SETTING THE SCENE
The No. 3 Valdosta State football team returns home for the first time in almost a month to host Mississippi College for Homecoming 2024 at 3 p.m., at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  VSU enters the game with a 6-0 record overall and 2-0 in Gulf South Conference play, while Mississippi College is 0-6 overall and 0-4 in league play.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
It has been a bit of a whirlwind for the Blazer football team over the last month.  VSU was supposed to play West Alabama on Sept. 28, but was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene.  VSU then spent the following week in Atlanta prior to the Shorter game (Oct. 5) and then back to more of a normal schedule last week before playing at North Greenville on Saturday.  This will be the third home game for VSU this season as VSU defeated Albany State 42-10 on Aug. 31 and Fayetteville State 34-0 on Sept. 14.  VSU is 32-7 since 2018 at home and are 185-59-1 all-time in home games, while going 176-55-1 at Bazemore-Hdyer Stadium.  
 
CALLING THE GAME
TALK 92.1 FM will broadcast the Blazer games all season long, both home and away, with Wade Beale and Scott James having the call on the radio, while Dave Garner and Taylor Biddle will provide the broadcast on FloSports.  Fans can access links to the radio broadcast and video broadcast at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.
 
ON HOMECOMING
Valdosta State is 35-6 all-time on Homecoming and is coming off a 42-14 victory over Shorter last season on Homecoming.  VSU has won 21 of the last 23 on Homecoming, as Mississippi College won in 2022, 49-40 and West Alabama won 38-14 in 2017. The Blazers won 17-straight Homecoming games from 2000-2016 and have scored 1,362 points all-time and allowed 725.  VSU is 1-3 all-time against Mississippi College on Homecoming (1984, 1990, 1993, 2022). 
 
WATCH ON FLOSPORTS
All VSU home and GSC road football games will be broadcast on FloSports once again this season.  For fans eager to watch fall sports, subscribe to pay $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year ($8.33/month). Additionally, those who use a .edu email from a GSC member institution will be able to sign up at a discounted subscription price of $9.99 per month or $69.99 for the year ($5.83/month). The negotiated promotional pricing for GSC fans will be available on the landing page. Fans choosing to sign up via other links or pages may not receive the full benefit of promotional pricing. As part of their subscription, fans receive access to all FloSports verticals. Subscriptions can be canceled at any time.
 
RECAPPING NORTH GREENVILLE
The Trailblazers (formerly the Crusaders) gave VSU all it could handle on Saturday as the Blazers battled back from a 14-0 deficit for a 32-24 victory. VSU didn't take the lead until the early moments of the fourth quarter.  The Blazers improved to 6-0 all-time against NGU, but have trailed at halftime in each of the three meetings in Tigerville, S.C.  In 2019, the Blazers battled back to win 20-15 with a thrilling run on a 4th and long from former Blazer quarterback Rogan Wells, while in 2022 in head coach Tremaine Jackson's first season, the Blazers trailed 28-14 at halftime and outscored NGU 44-9 in the second half for a 58-37 victory.  On Saturday, a huge fumble late in the third quarter gave VSU the ball and it scored early in the fourth to take the lead for good.  Another huge defensive stop on a third down from senior Alajujuan Sparks with a tackle in the backfield, and then an incomplete pass on fourth down by NGU gave VSU the ball late up 29-24.  The Blazers methodically drove down the field and kicked a field goal with 13 seconds remaining for the 32-24 lead.  Senior quarterback Sammy Edwards went 22 of 34 passing for 246 yards and a touchdown, while he ran for a score.  Graduate student Blake Hester had 24 carries for 111 yards and a score.  Defensively, the Blazers held NGU to 320 yards of offense and had five sacks, along with 11 tackles for loss.  Sparks led the team with six total tackles and the huge tackle for loss late in the game.  The win improved VSU to 6-0 all-time against NGU and 3-0 in Tigerville, S.C.
 
