SETTING THE SCENE
The top-ranked Valdosta State football team (10-0, 6-0 GSC) opens its 20th appearance in the NCAA Division II postseason hosting No. 4-seed and No. 22-ranked Miles College (10-2, 8-0 SIAC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in the second round of Super Region Two.  
 
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 for ESPN+.  Fans can access links to the radio broadcast and video broadcast at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.
 
WATCH ON ESPN+
The NCAA Division II Football Playoffs this season will be streamed on ESPN+ this season as a subscription to ESPN+ is required. Plans for ESPN+ start at $11.99/mo or are $119.99/yr.  There are bundling options also.  
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE
The winner of this game will earn a berth in the NCAA National Quarterfinal scheduled for Dec. 7.  If the Blazers win Saturday, Nov. 30, the quarterfinal game will be at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium versus the winner of Lenoir-Rhyne and Virginia Union. 
 
SUPER REGION TWO IN THE NCAA POSTSEASON
In looking at the seven teams in Super Region Two, VSU is 31-15 making its 20th appearance, while Wingate is 4-5 in its sixth trip and West Alabama is 4-6 making its seventh trip.  Miles is making its third trip at 0-2, while Carson-Newman is 20-16 making its seventh trip.  Lenoir-Rhyne is 11-7 in its eighth appearance and Virginia Union is 0-11 making its 12th trip. The Blazers, all-time, are 47-11 against the field, while they are 8-3 in postseason games going 5-2 against Carson-Newman, 2-1 versus Lenoir-Rhyne and 1-0 against West Alabama.  
 
RECAPPING THE FIRST ROUND IN SUPER REGION TWO AND SETTING UP THE SECOND ROUND
Miles won its first NCAA postseason game in program history with a thrilling 14-13 victory over Carson-Newman as the Golden Bears held on for the win forcing C-N's second turnover in the final seconds.  No. 2-seed Wingate lost at home to Virginia Union, 34-31 in overtime, while Lenoir-Rhyne won at No. 3-seed West Alabama, 37-34 with UWA missing a 44-yard field goal as time expired.   Moving onto the second round, the Blazers host Miles College Saturday at 1 p.m., while Lenoir-Rhyne will host Virginia Union also at 1 p.m.  One team from each of the four conferences in the region remain with VSU from the Gulf South, Lenoir-Rhyne from the South Atlantic, Miles from the SIAC and Virginia Union from the CIAA.  
 
CROWNED CHAMPS
The Blazers used a 28-7 victory over No. 16 West Florida on Nov. 16 to win the program's 11th Gulf South Conference and the first outright title for the Blazers since 2021.  Following a scoreless first quarter, the Blazers scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, one a 50-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Sammy Edwards to senior wide receiver Rodney Bullard and a 21-yard scamper from graduate Blake Hester with just over a minute left in the half for a 14-0 lead at intermission.  A 33-yard strike from Edwards to Ajiero put VSU in command 21-0 midway through the third and then graduate Alfonso Franklin capped the scoring with a 1-yard run midway through the fourth for the final margin.  Not only did the offense excel, the defense held UWF to just 209 yards of offense and just 80 yards on the ground.  VSU rushed for 204 yards and 154 through the air as UWF entered in the top ten nationally in rushing defense and total defense prior to the game.  Hester finished with 21 carries for 118 yards and a score on the ground, while Bullard had three catches for 74 yards and a score.  Edwards went 14 of 20 passing for 154 yards and two scores.  The win capped the fifth undefeated regular season for the Blazers in program history and first since 2019.  
 
