SAGINAW VALLEY, Mich. — Valdosta State football officially returns today when the eighth-ranked Blazers visit the unranked Saginaw Valley State Cardinals at Randall Harvey Wickes Stadium.

The meeting will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools in a rare non-region contest at the Division II level.

“I think our guys are ready to get on the plane and get up there,” Valdosta State head coach David Dean said following Thursday’s practice.

Tonight’s game is important for both teams. The Blazers are favorites to win the Gulf South Conference and make a deep run in the playoffs this season, while Saginaw Valley is looking to return to the playoffs behind an experienced team.

Both the Blazers and Cardinals return 16 starters this season, although both will be without players tonight.

Valdosta State will be without transfer cornerback Greg Reid, who tore his ACL in a scrimmage last Friday, and fellow senior cornerback Alex Webster, who is suspended for the first two games of the season. Wide Receiver Griffin Roelle will miss the game due to a nagging quadricep injury.

Saginaw Valley will be without five players, who were suspended after a hazing incident during training camp. Four of the five players forced to sit out tonight’s game were starters, including three from the offensive line and one from the defensive line. All five players could face charges from the Saginaw Valley Prosecutor's Office.

“I’m sure their guys behind them are just as good,” Dean said of the suspensions. “For us, we’ve played that game before. We’ve had guys that we didn’t know if they were going to play or not and that ended up suiting up on the field. So we are preparing like they are going to be out on the field. It has not changed our preparation at all.”

After three-straight final-minute losses to end the 2011 season with a 6-4 record, Valdosta State players know tonight’s game with the Cardinals is the first step in moving on and towards this season’s goal of winning the national championship.

“We know what we are capable of doing,” junior wide receiver Quin Roberson said. “Everyone is really in tune with what happened last year. Nobody wants what happened last year to happen this year. You can go 4-0, you can win the first four games, but look what happened to us — you can lose the last three and not go to the playoffs.

“Our goal is to win a national championship,” Roberson continued. “We feel like we have the team to do it, so that is our focus right now.”

The Blazers are 4-1 in season openers under Dean. Their only loss was a 31-24 defeat to Newberry in 2009. Since the loss, VSU has back-to-back wins over Wingate in the two previous season openers, including a 34-28 double overtime win last season.

This will be the longest distance trip for the Blazers in a season opener under Dean.

“At least we are going (to Michigan) the day before the game,” said Dean of the travel. “The good news about our trip is at least we are flying. Last year, we opened in Wingate. It was a seven-hour bus ride. This year, it is a two-hour flight. So it is a longer distance trip, but it is a shorter trip for our players.”

Saginaw Valley has a lot of speed at key positions. That speed starts with duel-threat junior quarterback Jon Jennings, who tossed for 2,614 yards with 26 touchdowns and just seven interceptions last season. He also added 389 yards and seven scores on the ground for the Cardinals.

Jennings' favorite go-to wide receiver is fellow junior Jeff Janis. In 2011, Janis led the Cardinals in catches (46), receiving yards (902) and touchdowns (13). Jennings and Janis clearly found a rhythm with one another.

“I’m just ready to get out there and compete,” said senior cornerback Matt Pierce. “You prepare all preseason long for this. I’m glad it is finally here. (Saginaw Valley) is real disciplined. They do a lot of things good. With that, we have to make sure we are even more focused to play them. They are a tough opponent with what they do offensively. We have to make sure we are ready to play.”

Tim Hogue, who is listed as a wide receiver, is the Cardinals' leading returning rusher. Hogue rushed for a team-high 637 yards on 99 rushes in 2011. He scored twice.

One plus for the Blazer defense is the loss of the three suspended offensive lineman for the Cardinals. It will be up to the stout defensive line of VSU to get into the Cardinal backfield and disrupt Jennings.

“You always have to keep (Jennings) under control,” Dean said. “So, we are going to have a guy, that if he does his job, that has his eyes on (Jennings) the whole time, in case he pulls that thing. We can’t afford to let him pull that thing down and get loose. He is a good runner when he has the ball in his hands.”

If Jennings is able to get the ball out of his hand, he still faces the daunting task of passing over the VSU secondary, which features preseason All-American Pierce and safeties Chris Caspari and Lance Holder, along with fellow corner Dominique Wheeler.

Last season, the Blazers allowed just 214 yards passing per game.

Defensively, linebacker Grant Caserta returns to the lead Saginaw Valley after racking up a team-high 73 tackles, including 5 1/2 for loss, in 2011. As a unit, the Cardinals allowed 359.4 yards per game, 185.7 through the air.

For Valdosta State, there is little questions about what to expect, especially offensively. The Blazers have more depth than in recent seasons. Junior Cayden Cochran returns for his first full season as the starting quarterback after starting the final four games last season.

Cochran will have a bevy of receivers to throw the ball to this season. Last seasons touchdown receptions leader Seantavious Jones is back, along with Roberson and Gerald Ford, who led the Blazers in receiving in 2009 and 2010. Reggie Lewis will also be a go-to target this week, while Roelle, who led the team in catches last season, misses this week’s game.

Five seniors return on the offensive line as the offense looks to build on the improvement made in 2011, when the Blazers averaged 391.5 yards per game.

Tonight's game will mark just the second season the Cardinals are able to play night games at home, following a stadium renovation in the summer of 2011. Saginaw Valley State fans are encouraged to wear red tonight for a "Red Out" game.

Blazer fans unable to attend the game can listen to the broadcast on Talk 92.1 FM or www.talk921.com. Game day coverage begins at 4:30 p.m.