By Valdosta State Athletics

VALDOSTA — Behind a season-high 339 yards rushing, the top-ranked Valdosta State football team posted a 52-0 victory over Chowan University Saturday afternoon at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  The Blazers improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in Gulf South Conference play as they posted their third shutout of the season marking the first time in program history with three shutouts in the same season. Chowan fell to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in league play.

 

Despite a 0-0 score through the first quarter, the Blazers responded nicely in the final three frames with 14 points in the second, 17 in the third and 21 in the fourth en route to the victory.  VSU tallied 573 yards of total offense in the game, while the 339 yards on the ground marked a season-high.  The Blazer defense held Chowan to 292 yards of total offense with 141 on the ground and 151 through the air.

 

Individually, senior quarterback Sammy Edwards was 14 of 20 passing for 225 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while graduate student Blake Hester has a VSU career-high 121 yards on the ground on 12 carries and three rushing touchdowns.  Not to be outdone, senior running back Alfonso Franklin finished with six carries for 116 yards and a score.  Graduate student Rodney Bullard had 87 yards receiving on two catches and a touchdown. 

 

The defense had seven tackles for loss and forced four turnovers by the Hawks in the game with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries leading to a 17-0 advantage in points off turnovers.  Graduate student Larry Elder paced the team with nine total tackles with five solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss for 14 yards.

 

The Blazers quickly moved down field on the opening possession, but on a third and goal from the six, Edwards’ pass was picked off in the end zone by Charles Alberty marking the first interception thrown by Edwards this season, snapping a string of 195 passes without an interception.  VSU had been one of three teams remaining in the country to not have thrown an interception (Southern Connecticut State and Harding). 

 

Chowan used a nice pass from Maurice Smith to Gabrial Jackson for 35 yards to the VSU 14, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called on the Hawks pushing the ball back to the 29.  The Blazer defense forced a third and six from the 23 courtesy of a tackle for loss by senior J’Quan Hicks and redshirt junior  Dav’Juan Dezeme. 

A good pass rush by the Blazers forced an incomplete pass as CU attempted a 40-yard field goal which was missed by Matthew Concord.   VSU took over and used nice runs from Franklin to move into CU territory, but the Blazers came up empty with a missed field goal from 38-yards by sophomore Ethan Eddins. 

 

The teams played to a scoreless first quarter, marking just the second scoreless frame for the Blazers this season and the second-straight scoreless quarter dating back to the fourth quarter against Mississippi College on Oct. 19.  VSU had 112 yards for the quarter, while Chowan had 88 yards.

 

Chowan had a good drive going and moved to the VSU 33, but Jamison Davis was stripped of the ball by senior Sterling Roberts and recovered by VSU by redshirt sophomore Allan Baugh after a challenge by Chowan with 10:21 remaining in the half.  The ruling of a fumble was upheld and Edwards then hit Bullard for a big gain to the CU 47. 

Edwards scrambled on a third and seven from the 44, and then hit senior Tyler Ajiero for a big first down to keep the drive alive at the CU 29.  Hester scored from five yards out on the ground for a 7-0 lead and his seventh rushing score of the season with 4:39 left in the half.  

 

Two big tackles for loss by the Blazers made it third and forever for the Hawks at their own 23 and the Hawks had to punt with 2:51 to play in the half.  Edwards would find Ajiero for 18 yards down to the CU 43 with two minutes remaining in the half.  Hester scored his second touchdown of the game with a 38-yard run and a 14-0 lead with 1:29 to play in the second quarter. 

 

For the half, VSU tallied 243 yards with 134 on the ground and 88 from Hester on nine carries and two scores. Edwards was 10 of 14 passing for 109 yards and the one interception.  The Hawks had 163 yards with 67 on the ground on 17 carries and Smith was 10 of 13 passing for 96 yards.

 

Following a punt by the Hawks, Edwards went up top on a second and eight from the 31 to Bullard for a 69-yard touchdown pass and catch for a 21-0 lead with 10:50 left in the third quarter.  The duo had tried the same play earlier in the game, but Edwards’ pass had too much on it in the first quarter.  VSU forced Chowan to punt on its second possession of the half and Franklin broke off a 25-yard run on the first play for the Blazers to the CU 45.  Hester then ran one for 29-yards and took a direct snap for a two-yard touchdown run for his third of the game and a 28-0 lead with 4:50 left in the third.

 

The Hawks moved the ball to their own 35, but graduate student Jeremy Smith picked off Smith and returned it to the CU 26.  VSU used a 45-yard field goal from senior Austin McKay for a 31-0 lead and held a 10-0 lead in points off turnovers to that point.  It was McKay’s long field goal of his career at VSU and the longest of the season for the Blazers.

 

On the first play from scrimmage in the fourth, Franklin busted loose for a 49-yard touchdown run as he went down the near sideline to the CU 20 and then cut back all the way across the field for the score and a 38-0 lead with 14:35 to play in the game.

 

The Blazer “D” made another great play with a takeaway as Smith fumbled and junior Dallas Robinson came up with the recovery at the CU 40.  Franklin ran for 12 on the first play and then senior Ma’jon Wright climbed the ladder for a 30-yard touchdown reception and a 45-0 lead with 12:26 to play. 

 

Graduate student Jaedon Henry gashed the Hawks for 61-yards following a Chowan punt to the CU 29 as VSU began the drive on its own 11.  Sophomore quarterback Seth Smith found senior Jaylin Mobley for six yards on a fourth and two from the 16.  Henry moved the ball to the one for third and goal.  On fourth and goal from the one, junior Joseph McKay scored for a 52-0 lead with 4:57 to play.  Sophomore McCall Bennett kicked the extra-point for her second career extra-point as she made one in the season-opening victory in 2023 versus Point University. 

 

Chowan moved down the VSU 26 with just under two minutes to play.  With ten seconds remaining, Chowan quarterback Khari Rennie was picked off by sophomore Rickey Ransom for the final play of the game, preserving the shutout.