SETTING THE SCENE
The No. 20 Blazers (2-1) finally have their first home game of the 2025 season Saturday at 4 p.m. versus UNC Pembroke (3-1) at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  VSU is coming off a bye week, while UNCP won 41-14 in its Conference Carolinas opener against Ferrum (Va.).
 
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 on the radio. Home games will be broadcast on FloCollege with Dave Garner and Taylor Biddle having the call.  Fans can access links to the radio broadcast and video broadcast at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.
 
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Visit vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page for a link to purchase tickets for the game.  Stay up to date on all Blazer news by following @VState_Blazers on Instagram and X and by liking the "Valdosta State Blazers" Facebook page. The Blazer Athletics Mobile App is available on iTunes and Android featuring exclusive content, the latest news and updates, schedules, rosters, gameday notifications, and more.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Valdosta State looks to get off on the right foot in front of the home crowd as both teams enter eager for a victory.  The Blazers have had a week to get healthy with a bye week, while UNCP used a come-from-behind victory over then-No. 16 Delta State 25-21 on Sept. 13.  This is UNCP's second road game of the year as it lost 30-21 at Wingate in the season-opener.  VSU enters winners of its last eight at home and last seven regular season home games dating back to 2023.
 
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.
 
WATCH ON FLOCOLLEGE
All VSU home and GSC road football games will be broadcast on FloSports once again this season.  For fans eager to watch fall sports, subscribe to pay 19.99 per month or $107.88 per year ($8.99/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 $71.88 for the year ($5.99/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.  Subscribers will be able watch every GSC regular season and championship event live and in-demand. Fans will also have access to events from other NCAA conference partners, including seven Division II conferences such as the South Atlantic Conference (SAC), Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), Lone Star Conference (LSC), Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), and more.
 
SEEING CAROLINA
Saturday marks the third of four-straight games against teams from North Carolina as the Blazers dropped a disappointing 28-16 decision at Johnson C. Smith (Sept. 6) and won 56-3 at Chowan on Sept. 13.  Following Saturday's game, the Blazers continue the North Carolina trend with Lenoir-Rhyne at home on Oct. 4.  The Blazers then play their first game against a Division I opponent since 2003 on Oct. 11 at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and then hosts North Greenville from Tigerville, S.C., on Oct. 25 for Homecoming.  In all, six of the first seven games of the season all are against teams from the Carolinas.  VSU is 17-3 all-time against teams from the State of North Carolina.  Blazer junior punter Devin Walter is the only player on the team from North Carolina as he is from Concord, N.C. VSU does have a number of players from South Carolina and a number of players who attended both North Carolina and South Carolina colleges before coming to Valdosta State.
 
THE NEWLY CREATED CONFERENCE CAROLINAS FOOTBALL LEAGUE
This season marks the inaugural year of Conference Carolinas sponsoring football as it has a definite GSC flavor to some of the teams with Chowan, Erskine Shorter and North Greenville who all were former football members of the GSC now are with Conference Carolinas.  Along with the four teams mentioned above, UNC Pembroke, Ferrum and Barton comprise the seven-member football league in 2025.  VSU is 24-2 all-time against current teams in Conference Carolinas in football.  Along with Chowan, the Blazers also play UNC Pembroke and North Greenville this season. 
 
OUT IN THE SUN
This season, the Blazers play all day games through the regular season with no game starting later than 4 p.m. local time.  Traditionally, the Blazers have had a mix of day and evening/night games, but this is the first season in program history with no night games planned for the regular season.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Blazers opened versus Clark Atlanta in Birmingham on Saturday with a 31-28 win and then dropped a 28-16 decision at Johnson C. Smith on Sept. 6, followed by a 56-3 win at Chowan on Sept. 13.  VSU now opens is 2025 home slate marking the third-longest wait to have a home game in program history as VSU opened with four-straight on the road in 1992.  That season, the home-opener was on Oct. 10, and VSU opened with a neutral site game and two road games in 1986, debuting at home on Oct. 4 of 1986.
 
