SETTING THE SCENE
The Blazers (6-4) and Golden Rams (10-1) renew their rivalry and this time in the playoffs as VSU travels to Albany State for a 1 p.m. kick Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division II Championship.  This marks the fourth times the teams have met in the playoffs and the first time since 2004.  
 
CALLING THE GAME
TALK 92.1 FM will broadcast the Blazer games all season long, both home and away, with Wade Beale and Pat White having the call on the radio. Fans can access links to the radio broadcast and video broadcast at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.
 
HOW TO WATCH
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ as will all playoff games up to the national championship.  Blazer fans will have to subscribe to ESPN+ to be able to watch the game.
 
HOW WE GOT HERE
The Blazers won their 12th Gulf South Conference championship with a thrilling 47-44 win at then-No. 3 West Florida last Saturday in overtime as VSU freshman kicker Matt Rolader hit a 37-yard field goal in the overtime period for the walk-off win.  The Blazers (6-4) earned the Gulf South Conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA postseason.  Albany State won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship with a 22-16 win over Benedict last Saturday as the Golden Rams went a perfect 8-0 in league play this season.  This marks ASU's 15th trip to the postseason and first since 2021. 
 
NCAA SUPER REGION TWO BRACKET
Albany State earned the No. 1 seed in Super Region Two this year, while West Florida was the No. 2-seed.  Newberry earned the No. 3-seed as champions of the South Atlantic Conference, while Wingate was the No. 4-seed.  The remaining four teams were unseeded with Benedict and Kentucky State out of the SIAC, North Greenville who were the champions of Conference Carolinas and VSU as champions of the GSC.  VSU is 2-0 this season against the regional field with the 47-44 win at West Florida and a 35-24 win over North Greenville on Oct. 25 for Homecoming.    
 
IN THE POSTSEASON
Albany State is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA postseason and is 3-14 all-time with its last appearance in 2021.  The Golden Rams qualified for the quarterfinals in 1997, 2004 and 2010.  West Florida is 12-4 in the postseason making sixth trip and first since 2023.  The Argos won the national championship in 2019.  Newberry is 2-5 all-time with its last trip being in 2021 and the Wolves have reached the second round twice, in 2006 and 2021.  Wingate is making its seventh trip and is 4-6 all-time qualifying for the quarterfinals in 2022 as its last trip to the postseason.  Benedict is making its third trip and is 0-2 with second round losses in 2022 and 2023.  The Kentucky State Thorobreds are making the postseason for the first time, while North Greenville is 4-2 all-time and is making its third trip with quarterfinal finishes in 2011 and 2016.  VSU is 3-1 all-time against the region field with a 3-0 mark against Albany State and a 0-1 mark against West Florida with a heartbreaking home loss to the Argos in 2019 in the second round, 38-35, as VSU led 35-31 with just over two minutes remaining.  UWF converted two key fourth downs on the final drive to win the game. 
 
THE BLAZERS IN THE PLAYOFFS
VSU is 34-16 all-time in the playoffs as it is making its 21st trip.  The Blazers have competed in seven national title games and won four national championships in 2004, 2007, 2012 and 2018, while finishing national runner-up in 2002, 2021 and 2024.  The Blazers are 24-8 all-time at home in the postseason, while they are 6-5 on the road and 4-3 in neutral site games for the national championship.   Saturday marks the first road game for the Blazers in the first round since Nov. 22, 2014, in a 33-31 win at North Alabama.  VSU's last overall road game in the playoffs was a thrilling 38-31 win at No. 8 Delta State in the second round on Nov. 25, 2023, in Cleveland, Miss.  The 34 wins are one behind former GSC member North Alabama for most all-time in league history, while they are good for third-most among active D2 members and fourth all-time in D2.  The 21 appearances in the postseason are tied for the most with UNA in league history and fourth-most in D2 history.  The Blazers are 7-5 all-time in the first round of the D2 Championship and this marks the first time playing in the first round for the Blazers since 2016.  Prior to this season, the top team received a "bye" in the first round.  This season the regional expanded from seven to eight teams so all eight in the first round now. 
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH ALBANY STATE
The Blazers own a 22-2 record all-time against Albany State and have won five-straight in the series dating back to a 29-12 loss in Albany on Nov. 2, 2017.  The Blazers are 10-2 all-time in Albany, while VSU is 12-0 at home.  Ironically the first two playoff games for the Blazers in program history were against Albany State in the first round in 1994 (14-7) and 1996 (38-28) and both in Valdosta.  The 2004 meeting in the playoffs was in Albany in the regional final as VSU went on for its first national title that season.  In the last meeting in the series in Albany was on Sep. 9, 2023, with VSU winning 21-16 in the closest meeting in the series since a 16-7 win by the Blazers on Sept. 3, 2016.  VSU and Albany State have opened the season with each other 16 times of the 24 meetings with VSU holding a 14-2 lead in those games.  The teams have met to open the year seven of the last 11 seasons. 
 
