NEWBERRY, S.C. – The No. 5/7 Valdosta State football team rushed for 197 yards and passed for 128 yards as it won 27-14 at Newberry College Saturday evening.  The Blazers amassed 325 yards of offense, while holding NC to just 262 yards for the game. 
 
VSU improved to 2-0 on the year, while Newberry fell to 0-1 as this was the first meeting between the two teams since 2011 as the Blazers improved to 4-1 all-time against Newberry.  Blazer senior quarterback Sammy Edwards went 13 of 21 passing for 128 yards and one touchdown, while he had six rushes for 56 yards and a score.  Graduate student Blake Hester had a team-high ten carries for 65 yards and a score on the ground, while graduate student Xyre Wilson had one reception for 35 yards and scored the first touchdown of the game.
 
Defensively, VSU held Newberry to just 42 yards receiving as NC quarterback Izayah Whiteside was 6 of 10 passing for 42 yards, but he was shifty as a runner, going 11 times on the ground for 71 yards and a score.  Dwayne Wright had a late touchdown in the final minute on the ground for the Wolves as he had 16 carries for 71 yards.  VSU held NC to just 3 of 10 on third down and 0 of 2 on fourth down. 
 
Blazer graduate student Larry Elder had eight solo tackles and one tackle for loss for six yards to lead the team as he, along with Edwards, are the reigning Gulf South Conference Defensive and Offensive Players of the Week, respectively, following Week 0.  Up front senior J'Quan Hicks finished with six total tackles and four solo stops with one tackle for loss for six yards. VSU sacked Whiteside three times in the game.
 
Newberry took the opening possession and moved down to the VSU 44, but Elder came up with his TFL of Quanta Jackson as the Wolves had to punt with ten minutes remaining in the opening quarter.  VSU, who went a staggering 11 of 14 on third down and held a 24-15 advantage in first downs, saw Edwards hit Williams for seven on a 3^rd and three and then a big pass interference penalty on Newberry on a 3^rd and 10 continued the drive for the red and black.  Following a rush from Hester for 12 yards and one to junior Joseph McKay, Edwards connected with Wilson for 35-yards and the touchdown with 7:07 remaining in the opening quarter. 
 
Both teams had to punt on their ensuing possessions as Newberry regained the ball with 3:25 left in the first.  One of the few pass attempts by Whiteside in the game saw him complete one for 11 yards to Keith Desaussure and then Whiteside used his legs to pick up 18 yards on a 3^rd and 8 from the Newberry 36.  Whiteside and Jackson both rushed for a combined 16 yards and the quarter ended with Newberry at the VSU 19. 
 
On the first play of the second quarter, Whiteside scrambled and ran for 19 yards tying the game at seven.  The Wolves' defense came up with a strip sack fumble by Edwards on the ensuing Blazer drive, but the Blazer "D" came up with key defensive stops and a muffed punt attempt by the Wolves gave VSU the ball back at the Newberry 48 yard-line with 8:24 to play in the half.  From there, the Blazers needed just 2:24 of clock time as Edwards called his own number for a 30-yard roll out and score on the ground for a 14-7 lead with six minutes remaining in the half.
 
Following a punt by the Wolves VSU took over at the 50 with 3:54 to play in the half and converted three third downs on the drive, but had to settle for a field goal as time expired in the half for a 17-7 lead at intermission.
 
Following punts by both teams to open the second half, VSU took over and moved down the field on a steady diet of Hester on the ground as he scampered 15 yards to the Newbery goal line.  From there he scored for a 24-7 lead with 3:49 left in the quarter.
 
In the fourth, VSU used a 7:25 drive on 14 plays and settled for the second field goal from senior Austin McKay of the game and a 27-7 lead.  Newberry took over and a couple of unfortunate penalties on the Blazers late in the game allowed the Wolves to move into the red zone and punch it in with a touchdown from White with 27 seconds remaining and the final margin of 27-14. 
 
VSU returns home to host Fayetteville State on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.