdowns with six to lead the GSC.  Flowers has a team-high 45 carries for 202 yards and the five scores on the ground, while he has four catches for 33 yards and a score.  
 
THIELE MOVES UP
Graduate student kicker Estin Thiele has scored 22 points this season as he moved into eighth all-time in scoring with 232 points.  He now is just two points from tying Jamar Thompkins (2018-22) for seventh all-time with 234 points.  Former Blazer kicker Andrew Gray leads the record book in career scoring with 328 points.
 
GETTING THE FIRST
VSU is second in the GSC in first downs with 92 for the season which is good for 21st nationally, while the team holding the opposition to the fewest first downs in the GSC (60) for 36th nationally.  
 
BOTSFORD'S BOOT
Redshirt freshman Noah Botsford had a strong game Sept. 16 at Albany State in the punting and kicking game.  Botsford registered five punts for 207 yards and a 41.8 average with a long of 48 and one punt inside the 20, while he had four kickoffs for 250 yards and a 62.5 average with three touchbacks.  As a team, VSU leads the GSC in net punting at 41.31 for sixth nationally.  Botsford has 13 punts for 540 yards and a 41.5 average this season.  He has three punts inside the 20 and three fair catches and a long of 51 yards.
 
EFFICIENT BLAZERS
The Blazers are sixth nationally in passing efficiency offense at a 190.81 clip to lead the GSC, while the defense is 30th nationally and tops in the GSC in passing efficiency defense at a 104.35 clip.  Quarterback Sammy Edwards is ninth nationally and second in the GSC in passing efficiency at 181.4.  
 
THE TOTAL SUM
VSU is tenth nationally and second in the GSC in total offense at 472.5 yards per game, while they are 31st nationally and second in the league in total defense, allowing just 283.2 yards per game.  VSU posted a season-high 647 yards in the season-opener against Point, while the team has not allowed over 400 yards of offense in a game this season.
 
ON THIS DATE
The Blazers are 2-0 all-time on September 30 and haven't played on this date since a 56-21 win at Henderson State (Ark.) in 2000.  VSU won the first game on this date in a home victory over Troy in 1989, 20-14.   
 
GETTING TO THE QB
The Blazers have recorded ten sacks so far this season in four games for 43rd nationally and second in the GSC. Last season, the Blazers had ten sacks total in 11 games.  This season, the ten sacks are good for 59 yards.  Junior Tyler Morehead leads the team with two sacks for 19 yards both coming against Albany State.
 
THE OPENING DRIVE(S)
For the third week in a row, the Blazers marched right down the field on their opening drive and scored a touchdown in the 28-3 victory over North Greenville last weekend.  VSU used a ten play, 73-yard drive suing 5:12 off the clock.  Other than an interception on the opening drive of the season, VSU has scored touchdowns on each of its opening game drives.  The Blazers also have scored touchdowns in the last three games to open the second half as well.  The Blazer "D" has held the opposition to three-straight punts coming out of the locker room and have allowed just 14 points (7/7) combined on the opening drives of the first and second halves this season.  VSU has scored 42 points, 21 in each half, on its opening drives this season.
 
CONTROLLING THE CLOCK
VSU is 59th nationally and fourth in the GSC in possession time at a 31:02 clip.  VSU has led for 207:48 minutes thus far this season, while it has been tied for 22:02 minutes and trailed for just 10:10 minutes of the 240 "game minutes" thus far.
 
OVER SIXTY 
The 63 points scored by the Blazers on Sept. 2 marked the first time VSU has scored 60 points or more since the Blazers' 66-35 victory versus West Georgia on Nov. 27, 2021 in the NCAA postseason.  The 63 points also was the 14th time VSU has scored in the 60s in program history and 15th over 60 points total with the school-record being a 70-6 victory over Edward Waters on Nov. 7, 2009.  VSU also scored 70 points in a 70-12 victory at Delta State on Oct. 6, 2001.   It was the ninth time VSU has scored 60 or more points at home.  VSU is 17th nationally and second in the GSC in scoring offense at 40.2 points per game this season.
 
NOT ALLOWING POINTS
Saturday's 28-3 victory over North Greenville marked the first time since a 21-3 victory over Albany State on Sept. 18, 2021, that VSU had not allowed a touchdown in a game, while the 28-3 margin Saturday was the first time since a 55-3 victory over Mississippi College on Oct. 14, 2017, the Blazers had not allowed a touchdown against a conference team who scored in a game.  VSU's last shutout came in a 55-0 victory over Delta State on Oct. 9, 2021.  This season, the Blazers are 13th nationally and tops in the GSC in scoring defense allowing just 13.5 points per game. 
 
SPREADING THE WEALTH 
All three Blazer quarterbacks saw action on Sept. 2 and each of them threw a touchdown pass.  Edwards finished 21 of 32 passing for 347 yards and four touchdowns, while redshirt freshman Seth Smith was 3 for 3 for 27 yards and a touchdown and sophomore Darius Ocean was 1 for 2 for 85 yards and a touchdown.  Moreover, the three quarterbacks completed 25 of 36 passes overall and hit 11 different receivers.  Edwards then hit nine different receivers on Sept. 16 in the 49-25 win over Keiser as two receivers went over 100 yards receiving.
 