NEW BLAZER MOBILE APP
Valdosta State Athletics in partnership with Renasant Bank is thrilled to announce the official launch of the Blazer Athletics Mobile App, available for free on iOS and Android devices via the App Store and Google Play Store. The new Valdosta State Blazers Athletic App integrates news, team information, gameday notifications gameday notifications for all Blazer athletic events both home and away and schedules, as well as ways to purchase VSU tickets and apparel.  The Valdosta State App offers a user-friendly interface with easy 
access to many services and features.  Check vstateblazers.com for more information on the new Mobile App.

COACH GRAHAM CRAIG SHOW
Following each game this season, The Coach Graham Craig Show will feature the head coach along with select players as they dissect the game both home and away.  Check back with vstateblazers.com and on the Blazer social media channels each Sunday evening for the newest edition of The Coach Graham Craig Show.    
 
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Saturday marks the fourth-straight week the Blazers have faced a ranked team this season.  VSU is 77-67-2 all-time against ranked teams and 44-29-1 at home against ranked foes, while the Blazers are 28-34-1 on the road against ranked teams.  VSU is 14-31-1 all-time against ranked teams when it has not beenranked.  The Blazers are 9-1 all-time when ASU has been ranked and are 2-0 when just ASU has been ranked, with a 20-10 win at ASU in 1998 and an 18-6 victory in Valdosta in 1999 to begin both seasons. VSU is 7-1 against ASU when both teams have been ranked.  Moreover, all three playoff games against ASU both teams have been ranked.
 
CRAIG AND PASCHALL EARN GSC SPECIALTY HONORS
The 2025 All-Gulf South Conference Teams were announced on Wednesday and Blazer head coach Graham Craig was named GSC Co-Coach of the Year, while freshman running back Shawn Paschall earned Offensive Freshman of the Year honors.  Craig became the sixth Blazer head coach to earn Coach of the Year honors in program history as Hal Mumme (1996); Chris Hatcher (2000-2002); Kerwin Bell (2018); Gary Goff (2019 & 2021) and Tremaine Jackson were the first five.  Bell shared the honor in 2018, as did Goff in 2019 and Jackson in 2024.  Craig was the offensive coordinator for the Blazers in 2024 helping lead the team to the national title game, before being elevated to head coach in January, 2025.  Paschall also became the sixth Blazer to earn Offensive Freshman of the Year honors since the award began in 2008.  Along with Paschall, Chris Hart (2008), Gerald Ford (2009), Cedric O'Neal (2012), Cedric Hollingshed (2016) and Jamar Thompkins (2018) earned the prestigious honor.  Thompkins and Hart shared the award their respective years. 
 
BLAZERS SHOW WELL ON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
Along with the specialty award winners, 12 Blazers earned all-conference honors with five first team selections and seven second team honorees.  Junior running back Corey Reddick, Jr., senior offensive lineman Kenley-Mary Asse and senior Council Allen earned first team honors on offense, while senior defensive lineman Mark Robinson and senior defensive back Rance Conner were named to the first team on defense. Senior running back Eric Watts, senior center Victor Cameron, senior defensive lineman Greg Hudgins III, along with sophomore linebacker Julius Pascal, graduate linebacker Jaden Dawkins and senior defensive back Dallas Robinson were named to the second team on defense.  Freshman kicker Matt Rolader earned second team honors for special teams.
 