AGAINST THE PALMETTO STATE
The Blazers earned their frequent flier miles to South Carolina this season as they visited the Palmetto State three times winning 27-14 at Newberry (Sept. 7), winning 73-0 at Erskine (Sept. 21) and at North Greenville (32-24).  The Blazers now are 1-0 against Erskine, while VSU is 4-1 all-time against Newberry and 6-0 all-time against North Greenville.  Overall, the Blazers are 11-1 all-time against teams from South Carolina.
 
THIS WEEK IN THE GSC
In looking at Week Eight in the GSC, West Florida, fresh off a huge 40-28 win over Delta State last week, travels to Chowan, while Erskine plays for the first time since Sept. 21 at North Greenville.  Mississippi College visits Valdosta State and, in the Game of the Week, No. 10 West Alabama travels to Delta State in a game with huge playoff implications.  UWA and VSU are undefeated on the year and both 2-0 in league play, while West Florida is 2-1 in conference play and 3-2 overall as it remained in the hunt for the postseason with the win last weekend.  Delta Stat is one of three teams at 1-1 in league play as the Statesmen are 4-2 overall and also cannot lose again this season as a third loss would likely eliminate them from postseason.  Chowan and North Greenville also are 1-1 in league play and both 2-3 overall.  Erskine is 0-1 in conference play with the loss to VSU on Sept. 21 and 1-3 overall, while Mississippi College is 0-4 in conference play and 0-6 overall.  
 
LOOKING AT THE POLLS
The Blazers remained No. 3 in both the AFCA Top 25 and the D2Football.com Top 25 this week as Harding and Grand Valley State held steady at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in both polls.  West Alabama is 10th this week in AFCA and 12th in D2Football.  Delta State fell out of the rankings in both polls following its lost last weekend and is among others receiving votes in the AFCA poll.  Pittsburg State (Kan.) is fourth in D2Football and seventh in AFCA, while Ferris State is fourth in AFCA and fifth in D2Football.  Kutztown (Pa.) rounds out the top five in AFCA.  
 
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
The Choctaws are under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Kershaw this season and have transitioned away from the triple option from previous seasons.  Kershaw came to Clinton, Miss., from Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he coached for five seasons.  There, he coached Luke McCaffrey who is in the NFL and had a standout season in 2023 with 936 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns as Rice went 6-6 marking the most wins for the Owls since 2014.  Kershaw is no stranger to the GSC as he coached wide receivers at Delta State 2005-2006). He was a standout quarterback at Delta State for two seasons.  This season, the Choctaws are led by Eli Anderson at quarterback as he is 65 of 100 passing for 450 yards and five interceptions, while Pete Zamora is 20 of 40 passing for 122 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. On the ground, the Choctaws are led by Marcus Williams with 85 carries for 287 yards and two scores while Preston Godfrey has 37 carries for 149 yards and a score.  Javier Baptiste leads the team with 13 receptions for 149 yards and a score.  MC has two receiving touchdowns on the year and three rushing scores.  Defensively Jason Bets leads the team with 34 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss for 12 yards and two sacks for 11 yards.  Brennan Blake has a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss for 25 yards and 2.5 sacks for 13 yards.  MC has four interceptions this season by the defense and has recovered five fumbles with three forced fumbles.  The Choctaws are averaging 220.3 yards per game and allowing 325.0 per contest this season.    
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
The Blazers lead the all-time series with MC 13-9-1 and won 21-10 last season in Clinton, Miss.  VSU raced out to a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter as the Choctaws scored a field goal in the final minute of the first half and added a touchdown in the final two minutes of the third quarter for the final margin.  The Blazers then stopped the Choctaws on fourth down twice in the fourth quarter for the victory.  For the series, the Blazers lead the series 7-5 in games in Valdosta, but the Choctaws won in 2022 in Valdosta, also on Homecoming, 49-40, stopping a streak of 11-straight Blazer victories overall.  VSU is 6-4-1 all-time in games in Clinton, Miss.  MC won eight of the first nine games in the series dating back to 1982 and the teams tied 10-10 on Nov. 2, 1991, in Clinton.  This will be the first time the teams have played on Oct. 19 in series history, while VSU leads 10-4 in games played in October in the series.  This will be the fifth-straight game played in October in the series.  
 
