5-touchdown game for Franklin, VSU Blazers headed back to national championship game
Published 5:34 pm Saturday, December 14, 2024
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Alfonso Franklin makes the turn on a throw from Sammy Edwards, scoring on a four-yard pass in the first quarter.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times A little crease is a lot of yardage and a touchdown for Alfonso Franklin of Valdosta State. The 10-yard rush was the fourth of his five touchdowns Saturday.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Can Alfonso Franklin make it five touchdowns? Yes, he can as he dives and swipes the pylon with 1:51 remaining in the game, sealing VSU’s win.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Armani Hayes skies to reel in a Sammy Edwards pass and pick up a fourth down on the Blazers’ first drive of the day. VSU went on to score a touchdown.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times VSU players pose with a Division II championship tournament banner.
Christian Vasser Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Diego Bremer comes in from the top and and Larry Elder has Christian Vasser by the ankle on the fourth quarter rush.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Give this Valdosta State fan a dime for his sign. It wasn’t weird that VSU improved Saturday to 2-0 against Minnesota State and more importantly, head for the Division II national title game.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Jaedon Henry gashed the Mavericks for big gains in the third period and held on to the ball despite a Herculean effort by a defender to strip him.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times VSU head coach Tremaine Jackson gives lineman James Robinson a big bear hug after the Blazers defeated Minnesota State 35-21 to reach the NCAA Division II football finals.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times It was a time for the Blazers to celebrate, but not before showing sportsmanship. Joey Goettl and Noah Gillan shake hands after the final play of the game.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Ma’jon Wright is going places on a reception in the first half.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Rance Conner celebrates his interception in the final minute of Valdosta State’s victory.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Rance Conner put a nail in the Blazers semifinal win with a last-minute interception. He returned the ball to the 1 before being tackled.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Reid Brass waves a Valdosta State flag as the team celebrates on the field.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Sammy Edwards holds out the ball on a rush to get every inch he can before stepping out of bounds.
VALDOSTA — Alfonso Franklin couldn’t be denied Saturday afternoon. The Valdosta State running back scored all five touchdowns for the Blazers, who return to the Division II national championship game following a 35-21 victory over Minnesota State.
VSU will play either Ferris State or Slippery Rock in the finale, which is scheduled to take place Dec. 21 in McKinney, Texas.
Franklin had three rushing touchdowns and two receiving. He put the exclamation point on the victory as VSU, nursing a seven-point lead while trying to run out the clock in the fourth quarter, found a crease, then an angle, tapping the football on the front right pylon with 1:51 left.
With Austin McKay’s extra point making it 35-21, all the Blazers now had to do was wait.
Minnesota State, hopeful, desperate for any way to pick up lots of points in a hurry, got one first down. They didn’t get another.
Hayden Ekern tried to find a Maverick near the VSU sideline. Instead, Rance Conner jumped the route and began sprinting towards the MSU end zone. Isaiah Emanuel brought Conner down at the 1, but while Emanuel saved a touchdown, the Blazers didn’t need it. Sammy Edwards knelt once and the clock ran out.
The first half was all muscle for both sides. Both the Mavericks and Blazers had all of two possessions each — not counting the single play Valdosta State ran with 11 seconds remaining in the first half.
VSU scored on both possessions, a four-yard pass from Edwards to Franklin and an 18-yarder where Franklin got clear at the right time on an Edwards scramble.
Sam Backer had a one-yard run the Mavericks in between. Minnesota State drove down to the Blazers 30 late in the first half, but missed a 40-yard field goal.
Backer tied the score at 14 with a 69-yard run at the beginning of the third frame. That opened the door for Valdosta State to move fast as well, getting a seven-yard scoring run by Franklin five minutes later.
Minnesota State turned the ball over on downs at the Blazer 28 when Larry Elder forced a bad pass from Ekern on a hurry.
With Jaedon Henry to help spell Franklin’s legs, VSU was on the move again. Henry got the ball to the 10, then Franklin found a seam on the next play to increase the lead to 28-14 with 1:21 remaining in the third.
Emanuel caught a 25-yard toss from Ekern to halve the lead to 28-21 at 10:56 in the fourth.
Minnesota State finally forced a three-and-out-from the Blazers, but found themselves pinned inside their own five after a 62-yard punt from Noah Botsford.