BLAZER SWEEP X2
VSU swept the GSC weekly awards for the second-straight week following the thriller at West Florida.  This week, junior quarterback Jameson Holcomb earned offensive honors, while Pascal earned defensive honors for the second-straight week and Rolader was named both Special Teams and Freshman of the Week.   Holcomb had a career game against UWF as he went 20 of 37 passing for 331 yards and four touchdowns as his 331 yards and four TDs were VSU career highs for him, as were his 37 passing attempts.  Pascal had double-digit tackles for the second-straight week with 11 total tackles and nine solo stops with 1.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups.  Rolader went 6 for 6 in extra-points and kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime from 37-yards out to beat UWF 47-44 on Saturday.  The week before, VSU swept the league accolades for the first time since Nov. 5, 2012.  
 
BACK ON THE NATIONAL RADAR
The Blazers are receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 which was released on Monday, marking the first time of being back in the AFCA Top 25 or others receiving votes since Sept. 22, 2025, when the Blazers were 20th in the poll.  VSU has won four-straight games and defeated three ranked teams to end the season after starting 2-4.  
 
IN OVERRTIME
The Blazers improved to 3-6 all-time in overtime games as they defeated then-No. 3 West Florida on Saturday, 47-44 with a 37-yard field goal from freshman Matt Rolader in the extra-session.  VSU's last overtime game before this past Saturday also was against West Florida in a heartbreaking 32-31 loss in Valdosta to the then-No. 8 Argos in 2022.  
 
WINNING THE TOSS
Saturday marked the first time all season the Blazers have won the toss and won both tosses with winning the overtime toss and chose defense in the 47-44 win as UWF missed a field goal on its attempt and VSU made its try.  Prior to Saturday, the Blazers had been 0-9 on the toss to begin the game this season.
 
PRETTY CLEAN PLAY
VSU is 10th nationally in fewest penalties with 50 for the season, while the Blazers are 18th nationally in fewest penalties per game (5.00), 20th nationally in fewest penalty yards (486) and 30th in fewest penalty yards per game (48.6) as all lead the GSC.  
 
RECAPPING WEST FLORIDA
The Blazers trailed 13-0 early in the game before a blocked extra-point return for a safety turned the momentum in the game.  VSU had just six yards of offense in the first quarter, but finished the game with over 400 as it kept its composure and continued to chip away and took a 16-13 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half.  It marked the fifth time UWF has trailed all season.  The second quarter saw 38 points between the two teams and a 30-23 UWF lead at halftime.  The Blazers knotted the game at 37 late in the third quarter on a 9-yard touchdown run by Eric Watts and then took a 44-37 lead midway through the fourth quarter.  UWF rallied and tied the game at 44 with 40 seconds remaining.  In overtime, UWF kicker Brogan Woeber missed his third field goal of the game on the Arogs' possession as VSU gained five yards before Matt Rolader belted a 37-yarder for the winner.  
 
THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN OCT. 25
That's for sure for VSU beginning with the 35-24 win over North Greenville on Homecoming as VSU improved to 3-4 on the year to begin this incrediblejourney to a conference title and the playoffs.  Since the loss at Division I The Citadel on Oct. 11 and the bye week following, the Blazers have looked like a completely different team and most impressively have found ways to win games, especially in the last three weeks with the fumble recovery late and score from senior Dallas Robinson against West Alabama for a 45-35 victory on Nov. 1. Arguably one of the plays of the year came the following week with an amazing catch in the back of the end zone by junior wide receiver Jaheim Arnold with nine seconds to play against Delta State for a 27-23 win on Nov. 8, and the grit and determination last week to get down early and battle back for the overtime victory on the biggest field goal of the year from freshman kicker Matt Rolader.
 