EDWARDS NAMED GSC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Edwards, a native of Saint Augustine, Fla., also earned first team all-league honors as he was a second team selection in 2023.  This season, he is 10-0 as a starter for the top-ranked Blazers and is 22-2 all-time as a starting quarterback in two seasons.  He is ninth nationally and tops in the GSC in completion percentage at a .697 clip on 169 of 249 passing for 2,449 yards and 23 touchdowns to just two interceptions.   Edwards set the GSC-record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception this season (195).  This season, Edwards is fifth nationally in passing efficiency at 179.36 clip, while he is 15th in passing touchdowns (23) and 21st in passing yards (2,449).  He is 15th nationally in passing yards per game at a 244.9 average and is 21st nationally in points responsible for (162).  He sits seventh nationally in yards per pass attempts at a 9.84 clip.  In 2024, Edwards has thrown for over 300 yards twice and registered a season-high five touchdown passes once.  He has helped lead VSU to the No. 10-ranked total offense in the country at 461.7 yards per game, while the passing offense is at a 259.5 clip for 17th nationally and the rushing offense is 17th nationally at 202.2 yards per game.  For his career, he is sixth all-time in school history in career passing yards (6,793), while he is seventh in career completions (503 of 754) and sixth in career touchdown passes (57), while he also is sixth in total offense at 7,278 yards.  Edwards became the sixth different Blazer to earn GSC Offensive Player of the Year honors in school history as Hatcher earned the honor in 1994, while Lance Funderburk in 1996, while Dusty Bonner earned it twice in 2000 and 2001, and Aaron Jenkins in 2002.  Rogan Wells won it most recently in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019.
 
JACKSON TABBED AFCA REGION TWO COACH OF THE YEAR; NAMED CO-GSC COACH OF THE YEAR
Blazer head coach Tremaine Jackson is 37-11 overall in five seasons of coaching at both Valdosta State and Colorado Mesa, while he is 27-8 and in his third season as head coach of the Blazers.  In 2024, he has guided the team to a 10-0 record and 6-0 mark in Gulf South Conference play this season winning the program's 11th GSC title.  The 10-0 record marked the fifth time in program history the team has had an undefeated regular season and the first time since 2019.   He became the fourth Blazer head coach to earn AFCA Region Coach of the Year honors as Hal Mumme earned the honor in 1996, while Chris Hatcher was awarded twice in 2001 and 2002 and David Dean in 2010.  Hatcher was named AFCA National Coach of the Year in 2004, while Dean earned national honors in 2007 and 2012.  Jackson earning GSC Co-Coach of the Year marks VSU's eighth Coach of the Year honor in school history for second-most in league history overall, and the most among current institutions.  West Alabama is tied with Delta State for second behind the Blazers (among current members) with seven as UWA head coach Brett Gilliland shared the honor with Jackson this season, as he guided UWA to a 9-1 record overall and a 5-1 mark in GSC play and hosting duties this weekend in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.  Hatcher was named Coach of the Year three times, while David Dean and Gary Goff each have earned the honor twice, along with Hal Mumme (1996) and Kerwin Bell (2018).   
 
ELDER EARNS CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS
Elder, a native of Richmond, Va., has had an outstanding season for the red and black as he has helped the team to an undefeated season, while leading the team in tackles with 69 and 37 solo stops also earning first team all-league honors.  Elder has 9.5 tackles for loss for 38 yards to lead the team, while he has 2.5 sacks for 12 yards.  He has one interception this season with three pass breakups, one fumble return and two forced fumbles.  He was named GSC Defensive Player of the Week three times, while registering double-digit tackles twice this season with a season-high 12 tackles at Delta State (11/09).  He is seventh in the GSC in solo tackles per game at a 3.6 clip, while he is eighth in the league in tackles for loss per game at 1.0, while he is fifth in the league in total tackles per game at 6.7.  He has helped a defense that is third nationally in scoring defense at just 9.1 points allowed per game, while the team is eighth nationally in total defense allowing just 244.9 yards per game and fourth nationally in passing defense at just 125.0 yards allowed per contest.  The team is third in the league in rushing defense allowing just 119.9 yards per game for 53rd nationally. Elder is the first Blazer to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors since Larry Dean in 2010.  Elder joins, Dean, Jessie Tuggle (1986), Antonio Edwards (1992), Antonio Speed (1998 & 1999) and Dewayne Smith to become the sixth different Blazer to earn the honor.
 
