SETTING THE SCENE
The No. 3 Valdosta State football team returns the State of South Carolina as it travels to Greenwood, S.C., to battle Erskine College at 4 p.m. on Saturday at J.W. Babb Stadium.  The Blazers enter with a 3-0 record, while Erskine is 1-2.  
 
AGAINST THE PALMETTO STATE
The Blazers will earn their frequent flier miles to South Carolina this season as they visit the Palmetto State three times winning 27-14 at Newberry (Sept. 7), now playing at Erskine on Saturday and at North Greenville (Oct. 12).  This will be the first meeting against Erskine in program history, while VSU is 4-1 all-time against Newberry and 5-0 all-time against North Greenville.  Overall, the Blazers are 10-1 all-time against teams from South Carolina.
 
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.  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.
 
WATCH ON FLOSPORTS
All VSU home and GSC road football games, along with the game Saturday at Newberry, 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.
 
ABOUT ERSKINE
The Flying Fleet are 1-2 this season under the direction of head coach Shap Boyd who is in his fifth season with the program.  Boyd is 7-35 at Erskine as the program was reinstated in 2020.  Football had not been at Erskine since 1951.  Since its return, the Flying Fleet, located in Due West, S.C., have gone 7-35 all under Boyd.  Erskine joined the GSC as an affiliate member in 2024, prior to Conference Carolinas adding football as a sport in 2025.  This season, the Flying Fleet were picked tied for seventh in the GSC preseason poll with Chowan.  EC opened the season with a 52-0 win over Saint Andrews (NAIA) and lost 31-14 to Presbyterian (FCS) and lost 20-0 last week to Elizabeth City State.  The game against VSU marks Erskine's fourth-straight home game as it opens with five-straight at home to begin the season.  Last season, the Flying Fleet went 0-11 in 2023 and has not beaten a Division II schools since Sept. 10, 2022, in a 23-19 victory at Clark Atlanta.  This season, EC has had a pretty stout defense and special teams as it is second in the GSC and 24th nationally in total defense, holding teams to 249.0 yards per game, while the team has three blocked kicks combined to tie for the national lead.  Erskine also leads the nation in fumbles recovered (six) and is 20th nationally and second in the GSC in passing yards allowed at merely 130.0 per contest.  EC is third in the league in rushing yards allowed at 119 yards allowed on the ground per game.  EC is holding teams to a .179 clip on third down as well.  Individually, Rashad Luckey leads the team on the ground with 38 carries for 222 yards and two touchdowns, while it has used two signal callers in Craig Pender and Breylon Boyd.  Pender is 42 of 73 passing for 400 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions this season.  Rodshaun Dorsey has 14 receptions for 131 yards and three touchdowns as he is 13th nationally intouchdown receptions lead the league, while Luckey is 32nd nationally in rushing yards for second in the league. 
 
THIS WEEK IN THE GSC
It's Week 3 in the GSC as conference play begins with VSU beginning its title defense at Erskine, while No. 24 Delta State, who also earned a share of the conference title a season ago, hosts Fort Valley State in a non-conference matchup.  No. 12 West Florida hosts No. 23 West Alabama in arguably the game of the week in the league and North Greenville visits Mississippi College as both teams are searching for their first victories.  Through the first couple of weeks, GSC teams are 10-9 in non-conference play as the league has a 106-61 record since 2016 in regular season non-conference games.  
 
LOOKING AT THE POLLS
The Blazers moved up to No. 3 nationally in both the AFCA Top 25 and the D2Football.com Top 25.  VSU is the highest ranked team in Super Region Two in both polls.  Defending national champion Harding leads both polls followed by Grand Valley State in both and VSU in both.  Minnesota State sits fourth in D2Football, while Colorado School of Mines in fourth in the AFCA and Minnesota State is eighth according to the AFCA.  Ferris State is fifth in the AFCA poll (seventh in D2Football), while Colorado School of Mines is fifth in D2.  In the AFCA poll, West Florida is 12th, while West Alabama is 23rd and Delta State is tied for 24th.  According to D2Football.com, West Florida is 13th and Delta State is 24th while West Alabama is unranked.  Out of Super Region Two, Lenoir Rhyne is sixth in AFCA and 12th in D2Football, while Virginia Union is 21st in AFCA and Wingate is tied for 24th.  Johnson C. Smith is among others receiving votes.  In D2Football.com, Virginia Union is 20th and Wingate is 23rd.
 
WITH THE SHUTOUT
VSU registered its first shutout since Oct. 9, 2021, with a 34-0 victory over Fayetteville State on Saturday as the Blazers' last shutout was a 55-0 victory over Delta State.  Saturday's win marked the 27th shutout in school history.
 
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 336-137-4 record (.707) behind Grand Valley State (442-148-3) with a .747 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 224-77 overall.
 
NO SHUTOUTS
The Blazers lead all of NCAA Division II with 381 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.
 
TEN THINGS FROM THE FAYETTEVILLE STATE GAME

NATIONALLY SPEAKING
The Blazers lead the nation outright in 3rd down percentage (.667) on 28 of 42, while they lead the nation on fourth down percentage at a perfect 1.000 percent and 4th down defense at .000 percent.  On fourth down the Blazers are 1 for 1 this season, while the opposition is 0-4.  VSU is third nationally in first down offense with 76 to lead the GSC, while the team is tops in the GSC in passing offense (24th/263.3), second in passing yards allowed (18th/128.0), second in points allowed (8th/8.0), tops in passing efficiency (20th/163.94) and second in total offense (25th/433.7).  VSU is third in the league in net punting (33rd/39.6), red zone defense (27th/.571), rushing offense (43rd/170.3), scoring offense (27th/34.3), passing efficiency defense (29th/97.58) and total defense (21st/250.0). 
 
A VICTORY OVER ERSKINE WOULD . . .

UP NEXT
The Blazers return home to host the 2024 GSC home-opener versus rival West Alabama on Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.