ROLADER NAMED STEEL'S JEWELRY BLAZER ATHETE OF THE WEEK
Freshman kicker Matt Rolader added to his outstanding week last week with Steel's Jewelry Blazer Athlete of the Week honors following the win at West Florida.  Rolader is the fourth Blazer football player to earn the honor this season.  Rolader is 12th nationally this season in field goal percentage at an .800 clip on 8 of 10, while he is 36 of 37 in extra-points for the season leading the team in scoring with 60 points.
 
ABOUT ALBANY STATE
The Golden Rams enter with a 10-1 record overall and went a perfect 8-0 in SIAC play this season winning the conference title by beating Benedict in the title game last Saturday, 22-16.  ASU used a 10-0 second quarter after each team scored a touchdown in the first quarter.  Benedict outscored ASU 9-5 in the second half and pulled within 17-13 in the third quarter.  The Golden Rams also had a blocked extra-point returned for a safety as did VSU last week.  ASU has won eight-straight games and tied for the eighth-longest current winning streak in D2.  ASU's only blemish this season was a D1 FCS loss at Florida A&M on Sept. 13, 2025, 33-25, in a game ASU held a 14-10 lead with 5:13 remaining in the second quarter.   ASU statistically has had an outstanding season, especially defensively, as it is tops in D2 in 3rd down conversion defense, holding teams to a .229 clip on the pivotal down, while it is tops in the country in passing efficiency defense at an 87.68 clip and lead the nation in turnovers gained (28).  The Golden Rams are third nationally in scoring defense (11.9 ppg), fourth nationally in rush defense (74.7), fifth nationally in total defense (257.5) and seventh in red zone defense (.640).  Offensively, the Golden Rams have been successful as well as they are 26th nationally in scoring offense at 35.5 points per game.  Quarterback Isaiah Knowles has thrown for 1,643 yards and 15 touchdowns, while running back Tiant Wyche has 759 yards on the ground and nine rushing scores.   The defense has 38 sacks on the season for seventh nationally at a 3.45 clip per game, while it is fourth nationally in tackles for loss per game at an 8.4 average.  Derrick Drayton anchors the defense as he leads the team with 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks this season, while he has two fumble recoveries.  Luke Rose has a team-high 43 total tackles and three interceptions.  Tyrell Gainey has a team-high four INTS.  Cameron Watts is strong in the return game as he is 12th nationally in combined kick returns with 699 yards.  He has two kickoff returns for touchdowns and averages 30.2 yards per return for 11th nationally.  Head coach Quinn Gray, Sr., is in his third year as head coach at ASU and is 22-10. 
 
ABOUT VALDOSTA STATE
The Blazers have literally had a tale of two halves to the season with struggles early on leading to a 2-4 record, but have responded with four-straight wins and are one of the hottest teams in the country right now playing with a lot of confidence.  Holcomb is 76 of 117 with three interceptions and 894 yards passing over the last four games with eight touchdowns, while Reddick and Watts have combined for 526 yards on the ground and eight rushing scores during the stretch.   Allen has had 20 catches for 263 yards and a touchdown in the winning streak, while Arnold has come on strong with three touchdown catches in the last two weeks with two scores at West Florida.  VSU has had just six turnovers in the last four games, while it had 15 turnovers in the first six contests.  For the season, Reddick leads the GSC in rushing yards per carry at a 6.0 clip for 28th nationally, while Watts is second in the GSC in rushing touchdowns with nine.  Pascal has been outstanding on defense as he leads the team with 85 tackles and is tops in the GSC in solo tackles per game at a 4.70 clip and is league-best in total tackles per game at an 8.5 average.  He has registered double-digit tackles in the last two games and three times this season, while having nine solo tackles in each of the last two contests.  
 
WITH THE BLOCK
The Blazers have four blocked kicks on the year for 30th nationally and tops in the GSC.  Four different players each have a blocked kick as Conner, M. Robinson, D. Robinson and sophomore Joel Houedenou have had a block this season.
 
A WIN OVER ALBANY STATE WOULD . . .