NO SHUTOUTS
Valdosta State has gone 395-straight games without being shutout as it is the longest active streak in NCAA Division II.  The last time VSU was blanked came on Sept. 14, 1991, at Central Florida, 12-0.
 
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. 
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH UNC PEMBROKE
UNCP leads the all-time series 2-1 against Valdosta State as this marks the first meeting since UNCP won in the postseason in Valdosta on 24-21 on Nov. 19, 2016.  In that game, UNCP raced out to a 17-0 lead and never trailed in the contest.  The Braves held a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter, before VSU scored the final touchdown of the game with 7:35 to play.  VSU had two final drives over the final 1:52 of the game, but were uanble to get into field goal range for a potential tying field goal.  UNCP won the first meeting also in Valdosta on Nov. 7, 2013, with a 34-29 win, while VSU won 36-7 in Pembroke, N.C., on Nov. 8, 2014.  
 
ABOUT THE BRAVES
The Braves are off to a 3-1 start this season and a 1-0 mark in Conference Carolinas and riding a three-game winning streak as they put up 41 points and almost 400 yards of offense last week, while registering seven sacks and holding Ferrum to 2.8 yards per play.  The UNCP "D" is holding opponents to just 286.8 yards per game, including 157.8 yards passing and registering 26 tackles for loss and ten sacks.  Marquis Raspberry earned Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Week, while Taylor Harris earned Special Teams Player of the Week, marking the third-straight week a UNCP player has earned weekly league honors.  Raspberry had six total tackles with three solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss for 19 yards and 1.5 sacks for 13 yards, while he forced a fumble along with one pass breakup and one hurry.  Harris finished with a 63.4 average per kickoff and three touchbacks, while going 5 of 5 on extra-points and made good on both field goals including a 47-yarder.  The Braves average 392 yards per game offensively and are 22nd nationally in total defense holding teams to 289 yards per game.  UNCP is 35th nationally in passing offense at 248 yards per game, while the team averages 144 yards on the ground.  Individually, quarterback Tre Robinson is 29th nationally in passing yards with 813, while he is 23rd nationally in rushing touchdowns (4) and is averaging 252.3 yards of total offense per game.  Malik Brown and Que Kennedy each have three receiving touchdowns on the year, while Jaquan Albright leads the league in receiving yards with 282 for 30th nationally.  Jordan Marcucci has 182 combined kick return yards for 47th nationally to lead the team.  Head coach Mark Hall is in his third season at UNCP with a 16-9 record, while he is 30-16 overall in five years of coaching also with a stop at Chowan. 
 
SOUND ON THE GROUND
The Blazers responded nicely with a 56-3 win at Chowan on Sept. 13.  VSU had seven rushing touchdowns in the game with three by senior Corey Reddick, Jr., two from junior Jamontez Woods and one from seniors Eric Watts and Ashaud Roberson.  The Blazers amassed a season-high 338 yards on the ground and held Chowan to just 31 rushing yards.  For the season, the Blazers are 19th nationally in rushing offense at 220 yards per game, while they are 23rd nationally in rushing defense at 91.3 yards allowed per game.  Reddick leads the team with 231 yards on the ground and four rushing scores, which places him 23rd nationally.  Watts is second in the team in rushing yards with 214 and he has three scores. Three different Blazers have long rushes of over 50 yards this season with 56 from Reddick, 75 from Watts and 85 from Roberson.  Reddick is 19th nationally in rush yards per carry at 6.79 to lead the league, while he is 23rd nationally in rushing touchdowns (4), and 36th in scoring (8.0).  
 
30 FOR 30
In one of the more usual stats during the Blazers and Chowan game, each had the ball for exactly 30 minutes on Sept. 13.  VSU is averaging 26:40 minutes per game on offense for the season.   
 
WITH THE PICK
The Blazers had not had an interception through the first two games of the season, but came up with four INTs at Chowan on Sept. 13.  Senior Rance Conner had two picks for 18 yards, while junior Andrew Douglas and redshirt freshman LaBarryon Moore each had one theft.  The Blazers have five turnovers gained and five lost this season with three lost fumbles and two INTs thrown by the Blazers.  
 