STRONG SHOWING FOR BLAZERS ON ALL-GSC TEAMS
Including Edwards and Elder, VSU had an outstanding showing on the all-conference teams with 17 total selections with nine first team honorees and eight second.  The Blazers had seven selections on the first team on offense including Edwards along with graduate running back Blake Hester, graduate all-purpose back Alfonso Franklin, senior wide receiver Rodney Bullard, graduate center Will Flowers, senior guard Kenley-Mary Asse and gradate tackle Jeremiah Mawali.  Along with Elder, junior linebacker Sterling Roberts earned first team honors on defense.  The second team consisted of five on offense, two on defense and one on special teams.  Graduate tight end Noah Gillan earned second team honors for the second-straight season, while graduate wide receivers Tyler Ajiero and Graeson Malashevich each were second team honorees, along with senior guard James Robinson and tackle graduate Fred Norman.  On defense, senior defensive lineman J'Quan Hicks earned a spot along with junior defensive back Rance Conner and junior long snapper Reid Brass for special teams. 
 
BLAZERS REMAIN 1-2 IN NATIONAL POLLS
For the third-straight week, the Blazers are the No. 1-ranked team in the country in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25.  Ferris State is second in the AFCA poll, followed by Kutztown, Harding and Grand Valley State rounds out the top five.  Charleston (W.Va.) is sixth, followed by Colorado State-Pueblo, Central Oklahoma and Ouachita Baptist is ninth, while Western Colorado is tenth as the same from last week.  Slippery Rock, West Alabama, Pittsburg State andIndianapolis remained 11-14, respectively, while Lenoir-Rhyne jumped from 20th to 15th this week.  In the D2Football.com Top 25, Ferris State remains the top team, followed by Valdosta State, Kutztown, Grand Valley and Harding rounded out the top five.  West Alabama is 13th and West Florida fell out of the poll.  The final top 25 polls will be announced following the National Championship on Dec. 21.  
 
AS THE #1
VSU is 32-7 all-time as the No. 1 team in the country. VSU is 19-4 at home as the top team, while it is 11-3 on the road and 2-0 in neutral site games.  In addition to being the No. 1-ranked team in the country, VSU also has had success as the No. 1-team in the region.  The Blazers earned the top spot in 2018, 2019 and 2021, where the team went a combined 4-1 in the regional rounds of those three playoffs.  Overall in the playoffs since 2018, VSU is 9-3 and 2024 marks its fifth trip during that span.  
 
EDWARDS NOMINATED FOR HARLON HILL
Senior quarterback and 2023 Harlon Hill finalist Sammy Edwards is one of 43 student-athletes nominated for the 2024 Harlon Hill Trophy which goes to the Division II College Football Player of the Year.  Edwards finished third in last year's voting as this year there are 12 nominees from Super Region Two.  The 43 candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four super regions will advance to the national ballot.  The national winner will be announced on Friday, December 20, right before the national championship game on Saturday, Dec. 21 in McKinney, Texas.
 
FLOWERS NOMINATED FOR GENE UPSHAW AWARD
VSU graduate center Will Flowers has been nominated for the 2024 Gene Upshaw Award Lineman of the Year Award, presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club.  The award is nominated and voted on by the nation's NCAA Division II sports information directors. Two finalists will advance from each of the four super regions to a national ballot, with national finalists announced Dec. 4. The winner will be announced Dec. 12. All nominees must be seniors or graduate players/transfers and are lineman on either side of the ball at either offensive tackle, guard, or center; or defensive tackle, guard, or end.
 
HIGHLIGHTING THE SECOND ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS
Along with VSU hosting Miles, Lenoir-Rhyne welcomes Virginia Union for the other regional semifinal game Saturday.  The winners of the two games will meet next Saturday in the regional final.  VSU is 2-1 versus Lenoir-Rhyne, 1-1 versus Virginia Union and 1-0 all-time against Miles.  In looking at the other regions, Ferris State hosts Central Oklahoma in Super Region Three, while Harding travels to Grand Valley State.  In Super Region Four, Colorado State-Pueblo hosts Minnesota State and Western Colorado hosts Bemidji State.  Kutztown hosts Slippery Rock in Super Region One, while California (Pa.) hosts Ashland.  
 