WINNING BLAZERS
With the 32-24 victory on Saturday, VSU ensured itself of a winning season with its sixth victory of the year as it marked the 33rd year in the program's 41-year playing history of the program.  VSU has had just six losing seasons in program history.  
 
FIRST TD ALLOWED IN 12 QUARTERS AND FIRST TIME TRAILING = NO PROBLEM
The Blazers allowed a touchdown for the first time in 12-straight quarters in the first quarter of Saturday's game at North Greenville and also trailed for the first time this season, but the team didn't sweat as it roared back for a 32-24 victory.  VSU didn't lead in the game until the final 13:45 of the game.  The Blazers trailed for 40:48 and were tied for 5:27 in the game.  Even though NGU scored three touchdowns in the game, the Blazers only have allowed six touchdowns this season in six games.  VSU is fourth nationally in scoring defense allowing just 9.0 points per game to lead the league.  
 
PROTECTING THE PIGSKIN 
VSU leads the nation in turnovers lost (1) and are tenth nationally in turnover margin at a 1.33 clip for second in the GSC.  VSU is one of four teams this season who have not thrown an interception (Angelo State, Harding, Southern Connecticut State) are the other three. The Blazers are tied for first with West Florida in fumbles lost (1) and are eighth nationally.  VSU also is eighth nationally and tops in the GSC in fumbles recovered (6).  VSU has not had an interception in 180 pass attempts this season, setting the GSC record, surpassing West Alabama's record of 179 in 1993 and Valdosta State's record of 177 that same season.  Edwards' last pass at North Greenville broke the record last Saturday in a 6-yard pass to graduate student Graeson Malashevich with 1:47 remaining in the game setting up the final field goal with 13 seconds left and a 32-24 victory. 
 
HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE
The Blazers are fifth nationally in scoring offense at 44.5 points per game to lead the league. VSU has scored 267 points in six games this season and has scored 40 or more points three times and 30 or more five times.  The Blazers have scored 35 touchdowns this season with 15 through the air and 19 on the ground, along with one defensive touchdown.  Moreover, the team is sixth nationally in total offense at 475.0 yards per game to lead the league, while it is 25th nationally in rushing offense at 186.5 yards per game for second in the league and 13th nationally in passing offense at 288.5 yards per game through the air for tops in the conference.  The Blazers are seventh nationally in passing efficiency at a 176.06 clip.  
 
BLACK SWARM DEFENSE
Not only have the Blazers been stout in the turnover department, they also have been outstanding defensively as they are fourth nationally in scoring defense at just 9.0 points allowed per game, while they are fifth nationally in total defense, holding teams to just 223.2 yards per game for tops in the league.  Teams are averaging just 86.7 yards per game on the ground on the Blazers for 19th nationally and best in the league, while the opposition averages just 136.5 yards per game through the air for tenth nationally.   VSU is 27th nationally in 3rd down conversion percentage defense, holding teams to a .305 clip on 25 of 82, while the opposition is 2 of 8 on fourth down for ninth nationally at a .250 clip. The Blazers are third nationally in sacks per game at 3.83 to lead the league and are 11th nationally in tackles for loss per game at an 8.5 clip.  Teams have a passing efficiency of 105.60 against VSU for 26th nationally and second in the league.  VSU posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time in program history with a 34-0 win over Fayetteville State (Sept. 14) and a 73-0 win at Erskine (Sept. 21). 
 
PIVOTAL DOWNS
Just as successful as the Blazers are on third and fourth down defense, they are equally the same on offense as the team is second nationally in 3rd down conversion percentage at a .583 clip on 42 of 72, while the team is tenth nationally and tops in the league in 4th down conversions at an .800 clip on 4 of 5.  
 
IN THE ZONE
The Blazers are 34th nationally in red zone offense at a .861 clip for third in the GSC on 31 of 36, while they have scored 24 touchdowns in the red zone. Defensively, they are 14th nationally and tops in the league at a .636 clip on 7 of 11, while the opposition has scored three touchdowns in 11 trips to the red zone.  
 
GETTING THE FIRST
This season VSU is ninth nationally in first down offense with 153, while they are eighth nationally in first down defense allowing 78 at a nearly 2:1 ratio.  
 
