LIVINGSTON, Ala. - Twenty-four points down at the half, with a missed field goal still ringing in their ears, the Blazers refused to blink. Valdosta State scored four times over the final two quarters and went home from Livingston with a 28-24 win nobody inside Tiger Stadium saw coming.
Valdosta State (6-1, 1-0) climbed out of a 24-0 halftime hole in FloCollege's Division II Game of the Week. Quarterback Champ Harris accounted for three touchdowns, and Matt Wilson's 4-yard touchdown run with 1:45 left finished the comeback. West Alabama (5-4, 0-2) never scored after halftime.
The Tigers won the toss, deferred, and dictated the first half. Valdosta State went three-and-out on its opening drive, and Elijah Guyton's 38-yard field goal gave West Alabama a 3-0 lead at 11:09 of the first quarter.
After a Valdosta State punt, West Alabama drove 80 yards in 15 plays, eating 8:08 off the clock. Dakarai Shanks scored on a 3-yard run with 19 seconds left in the quarter to make it 10-0.
The second quarter opened with a gift. Nate Thomason forced a fumble by Harris on the first snap, and Levi Manson recovered at the VSU 35. The Tigers moved to the 16 but stalled when Guyton took a fourth-and-5 snap and lost 6 yards, turning the ball over on downs. Valdosta State went three-and-out and punted, and West Alabama drove 71 yards in nine plays. Brayden Jenkins capped it with a 15-yard touchdown run at 6:43 to make it 17-0.
Valdosta State finally found a rhythm on its next possession, but a fourth-and-3 pass to Shawn Paschall fell incomplete at the UWA 34. West Alabama needed seven plays to go 66 yards, and Jenkins scored from a yard out with 1:45 left. The Blazers answered with a nine-play drive to the UWA 27, then called timeout facing second-and-1. Two incompletions in the end zone followed, and Adrian Gonzalez's 44-yard field goal try missed as time expired. West Alabama led 24-0 at the half.
The Tigers opened the third quarter with an eight-play drive to the VSU 31, but Julius Pascal and Dajon Brown stopped Jenkins for a loss on fourth-and-1. After a Valdosta State punt, the Tigers went backward and punted again. Leon Washington Jr. fumbled his return, but Bentley Ware-Roberson recovered at the VSU 48.
Harris was sacked on the first snap, and a short completion to Wilson lost two more yards, setting up third-and-18. Harris hit Davion Grant deep down the left side for 58 yards to the UWA 2 and scored himself on the next snap with 4:30 left in the quarter to make it 24-7.
The Blazers weren't done. West Alabama went three-and-out, and Harris appeared to throw an interception on the next drive, but a holding penalty on the Tigers wiped it out and gave Valdosta State a first down. Washington caught a 29-yard pass on third down, Wilson ran for 16, Harris scrambled for 12, and Kenai Grier's 6-yard run put the Blazers at the UWA 5 as the quarter ended.
Harris found Jaheim Arnold for a 5-yard touchdown on third-and-4 to finish a nine-play, 83-yard drive at 14:49 and make it 24-14.
West Alabama answered with Madixx Morris catches of 20 and 45 yards to reach the VSU 10, but the drive stalled and Guyton missed a 29-yard field goal. The Blazers punted, then the Tigers lost five yards on their next possession and Humberto Rosales punted 72 yards for a touchback.
Valdosta State took over at its own 20 and needed six plays. Grant caught passes of 16 and 14 yards, and Harris ran 15. A false start backed the Blazers up, and Harris then threw deep to Washington for a 38-yard touchdown with 7:02 left to cut the deficit to 24-21.
West Alabama went three-and-out again, and a punt pinned Valdosta State at its own 12. The Blazers needed 10 plays and 3:44. Harris ran for 8, 7 and 10 yards, Washington caught an 18-yarder, and Wilson scored from 4 yards out after a West Alabama timeout. Gonzalez's extra point made it 28-24.
The Tigers had 1:44 left but could only move 20 yards. Jenkins ran for 13 on second down, then RJ Dardy and William Tate combined to sack quarterback Luther Richesson. Richesson's fourth-and-7 pass to Cam Joseph fell incomplete with 42 seconds left, and Harris kneeled to end the game.
Valdosta State outgained West Alabama 437-368, but the second-half swing was far larger. The Blazers gained 325 yards after the break, while the Tigers managed just 122, including 19 on the ground.
Harris led Valdosta State, going 23-of-38 for 304 yards and two touchdowns through the air and adding 75 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Washington Jr. caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, Grant had three catches for 88 yards, including the 58-yarder that sparked the comeback, and Wilson scored the go-ahead touchdown to go with 39 rushing yards and four receptions. Defensively, Pascal made 13 tackles, while Bethea (nine tackles, one sack) and Brown (nine tackles) also stood out.
Valdosta State returns home on Saturday, Nov. 7, to host North Greenville at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET. The game doubles as Senior Day and Military & First Responders Appreciation Day, and fans are encouraged to wear black.
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