5 ON THE GROUND
This season, the Blazers have registered five rushing touchdowns in four different games, including two of the last three.  VSU has 32 rushing touchdowns this season in ten games, while seniors Alfonso Franklin and Blake Hester lead the GSC with 11 rushing scores a piece for 23rd nationally.  The 32 rushing touchdowns this season are good for a tie for fifth all-time in program history for rushing touchdowns in a season.  The school record is 40 rushing touchdowns set in 2018.  
 
WINNING STREAKS
VSU owns a ten-game winning streak which is tied for the second-longest streak in NCAA Division II, with Miles College and Ferris State.  Kutztown leads the nation with 11-straight wins, while Colorado State-Pueblo is ffith winning its last eight games.    
 
ROAD WARRIORS
Coming off the 49-20 win at Delta State on Nov. 9, the Blazers won their 12th-straight road game for the longest current road winning streak in Division II. Colorado State-Pueblo is second winning its last nine road contests.  Since 2018, the Blazers have gone 26-3 on the road. 
 
BLANKING BLAZERS
The Blazers registered their third shutout of the season in the 52-0 win over Chowan on Nov. 2.  It marked the first time in program history the Blazers have had three shutouts in the same season.  It also was the 29th shutout in program history.  On the other end of the spectrum, the Blazers have not been shutout 388 games dating back to a 12-0 loss to Central Florida on Sept. 14, 1991, for the longest consecutive streak of no shutouts in NCAA Division II.  In addition to not allowing points, the Blazers have held an additional two teams (Shorter, West Florida) to single-digit points this season.
 
ABOUT MILES COLLEGE
The Golden Bears won their first playoff football game in program history last week with the 14-13 home victory over Carson-Newman.  Miles managed just 153 yards of offense in the game, but scored seven points off C-N turnovers and also had a huge interception in the final minute to seal the victory.  The Golden Bears went 8-0 in the SIAC and have been stout on defense all season as they are tops in the nation in turnover margin at 1.83, while they lead the nation with 35 turnovers and are second nationally in interceptions with 24.  Miles is fifth nationally in sacks (3.50/game), while the team is 32nd nationally in total defense at 288.1 yards allowed per game.  Miles is 29th nationally in rushing defense holding teams to 103.3 yards per game on the ground.  Individually, Lashon Young leads the country in interceptions per game at a 0.7 clip with eight picks this season, while Jamichael Rogers has a team-high 17.0 tackles for loss for 73 yards and eight sacks for 47 yards.  He is 22nd nationally in tackles for loss per game at a 1.4c lip, while Jeremiah Hudson-Davis leads the team in solo tackles with 48 for a 4.8 average per game for 29th nationally.  The Golden Bears average 7.9 tackles for loss per game for 14th nationally.  On offense, the Golden Bears are led by Jovonta Leatherwood with 11 rushing scores on 71 attempts and 393 yards.  Jonero Scott has six rushing touchdowns with 657 yards on the ground, while quarterback Kamren Ivory is 118 of 219 passing for 1476 yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with five interceptions. 
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH MILES COLLEGE
The Blazers lead the all-time series with Miles College 1-0 after a 55-7 victory on Sept. 17, 2022, in Fairfield, Ala.  In that game, VSU held a 7-0 lead through 15 minutes and then led 20-7 at halftime, before outscoring the Golden Rams 35-0 in the second half for the win.  VSU amassed 700 yards of offense in the game on 65 plays for a 10.8 average per play, while holding Miles to just 184 yards of total offense.  VSU rushed for 341 yards and passed for 359 with six passing touchdowns and two rushing scores.  The 700 yards of offense sits second all-time in school history in a game.  
 
