VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State football running back Blake Hester was named Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.  This is Hester's first weekly honor as a Blazer and he is the third VSU player to earn weekly player of the week honors this season.
 
Hester, a native of Ashland, Ky., had six carries for 102 yards and three rushing touchdowns in the Blazers' 34-0 shutout of Fayetteville State Saturday evening.  Hester averaged 17.0 yards per carry and had a 73-yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.  He helped VSU register 186 yards on the ground and a 5.5 average per carry for the team, while VSU tallied a season-high 502 yards off total offense in the game. 
 
For the season, Hester leads the team averaging 61.7 yards per game as he has 23 carries for 185 yards and four rushing touchdowns.  Hester has three receptions for 13 yards on the year.  He is 17^th nationally and tops in the GSC in total touchdowns scored (4), while he is 23^rd nationally and second in the league in total points scored (24).  His four rushing scores put him tenth nationally and best in the league.  
 
Hester joins Blazer seniors Sammy Edwards and Larry Elder as VSU players who have earned GSC weekly accolades so far this season. 

The Blazers (3-0) open Gulf South Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 4 p.m., in Greenwood, S.C., versus league-newcomer Erskine College (1-2) in the first meeting between the two teams on the gridiron.  Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com.