LIVINGSTON, Ala. — For the second week in a row, the Valdosta State Blazers used a strong second half performance to put away a scrappy Gulf South Conference team.
The Blazers (4-0, 2-0) outscored the West Alabama Tigers (2-3, 1-2) 21-7 in the final 30 minutes to pull away and win 33-14 in a game that they only led by five at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, receiver T.J. Williams caught a ball from quarterback Chris Hart two yards past the line of scrimmage near the home side. Williams then reversed field, running five yards behind the original line all the way back to the visitor’s sideline, before cutting back across the middle of the field for a touchdown. Williams was credited with a 27-yard touchdown catch, but he actually ran about 50 yards.
After a two-point conversion, the Blazers led 20-7.
The defense fed off the electric play by Williams, and safety Sherard Reynolds intercepted a pass near midfield and returned it inside the red zone.
Two plays later, Hart hit receiver R.J. Bastone in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown, making it 27-7 VSU.
The Tigers added a touchdown with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 27-14, but it proved to be too late to mount a comeback.
The Blazers maintained possession after a failed onside kick attempt, and on third down, quarterback Russ Callaway ran 17 yards for a touchdown to put the game away for good. Zac Williams’ extra point was blocked.
The Blazers’ offense came alive in the second half, but the Blazer defense set the tone throughout the game. The defense created two turnovers and held the Tigers to 255 yards of total offense. West Alabama managed just six yards of offense in the first quarter.
The offense struggled to get in synch in the first quarter. The Blazers were hit with a couple of big holding penalties in the first quarter and quarterback Chris Hart threw an interception, while Tucker Pruitt threw two.
After throwing an interception to end the Blazers’ opening drive, Hart orchestrated a 55-yard touchdown drive on the Blazers’ second possession. He completed all four of his pass attempts and also rushed for 17 yards on the drive. Markus Manson pushed the pile from two yards out for the score to give VSU a 7-0 lead with 2:27 left.
Williams booted a field goal from 42 yards that was strong enough to have been good from 52 to give the Blazers a 10-0 advantage early in the second quarter.
On the Tigers’ next possession, Roger King intercepted quarterback Derek Thomas. UWA’s offense continued to struggle on the next drive when the center snapped the ball over Thomas’ head and the ball rolled into the end zone. Thomas picked it up and threw it out of the back of the end zone for a safety, increasing the Blazers’ lead to 12-0.
The Blazer defense continued to dominate into the second quarter, but it was put in tough field position after a punt set the Tigers up at the VSU 40-yard line.
Thomas completed passes of 14 and 12 yards, down to the VSU 14-yard line. On third down, fullback Cole Mason rushed to the Blazer 2, setting up a first-and-goal. Mason then took a handoff and pulled up just short of the line of scrimmage and threw a jump pass, reminiscent of Tim Tebow, to Jason Hawkins for a touchdown.
That 12-7 score held until Williams’ impressive touchdown catch sparked the Blazers’ offense in the third quarter.
Williams finished the game with five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.
All-American wide receiver Cedric Jones had his best game of the season, catching seven passes for 58 yards. Jones’ second catch in the first quarter was the 179th of his career, moving him up to sixth on the Blazers’ all-time list for career catches.
Hart finished 23-of-40 for 217 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He ran the ball nine times for 79 yards.
The Blazers totaled 367 yards of offense.
VSU will be back in action at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on Thursday at 8 p.m. against rival Delta State. The Blazers lost to the Statesmen 35-31 last season, the only loss the team suffered all year in its run to the national championship. The game will air on GSC-TV Live, which is aired on Mediacom channel 77.
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Blazers pull away from Tigers in second half
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