ON THIS DATE
The Blazers are 1-2 all-time on Nov. 30 splitting two playoff meetings with Carson-Newman with the first in 1996 in a 24-19 loss on the road and then again in 2002 in Valdosta with a 31-28 victory.  VSU then hosted West Florida in the second round of the playoffs in 2019 after going 10-0 in the regular season.  UWF pulled the 38-35 upset win to end the Blazers' season.  
 
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
The Blazers 72-66-2 and 40-29-1 at home against ranked foes in program history.  VSU is 4-6 in its last ten meetings versus ranked teams.  Prior to that, the Blazers had been 13-2 in the previous 15.  
 
ROCKIN' RUNNING GAME
The Blazers registered a season-high 339 yards on the ground on Nov. 2 versus Chowan on 31 carries for a staggering 10.9 average per carry.  Graduate students Blake Hester and Alfonso Franklin, each had over 100 yards on the ground.  Hester finished with 12 carries for 121 yards and three touchdowns, while Franklin had 116 yards on just six carries and a touchdown.  VSU amassed five rushing touchdowns for the game marking the third time this season of rushing for five touchdowns to that point.  The Blazers are 15th nationally in rushing offense at 202.2 yards per game for tops in the GSC.  
 
FIRST IN THE NATION
The Blazers are tops in the nation in turnovers lost with just four on the year tying with Shorter for the best in NCAA Division II.  The Blazers have two lost fumbles and two interceptions.  The Blazers are sixth nationally in turnover margin at 1.40 for tops in the league, while they are second in the league in turnovers gained with 20 for 49th nationally. 
 
GOOD ON THIRD
VSU is third nationally on third down at a .540 clip to lead the league.  The Blazers are 61 of 113 on third down while the team is 20th nationally on third down defense, holding teams to a .304 clip on 42 of 138.  VSU is eighth nationally on fourth down with a .700 percentage on 7 of 10, while the team is 14th nationally and tops in the GSC in fourth down defense on 6 of 19 for a .316 clip.
 
GETTING THE FIRST
VSU is 29th nationally and tops in the GSC in First Downs with 231, while the team is holding teams to 145 first downs for sixth nationally and tops in the GSC. VSU had a season-high 29 first downs against Fayetteville State (Sept. 14), while allowing just four first downs at Erskine (Sept. 21) and nine at Shorter (Oct. 5).  VSU has outgained the opposition in first downs in nine of ten games this season as Delta State held a 24-17 advantage in first downs (Nov. 9). 
 
EARLY RETURNS
VSU is fourth nationally in kick returns averaging 26.92 per return as senior Alfonso Franklin is 17th nationally in kicke returns at a 27.3 clip.  The Blazers have 13 returns for 350 yards this season as Franklin has 12 for 328.  
 
SCORING ON BOTH SIDES
The Blazers are sixth nationally in scoring offense at 43.1 points per game to lead the league.  VSU has scored 30 or more points eight times this season and 40 or more points five times and have scored 431 points for the season.  Conversely, the defense is allowing just 9.1 points per game for third nationally with three shutouts and held the opposition to less than ten points five times.  
 
EFFICIENT BLAZERS
VSU quarterback Sammy Edwards is fifth nationally in passing efficiency at a 179.4 clip for tops in the GSC.  He is 169 of 249 passing for a 67.87 clip and 2,449 yards along with 23 touchdowns and just two interceptions.  Edwards set the GSC record earlier this season with 195 pass attempts without an interception.  As a team, the Blazers have a 174.79 passing efficiency for third nationally and tops in the GSC.
 
SAMMY MOVING UP
Quarterback Sammy Edwards is sixth in school history in passing yards with 6,793, while he is seventh in career completions on 503 of 754 passing with 13 interceptions and a 66.6 clip.  He is tied for sixth all-time in career touchdown passes with 57, while he is sixth in total offense with 905 plays for 7,278 total yards.  
 
A VICTORY OVER MILES WOULD . . .