OVER 600
VSU amassed 647 yards of offense in the season-opener on Saturday.  It marked the second time in the Jackson era VSU has eclipsed 600 yards.  The Blazers tallied 700 yards on Sept. 17, 2022, at Miles College.    VSU threw for 459 yards in the game, marking the most of any Jackson-led team in his career.  The 647 yards was good for eighth-most all-time in school history.  
 
NEGATIVE GAINS
The Blazers are 28th nationally and second in the GSC in tackles for loss allowed at 4.75 per game.  Conversely, the defense is averaging 5.2 tackles for loss per game.
 
MCCALL BENNETT
With the final extra-point in the win against Point (9/2), VSU sophomore McCall Bennett kicked the EP for the 63-10 margin as she became the first female to play and score a point in a football game in program history.  Bennett hails from Milton, Ga., and Cambridge High School.  
 
THIELE NAMED TO FRED MITCHELL WATCH LIST
Graduate student kicker/punter Estin Thiele was named to the Fred Mitchell Watch List to begin the season.  Thiele was named finalist for the prestigious Fred Mitchell Award in 2022, while he earned second team all-GSC honors in 2021.  Thiele is 31 of 40 in field goals for a 77.5 clip, while he is 117 of 119 in extra-points for his career at VSU.  He has scored 210 points for ninth all-time in school history in scoring.  He has made 38 punts for 1,529 yards and a 40.2 average, while he has 130 kickoffs for a 62.2 average and 71 touchbacks.  He is ninth all-time in scoring at VSU with his 218 points and is 10 points from tying Dominique Ross (1992-94) for eighth all-time with 228 points.  
 
A HISTORY OF SUCCESS
The Blazers have had an outstanding 40 years of football since the program began in 1982.  The Blazers have the second-highest winning percentage all-time in NCAA Division II with a 325-135-4 record (.704) behind Grand Valley State (431-147-3) with a .744 clip.  VSU went 88-27 from 2010-2019 for a .765 average which is good for eighth in NCAA Division II for the decade and tenth in overall wins.  The Blazers then went 104-20 (.839) from 2000-2009 for the fourth-highest winning percentage and overall wins for that decade. Since 2000, the Blazers are 213-55 overall.
 
NO SHUTOUTS
The Blazers lead all of NCAA Division II with 367 consecutive games without being shutout dating back to a 12-0 loss to Central Florida on Sept. 14, 1991.  VSU only has been shut out five times in program history.  Grand Valley is just behind the Blazers at over 354 games without a shutout.
 
HEAD COACH TREMAINE JACKSON
Valdosta State Director of Athletics announced at a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, Tremaine Jackson as the 11th head coach in Blazer football history. Jackson, in his second season leading the Blazers, is known for raising the bar both on and off the field and has quickly made an impact on the total program in Titletown. The 2022 squad ranked in the top 15 nationally in eight different statistical categories including sacks allowed (2nd – 0.27), total offense (5th – 475.6), red zone offense (6th – 0.918), tackles for loss allowed (9th – 3.91), turnovers lost (11th – 12), scoring offense (12th – 36.6), passes had intercepted (13th – 6) and passing yards per completion (15th – 14.71) and was the only program in Division II to rank in the top 25 in both total rushing (16th – 213.5) and total passing (21st – 262.2).  In the classroom, the team earned a combined 2.84 grade point average, the highest in program history, which included 54 student-athletes with a 3.0-or-better GPA, 19 over a 3.5 GPA and four with a perfect 4.0 GPA.  The Blazers were also active in the community throughout the 2022-23 season, accumulating over 1,100 hours of service in Valdosta, assisting with Earth Day Road Cleanup, Habitat for Humanity, Blazer Kids' Day, Jacobs Ladder Therapeutic Riding Center and the #ValdostaMiracles Softball Game. 
 
WE HAVE POWER
In the 2023 season-opener against Point University, VSU played the entire football game at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium without power in the stadium due to the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia.  There was no scoreboard, game clock, public address or lights.  The teams had generators in the locker rooms and generators and solar batteries were used for statistics and streaming of the game.
 
BLAZERS FIFTH IN GSC PRESEASON POLL
Delta State was picked as league favorite garnering 61 points and six of nine first-place nods, while West Florida, who also shared the league title with the Statesmen in 2022, was picked second with 56 points and two first-place votes.  West Georgia picked up the remaining first-place nod with 52 points for third.  West Alabama was picked fourth with 44 points, followed by the Blazers (33 points), just ahead of Mississippi College (32 points).  North Greenville was picked seventh (24 points), followed by Shorter (13 points) and league newcomer Chowan was ninth with ten points.  Chowan joins the league this season as an affiliate member of the GSC.  Chowan is located in Murfreesboro, N.C., and the Blazers visit the Hawks on Sept. 30, at 1 p.m.
 
A VICTORY OVER CHOWAN UNIVERSITY WOULD . . .