VALDOSTA — A game that was billed to be one of the best of the year wound up featuring one of the best comebacks of the year.
Down 31-7 at one point, No. 8 Delta State scored 28 unanswered points to overcome No. 5 Valdosta State, 35-31, Thursday at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
The Blazers (5-1, 3-1 in the Gulf South Conference) led for all of the first half, but couldn’t hold on in the third quarter, as the Statesmen (6-0, 4-0) scored on special teams, defense and offense to pull back into the game.
Delta State overtook the Blazers with 11:22 left in the game, when Greg Betterson caught a 17-yard pass from Brett Hyatt, forcing VSU to play with its backs against the wall most of the fourth quarter.
The Blazers appeared to be in retreat mode for most of the second half, after their final score of the game with 6:38 left in the third.
Michael Terry had the Blazers’ last say in the game, running a 1-yard rush to the left side of the offensive line for six points.
Shortly after the score, the wheels came off VSU, as Delta State put up 14 points in just 50 seconds without even touching the ball on offense.
As the Blazers kicked off following Terry’s run, a lapse in their return coverage allowed DSU’s Jeremy Ricks to take the ball 85 yards to the end zone.
The Blazers were on offense for just three plays when Willie Copeland threw an interception under pressure that landed in the hands of Jerry Evans. Evans caught the ball cleanly and strutted 35 yards to silence Bazemore-Hyder Stadium and the VSU sidelines.
The Blazers offense couldn’t answer the two scores, punting after five plays to a momentum-assisted DSU offense.
The Statesmen then relied on their quarterback, Dedrick Wilson, who rushed four times on a 78-yard drive, including a 22-yard run on third down to keep the ball in his team’s hands.
The drive ended with Wilson throwing the ball, finding Ricks for 40 yards and a touchdown. Ricks was a thorn in the Blazers’ side all night, catching six passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
The Statesmen picked up 275 of their 462 yards of offense in the second half, due to the way the Blazers’ defense played in the first.
VSU’s defense and special teams allowed the Blazers to build a 17-0 lead after the first two quarters.
The Blazers opened the scoring, as Valdosta State’s Donnie Powell bounced off the line quickly, getting to punter Spencer Strickland and the ball. Powell chased the ball into the end zone and recovered for the Blazers’ first score with 12:41 left in the first quarter.
The Statesmen couldn’t get their offense to stay on the field, converting just 1-of-7 first-half third down plays and failing on both of their fourth down plays.
VSU capitalized mainly due to punter Stephen Wright. Wright’s eight punts averaged 45.4 yards, including four of them pinning the Statesmen within the 20, and three within the five.
Two of those punts resulted in four points on two safeties.
The first one came with 2:22 left in the first, as Travis Harrison and Demario Jones tackled Ben Stallings in the end zone, and the second one came when Jermel Daniels brought Hyatt to the ground in the end zone.
The Blazers were clicking on defense and special teams, and the offense got in on the fun as well with 11:55 left in the second. VSU drove 62 yards, as Willie Copeland tossed a 6-yard pass to Zach Parker. However, Zac Williams would miss a key extra point, preventing the Blazers from kicking a field goal late in the game to send it into overtime.
Copeland led the Blazers’ offense against one of the nation’s top defenses, throwing for 246 yards, as VSU finished with a total of 462 offensive yards.
Cedric Jones had 91 yards of receiving, with 24 coming on VSU’s third touchdown 10:28 in the third.
The Blazers will look to rebound as they travel to West Alabama next Saturday.
Local Sports
Valdosta State stunned
Delta State scores 28 unanswered points to topple Blazers, 35-31
- Local Sports
-
-
Lady Packers beat Lowndes, 55-48
The Colquitt County Lady Packers handed the Lowndes Vikettes a second straight loss Tuesday night, 55-48.
Jamesia Jones led Lowndes with 10 points, while Courtne Washington had nine. Tasia Brown finished with eight. -
Braves unveil another alternate home uniform
Hank Aaron recognized the look. Just not the feel.
The Atlanta Braves unveiled a new alternate home uniform Monday that is based on the attire worn when the team moved from Milwaukee in 1966, with Aaron as its biggest star. -
Valdosta native Garland named to Armstrong Atlantic HOF
Armstrong Atlantic State University has announced its latest induction class for the Armstrong Atlantic State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Among the six inductees and one Service Citation award winner is Valdosta native Nikki Garland, who ran cross county and track and field with the Pirates.
-
Freeman, Trojans finalize '12 schedule
The Brooks County Trojans’ football motto is to ‘bring the hammer’ each and every Friday night.
Well, the Trojans now know exactly who they will have to bring that hammer to this upcoming season, as head coach Maurice Freeman recently finalized Brooks County’s 2012 football schedule. -
New York wins Super Bowl
Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute touchdown to beat New England 21-17 Sunday night for New York’s fourth Super Bowl title.
- Super Bowl boosts Indy’s image
-
Blazer softball sweeps Nova Southeastern
On Super Bowl Sunday, Valdosta State showed why it has been one of the super teams in the south region for years now.
-
Blazers fall to Saints
Just 24 hours after earning an impressive opening day victory, the Valdosta State baseball team struggled to find a rhythm against North Georgia, as the Blazers fell to the Saints 8-3.
North Georgia pitcher Blake Hobby was a major factor for VSU’s struggles. The senior right-hander held the Blazers to just one run on four hits across his eight innings of work on the hill. -
Tift County wins region wrestling championship
Tift County won the Region 1-AAAAA traditional wrestling championship on Saturday at Lowndes High School.
Tift had three individual region champions, had wrestlers place in the top three in 13 of the 14 weight classes and qualified wrestlers for next weekend’s sectional tournament in all 14 weight classes. Tift earned 184 team points, two points more than second-place Lowndes. -
Wildcats beat Crisp in overtime
Valdosta’s boys basketball team dominated the overtime period, and defeated Crisp County 66-56 on Saturday night at the VHS gym.
The Wildcats outscored the Cougars 17-7 in overtime to pull away for the win.
“Another big win,” Valdosta head coach Antonio Haynes said. “I’m happy for the guys. They played hard. They deserved this win.” - More Local Sports Headlines
-
Lady Packers beat Lowndes, 55-48