EARLY RETURNS
The Blazers are seventh nationally in kick returns at a 28.60 clip to lead the league, while they are third in the GSC in punt returns at a 9.33 clip for 58th nationally.  Senior Alfonso Franklin is 21st nationally in kickoff returns averaging 28.6 yards per return this season, with ten returns for 286 yards, while sophomore Ethan Nation has eight punt returns for 84 yards and a 10.50 clip.  
 
SLINGIN' SAMMY
Quarterback Sammy Edwards has had another outstanding season as he is 6-0 this year and 18-2 as a starter for his career.  Edwards is seventh nationally in competition percentage at a .681 clip for tops in the GSC on 109 of 160 passing with 14 touchdowns, no interceptions and 1,594 yards.  Edwards has a passing efficiency of 180.69 for fourth nationally and tops in the league.  Edwards' 14 TD passes puts him 16th nationally and tops in the league, while he is 18th nationally in passing yard (1,594) and 14th in passing yards per game at a 266.7 clip.  He is 14th nationally and second in the league in passing yards per completion (14.62) and 14th in total offense at a 277.3 clip for tops in the GSC.  Edwards is fourth nationally in yards per pass attempt at a 9.96 clip.  He has not thrown an interception in his last 160 pass attempts.  This season he has passed for over 300 yards twice and has thrown a season-high five touchdowns (Erskine) and has rushed for four touchdowns.  Edwards' 160 pass attempts puts him fifth all-time in GSC history.  Former Blazer Chris Hatcher leads the way with 177 attempts without an INT in 1993. 
  
EDWARDS MOVING UP THE CHARTS
This season, Edwards has been moving up the career charts at VSU as he is now seventh all-time in career passing yards at 5,626, while he is eighth all-time in career touchdowns with 48 and he is seventh in career total offense with 6,167 yards.    Edwards is eighth all-time in completions with 438 on 656 attempts for a .668 percentage for his career.  
 
A HISTORY OF SUCCESS
The Blazers have had an outstanding 41+ 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 339-137-4 record (.710) behind Grand Valley State (445-148-3) with a .749 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 227-77 overall.
 
NO SHUTOUTS
The Blazers lead all of NCAA Division II with 384 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 370 games without being shutout.
 
A VICTORY OVER MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE WOULD . . .

 
TEN THINGS FROM THE NORTH GREENVILLE GAME . . .

 
D2FOOTBALL.COM WEEKLY PICKS
Cory Guinn of D2Football.com made his Week 7 picks as he has the Blazers defeating Mississippi College, while picking West Florida to win at Chowan and North Greenville winning over Erskine.  In arguably the GSC Game of the Week, Guinn has No. 12 West Alabama remaining unbeaten with a road win at Delta State.
 
JACKSON NAMED TO NCAA FOOTBALL RULES COMMITTEE
Blazer head football coach Tremaine Jackson was named to the NCAA Football Rules Committee serving until Aug. 31, 2028.  
 
COACH TREMAINE JACKSON POSTGAME SHOW
The Coach Tremaine Jackson Postgame Show will be available each Sunday at vstateblazers.com on the football page throughout the season as it will include interviews from Jackson, select players and highlights from the previous game.  Scott James and Dave Garner host the show throughout the season and Jamie Abbott of Crashandannie Productions directs and produces the show. 
 
BIG NICK'S TREMAINE JACKSON COACHES' SHOW
Starting on Thursday, Aug. 29, the weekly Coach Tremaine Jackson radio show moves to Big Nick's new restaurant at 1201 Baytree Road next to the Dollar General in Remerton.  The show will be Thursday evenings throughout the season from 7 to 8 p.m. and broadcast on TALK 921.1 WDDQ FM and at www.talk921.com.  The show will highlight the upcoming game with insight from Jackson and select players and coaches and recap the previous game.  All Blazer fans are welcome to attend as there will be raffle prizes for those in attendance.  
 
UP NEXT
The Blazers have a bye week next week, before opening the final month of the regular season on Satruday, Nov. 2 versus Chowan at 3 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.