ROLADER AND WALTER EARN GSC WEEKLY HONORS
Valdosta State freshman kicker Matt Rolader was named Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Week, while junior punter Devin Walter was named GSC Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference announced Sept. 1.  Rolader, a native of Auburn, Ala., was 1 for 2 in field goals and hit the eventual game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter, breaking a 28-28 tie.  He also went 4 for 4 in extra-points and had one kickoff for 64 yards.  Walter, a junior transfer from Rhode Island and native of Concord, N.C., had two huge punts in his Blazer debut pinning Clark Atlanta inside the five on both punts to flip field position.  The second punt pinned CAU at its own two and the Blazer "D" forced a three-and-out early in the fourth as VSU took over and eventually kicked the go-ahead field goal.  The first punt went 47 yards and was downed at CAU's four in the second quarter.
 
FAKE PUNT PERFECTION
On the first series of the season and the opening drive of the game, VSU had a fourth and three from the VSU 44 as head coach Graham Craig called the fake punt with junior Bo Tallevast running for 23 yards to the CAU 33.  VSU would eventually score on the drive marking the second-straight year of scoring on the opening possession of the season and the sixth of the last seven playing seasons of an opening score on the opening drive.  Only 2022 versus Keiser was a field goal, while the rest during that span were touchdowns.  Against Clark Atlanta, VSU went 2 of 3 on fourth down, but struggled on third down, going just 3 of 11.
 
FIRST WIN FOR COACH
Blazer head coach Graham Craig became the seventh Blazer head coach to win his coaching debut with the program on Aug. 30 in a 31-28 win over Clark Atlanta.  Craig joins former head coaches Tremaine Jackson, Gary Goff, Kerwin Bell, David Dean, Chris Hatcher and Mike Cavan were the others to taste victory in their first game as a Blazer head coach.
 
STRONG IN THE PUNTING GAME
The Blazers are 11th nationally in net punting at 43.00 yards per punt from junior Devin Walter.   This season, he has ten punts for a 44.3 average and a long of 60, while putting five inside the 20 and three of over 50 yards.  Of his five inside the 20, three were downed inside the five-yard line.  He earned GSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors on Sept. 1 for his efforts in the win over Clark Atlanta.  
 
MOREHEAD EVERYWHERE
Blazer senior linebacker Tyler Morehead, who didn't play last season, picked up right where he left off in 2023 with a game-high 12 tackles and six solo stops against CAU.  Morehead helped lead the Blazers to the victory for his second game of registering 12 tackles in his career.  He had 12 stops and nine assisted tackles against Delta State on Oct. 7, 2023.  His breakout game, however, was at Albany State in a 21-16 win where he had two solo tackles, but both were enormous as they were TFL's and sacks for 19 total yards, including on the last drive of the game to preserve the victory.  This season, Morehead is second on the team with 20 tackles and 11 solo stops.  He has assisted in one tackle for loss and has two pass breakups.
 
QUARTERBACK DEBUTS
August 30 marked Harris Boyd's first career start for the Blazers as he went 14 of 24 passing for 235 yards one touchdown and one interception.  He had a QBR of 146.00 for the game.  Harris had a long pass to Armani Hayes for 71 yards, while Hayes caught the one touchdown toss from Boyd.  Boyd connected passes to eight different receivers in the game.  Against Johnson C. Smith, sophomore Jameson Holcomb came into the game in the fourth quarter and threw a 65-yard touchdown pass on his first play as a Blazer.  Holcomb then played the entire game at Chowan on Sept. 13 and is listed as the starter for this week on the newest depth chart for the Blazers.  Holcomb is 14 of 25 passing for 214 yards and two touchdowns, while Boyd is 22 of 45 for 312 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. 
 
