GREENWOOD, S.C. – The No. 3 Valdosta State Blazer football team opened the 2024 Gulf South Conference season with a school-record 73-0 victory at Erskine College in the first meeting between the two teams Saturday afternoon. 
 
The Blazers (4-0, 1-0 GSC) set the school-record for points in a game with 73, surpassing the previous mark of 70 set a couple of times and last in 2009 versus Edward Waters College in a 70-6 victory.  VSU also registered its second-straight shutout, marking the first time in program history with back-to-back shutouts. 
 
VSU amassed a season-high 577 yards of offense in the game with 293 yards on the ground and 284 through the air.  The defense held Erskine (1-3, 0-1 GSC) to just five first downs and 74 yards of total offense with just nine rushing yards allowed and 65 passing yards.  The defense registered six sacks in the game and had 12 tackles for loss and registered four turnovers with two fumble recoveries and two INTs.  In the second half, the Blazer "D" held Erskine to one first down and minus-5 yards of offense.
 
Individually, senior Sammy Edwards went 11 of 16 passing for 257 yards and five touchdown passes, while senior Alfonso Franklin had ten carries for 131 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.  Graduate student Bud Chaney finished with five carries for 33 yards and two touchdowns.  Graduate student Rodney Bullard had three receptions for 114 yards and three touchdowns, while graduate student Graeson Malashevich had four receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns.   The ten touchdowns scored by the Blazers in the game also tied the school-record with the last time coming against Edward Waters on Nov. 9, 2009. 
 
Defensively, Blazer graduate student Caden Campolieti had eight solo tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks for 12 yards and one fumble return to lead the team.  Junior Dav'Juan Dezeme had two interceptions in the game, marking the first two INTs for the Blazers this season.
 
Erskine won the toss and elected to receive.  VSU forced a three-and-out as it started with good field position at the 40 following a 16-yard punt return from sophomore Ethan Nation.  Edwards hit Malashevich for 13 yards on a 3^rd and 10, then he found graduate student Tyler Ajiero for 37 yards and hit graduate student Rodney Bullard for ten yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 9:28 left in the first quarter. 
 
On the ensuing EC possession, the Blazer "D" stood tall forcing quarterback Breylon Boyd into a bad pass as it was intercepted by graduate student Dezeme for the first Blazer INT of the season at the EC 22.  The Blazer offense made quick work as Chaney registered all 22 yards on the ground for a 14-0 lead with 5:56 left in the first quarter.  Head coach Tremaine Jackson called the onside kick and it worked as VSU began its next drive at its own 46, but only moved to the EC 41 before having to punt.  Sophomore Noah Botsford pinned the Flying Fleet at its own two-yard line with a great punt.
 
EC got its first, first own but the black swarm defense came up with a huge sack of Boyd back to the EC eight before the Flying Fleet had to punt to begin the second quarter.  VSU began the drive at the EC 38 and Edwards hit Malashevich for 38-yards and a 21-0 lead with 14:42 remaining in the half.  VSU came up with its second turnover of the game as Boyd threw a backwards pass to the EC 25 as graduate student Caden Campolieti recovered after a review. 
 
Edwards hit Ajiero for 14 yards and Chaney scampered 11-yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 lead with 11:15 left in the half.  VSU scored a field goal from graduate student Austin McKay for a 31-0 lead and then forced another fumble by the Flying Fleet for the third turnover of the half.  The Blazers cashed in with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Malashevich for a 38-0 lead with 2:35 left in the half. 
 
For the half, VSU had 279 yards on 29 plays, while Edwards was 9 of 13 passing for 153 yards and three touchdown passes, while the Blazers had 16 carries for 126 yards.  The Blazers had a 13-4 advantage in first downs and held EC to just 18 yards on the ground on 20 carries and 4 of 8 passing for 61 yards and one interception.  EC had just79 yards in the opening half. 
 
Edwards tossed his fourth touchdown pass of the game on the first play of the second half from scrimmage connecting with Bullard on a 75-yard slant pattern for a 45-0 lead just 11 seconds into the second half.  Dezeme then intercepted Boyd on the ensuing possession for the fourth turnover of the game and the Blazers cashed in, once again, as Edwards converted a 2^nd and goal from the 29 finding Bullard in the end zone for his third TD reception of the game and the fifth of the game marking the second-most all-time in his career.
 
Following a punt by the Flying Fleet, VSU went to the ground and junior Seth Smith came in under center for the Blazers with great runs from Alfonso Franklin and Ashaud Roberson with Franklin scoring for a 59-0 lead with 5:29 left in the quarter.  The Blazer "D" teed off on the Flying Fleet as it had to punt from its own end zone with VSU starting in + territory for the seventh time in the game. 
 
Franklin scored from two yards out early in the fourth and then he scampered 38-yards for the school-record points at 73-0 with 11:18 remaining in the game.  The teams then ran the ball the rest of the way to milk the clock. 
 
VSU returns home to host West Alabama next weekend at 7 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on Sept. 28.