The Valdosta State offense sputtered in their week two victory over the Newberry Wolves.

The unit managed just 183 yards of total offense in the Blazers’ 24-17 victory. The 183 offensive yards is the fewest in a game by a VSU offense since the 2000 season.

The majority of the offensive yards came through the air. Quarterback Austen Roberts was 19-of-34 for 151 yards with a touchdown, a 36-yard strike to Quin Roberson.

“Austen is a guy that does not lack confidence,” offensive coordinator Robby Brown said. “He is not cocky, at all, but he has that quarterback air around him and he always feels like he can get the job done, and we have the confidence that he can get the job done. If he didn’t have that, he wouldn’t be a very good quarterback.”

The Blazers’ week two offensive struggles were felt mainly in the rushing game, although some mistakes were felt through the passing game. One week after rushing for 272 yards in a double-overtime victory over the Wingate Bulldogs, the Blazer rushing game managed just 32 total yards rushing against Newberry.

“I think it is a combination of a couple of things, I think you have to give Newberry the credit first,” Brown said. “Then we made a few mistakes at the quarterback position, and at whatever position it was, and hopefully we can clean that up and run the ball better this week.”

Despite the lack of offensive production against the Wolves, VSU isn’t panicking, taking advantage of the 10-day break between last Thursday’s game against Newberry and Saturday’s game against sixth-ranked Albany State.

“We didn’t do the little things, especially offensively,” Head coach David Dean said. “When we got back together on Sunday, (execution) is what we talked about. We are not in the position to take anyone lightly, right now, and I think that is what we did against Newberry.”

Despite the struggles, there are bright spots on the offensive unit. Sophomore wide receiver Quin Roberson has been impressive through the first two games. The Moultrie native has three            touchdowns through the first two games of the season, including an 81-yard punt return in the second quarter versus Newberry.

“I think all you have to do is go back and look and he was the region 1-AAAAA Player of the Year, and I think that is one of the toughest regions in the nation for high school football,” Brown said of Roberson. “He continues to just make plays all over the field, just like he did when he was in high school.”

While the offense continues to work out the early season flaws, they will have to continue without center Jake Thomas. Thomas sprained his ankle during the Newberry game, and according to Dean, he is expected to miss three-to-four weeks, but the prognosis is good.

Among one of the top concerns, on both sides of the ball,