ABOUT THE BLAZERS
The Blazers enter the fourth game of the season averaging 395.3 yards of offense for third in the GSC and 54th nationally, while they are allowing 311.7 yards allowed for 33rd nationally and third in the league.  VSU is scoring 34.3 points per game for 30th nationally and third in the league, while allowing 19.7 points per game for 40th nationally.  The Blazers average 175.3 yards per game through the air, while they are holding teams to just 47 first downs through three games for 14th nationally and tops in the league.  On defense, senior Dallas Robinson leads the team with 21 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss for 11 yards, while he has 1.5 sacks for seven yards.  Morehead is second in tackles (20), while sophomore Julius Pascal has 19 tackles.  Senior Jemarrlowe Sykes leads the team with 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while he has 12 total tackles.  

CRAIG NAMED 12TH HEAD COACH OF VSU FOOTBALL
Valdosta State announced the hiring of Graham Craig on Jan. 20, 2025, as the 12th head coach in program history.  He served as offensive coordinator for the Blazers last season helping lead the team to the national title game for the seventh time in program history.  Craig's offense finished 11th nationally and tops in the GSC at 448.6 yards per game, while it was eighth nationally in scoring offense at 40.1 points per game which was best in the league.  The Blazers led the nation turnovers lost for the season with just five.
 
BEGINNING IN AUGUST
The 2025 season-opener marked the second-straight year the Blazers have opened the season in August.  VSU defeated Albany State in Valdosta on Aug. 31, 2024, 42-10 and won this season 31-28 over Clark Atlanta on Aug. 30.  The Blazers now are 12-2 all-time in the month of August.
 
CHANGING REGIONS
This season the CIAA moved to Super Region One with the newly added Conference Carolinas Football league taking its place in Super Region Two.  Despite being an out of region game, there is much anticipation for this game as both programs were very good last.  VSU finished 13-1 and lost in the national championship game, while JCS went 8-2 after opening the season 8-0.  This marks the first game against an NCAA Division II non-Super Region Two opponentduring the regular season since hosting Ohio Dominican on Sept. 14, 2019, in Valdosta in a 48-21 victory.  Prior to that, the last was Angelo State in a 37-3 win on Sept. 28, 2013, also in Valdosta.  
 
BLAZERS TIED FOR SECOND IN PRESEASON GSC POLL
The Blazers were picked tied for second in the 2025 Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches Poll with West Alabama.  West Florida was tabbed as league-favorite garnering nine points and three first-place votes.  VSU and UWA each had six points and UWA had the remaining first-place nod, while Delta State had three points for fourth. 
 
2025 SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
The Blazers played in the Week Zero Labor Day Classic for their first neutral site game during the regular season since 2018, while they have five home games at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium and play at a Division I school for the first time since 2003.    The Blazers host UNC Pembroke (Sept. 27), Lenoir-Rhyne (Oct. 4), North Greenville (Oct. 25), West Alabama (Nov. 1) and Delta State (Nov. 8).  Last season VSU went 8-0 at home and are 191-59-1 all-time in home games and 182-55-1 in games played at Cleveland Field/Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  The Oct. 12 game at The Citadel marks the first game against a Division I opponent since VSU won 45-17 on Sept. 6, 2003, at Florida Atlantic.  
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
The Blazers sit 20th in the AFCA Top 25, while they fell out of the D2Football.com Top 25 following the loss at Johnson C. Smith.  West Florida sits third in the AFCA Top 25, while West Alabama is 13th and Delta State is 23rd following the Blazers at 20th.  Lenoir-Rhyne, Johnson C. Smith and UNC Pembroke all are among others receiving votes.  In the D2Football.com Top 25, West Florida is fourth and West Alabama is 17th.  
 
A WIN OVER UNC PEMBROKE WOULD . . . 

• Give VSU a 3-1 record and a 1-0 mark at home this season
• Even the all-time series with UNCP at 2-2
• Be the ninth-straight home win and the eighth-straight regular season home victory
• Be the 349th victory in school history (348-139-4)
• Be the 192nd win all-time at home (191-59-3) and the 183rd at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium/Cleveland Field
• Give VSU a 25-2 record all-time against current teams from Conference Carolinas and a 2-1 record against teams from North Carolina this season
• Give VSU a 4-1 record all-time on Sept. 27 as this also marks the first home game on this date in program history, while VSU last played on this date in 2014 in a 31-29 loss at North Alabama