TIGERVILLE, S.C. – The No. 3 Valdosta State football team battled back from down as many as 14 points for a thrilling 32-24 victory at North Greenville Saturday afternoon.  The Blazers improved to 6-0 and 2-0 in Gulf South Conference play, while NGU fell to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.  Stats were not readily available following the game.
 
The win did not come easy as NGU's upset bid started fast as it turned the Blazers over on downs on the Blazers' first possession and then quarterback Dylan Ramirez hit Tyshon Mansell for 12 yards and found Dre' Williams for 16 yards, followed by a 36-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead with 9:33 remaining in the first quarter.  It marked the first touchdown the Blazers had allowed in the last 12 quarters and the first time VSU had trailed all season.
 
Following a Blazer punt, NGU took over at its own 47 and Ramirez converted a fourth and one and then Hit Sam Washam for an acrobatic 32-yard touchdown reception on a play that was ruled incomplete on the field and overturned for a 14-0 lead with 4:43 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
The Blazers had a good drive and drove down to the NGU one with a first and goal.  The Trailblazers turned VSU away for the second turnover on downs of the frame.  Despite the Blazers not scoring points there, they had NGU backed up to its own four.   VSU got to Ramirez in the end zone for an intentional grounding penalty and a safety for a 14-2 deficit.  It marked the first safety for VSU since Sept. 4, 2021, by former Blazer Arrington Dulin versus Savannah State.
 
NGU kicked off to the Blazers and the offense began its best drive of the game to that point as senior quarterback Sammy Edwards hit graduate student Rodney Bullard for 12 yards early in the second quarter and graduate student Blake Hester made great runs on the ground to get into the red zone.  On a 4th and two, graduate student Alfonso Franklin rushed to the NGU 12 for a first down and then he scored from 12 yards out on the ground for a 14-9 deficit with 11:10 left in the half.
 
The Trailblazers used a long run of 65 yards for a touchdown from Jacob Walker moments later push the lead to 21-9, but the Blazers wouldn't sweat as they answered right back as Franklin made a highlight reel hurdle and juke for a 44-yard touchdown reception and a 21-16 score with 8:20 left in the half.  NGU used a ten play 35-yard drive for a field goal pushing the lead to eight at 24-16 late in the half. 
 
Following two punts by the Trailblazers and one by the Blazers to begin the second half, VSU took over at its own 35 with 10:58 to play in the frame.  Edwards and the Blazers seemed calmer early in the second half following a spirited halftime.  VSU didn't have a third down situation on the drive as it moved right down the field with Hester scoring on the ground from two yards out, pulling VSU within 24-22 with 5:58 left in the frame.  VSU went for two but was unsuccessful. 
 
Momentum continued to shift to the Blazers as Ramirez was sacked by senior Kennedy Parker and fumbled as graduate student Daunte Boudy recovered the fumble with three minutes left in the quarter.  From there, VSU began at its 46 and used an 18-yard completion to graduate student Xyre Wilson to keep the drive alive.  Edwards then called his own number for an 11-yard gain to the NGU 3 as time expired in the quarter.
 
Early in the fourth, Edwards scored on third and goal for the first Blazer lead of the game at 28-24 with 13:45 to play.  NGU then used a long drive helped out by a pass interference penalty on the Blazers on a 3^rd and 17, but a huge tackle from senior Alajujuan Sparks on a 3^rd and 5 at the VSU 17 forced a fourth down.  Ramirez's pass was incomplete on fourth down with 5:05 to play.
 
VSU took over and milked the clock to the two-minute timeout with three huge first downs.  The Blazers ran the clock down to 13 seconds as sophomore Ethan Eddins kicked a 36-yard field goal for a 32-24 lead.  The Trailblazers completed one pass for 17 yards with no timeouts and then Ramirez was sacked by junior Mark Robinson to end the game.
 
The Blazers finished with 25 first downs, 174 yards on the ground and 240 through the air on 23 of 32 passing by Edwards with no interceptions.  He had one touchdown pass and ran for a touchdown.  Hester finished with 21 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown, while graduate student Graeson Malashevich had five catches for 51 yards.  The team finished with 414 yards for the game, while NGU had 19 first downs with 114 yards on the ground and 167 through the air for 326 yards.  Ramirez went 15 of 28 passing for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while Walker had 14 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground and Washam had three receptions for 67 yards and a score.  VSU sacked Ramirez five times in the game, while Edwards was sacked once. 
 
VSU improved to 6-0 all-time against NGU and 3-0 in Tigerville.  VSU has trailed at halftime of each of the three meetings in Tigerville in the series' history, including Saturday.  VSU won 20-15 in 2019 on a thrilling Rogan Wells touchdown run on 4^th down with less than a minute remaining and then battled back from a 28-14 deficit at halftime in 2022 for a 58-37 victory, before trailing by eight at halftime today.
 
The Blazers return home for Homecoming 2024 on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium versus Mississippi College.