VALDOSTA —
Valdosta State football players Gerald Ford and Quin Roberson were named Gulf South Conference Players of the Week for performances in the Blazers’ 62-14 win over Fort Valley State Saturday night.
Ford, a 6-foot-3 junior wide receiver, hauled in three touchdowns on just five catches for a game-high 152 yards receiving and was named the Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
With the game tied at 7-7 in the first quarter, Valdosta State quarterback Graham Craig found Ford for a 36-yard touchdown that gave the Blazers the lead.
Just minutes into the second quarter, Ford and Craig hooked up again for a 12-yard touchdown connection, giving the Blazers a 13-7 lead.
The duo connected again just minutes into the third quarter, when Craig found a wide-open Ford across the middle for a 50-yard scoring play, their longest of the day.
The game was Ford’s first at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium since the end of the 2010 season. He missed the entire 2011 season due to academic issues.
More importantly, the win ended Valdosta State’s four-game losing streak, the second longest streak in school history.
“It was a great way to bounce back,” Ford told reporters after the game. “We have bigger things on our mind. This is just a stepping stone to the bigger goal. So we just take it one step at a time.”
Roberson was named the conference’s Special Teams Player of the Week after racking up 129 punt return yards (a 32.3-yard average), the 10th most in conference single-game history.
The largest chunk of return yards came in the fourth quarter when Roberson broke free for a school-record 94-yard punt return, which extended the Blazers’ lead to 55-14. The return broke the previous school-record of 81 yards, which was also held by Roberson.
The punt return was simply a way for Roberson to contribute after not recording a reception in a game for just the second-time in his two-year VSU career.
Blazers move up two spots in poll
The Blazers moved up two spots to 18th in the latest release of the American Football Coaches’ Association Division II poll.
Pittsburg State received 29 first place votes and remains the nation’s top-ranked team. Minnesota-Duluth, Colorado State-Pueblo, Grand Valley State and Winston-Salem State round out the top five.
VSU’s first opponent of the season, Saginaw Valley State, moved up eight spots and is now ranked 10th. The Blazers’ 10th opponent of the year, Texas A&M-Kingsville, made the biggest jump in the poll, going from 24th to 14th.
West Alabama dropped from 13th to 24th and Delta State is ranked 25th.
West Georgia (2-0) is receiving votes for the top 25.
The Blazers (1-1) face Angelo State Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game is part of the Lone Star Football Festival, a three-day event featuring six games college games. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Eastern.
Local Sports
Ford, Roberson named Players of Week
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All-Region teams announced
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Lowndes tennis dominates
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Banks Lake Youth Fishing Derby a success
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Summer camp information
VSU baseball camp coming soon
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Prince Automotive donates new baseball equipment
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Needmore holds final races before big Memorial Day weekend
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That wasn’t the case in the Late Model division, as Valdosta's Gene Ross drove to victory once again, but not without some close competition from Steven Roberts who came in second.
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VSU softball wins South Region, headed to nationals
For the third time in four years, and second in a row, Valdosta State’s softball team will play in the national championship tournament.
The Blazers won their third South Region championship Saturday, beating Alabama-Huntsville 8-3 in game three of the best-of-three series at Steel’s Diamond at Blazer Park. -
VSU baseball season comes to an end
Delta State scored seven unanswered runs to defeat Valdosta State 7-2 in an elimination game of the NCAA South Region Tournament at the UT Baseball Field Saturday afternoon.
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