Paul Leavy | The Valdosta Daily Times Valdosta State University Blazer quarter back Austen Roberts rushes for a first down.

Valdosta State head football coach David Dean is sticking to his word.

Senior Austen Roberts will remain as the starting quarterback for the Blazers, if he is healthy enough to play this Saturday against the West Alabama Tigers.

“(Austen) is going to start,” Dean said. “He will be our starter.”

The decision to keep Roberts as the starter is no shock. Prior to the start of the season, Dean said he would not bench Roberts, even if he was pulled from a game.

“It is like we said early in the year, (Austen) is the guy that we decided to go with,” Dean said. “If it comes down to it, he is going to be the starter.”

Whether Roberts will be healthy enough to play Saturday is still in question. The senior left Saturday’s game versus Ouachtia Baptist in the first quarter after hurting his right shoulder. Roberts had completed just three of his 11 passing attempts for 38 yards at the time of the injury.

Roberts missed Tuesday’s practice and isn’t expected to practice, if at all, until the end of the week, bringing into question if he will be ready for Saturday.

“We didn’t want to get him out here and get his arm throwing,” Dean said. “I think, he is going to be ok. Who knows? The shoulders are such a touchy thing with a quarterback. If he is able to throw, he will be able to throw Friday,” Dean said. “What we would do is get him out here Friday when we do our walk through, and let him get out here and zip the ball around and let him play on Saturday.”

Saturday’s injury opened the door for redshirt sophomore Cayden Cochran. The Oklahoma native completed 20-of-29 passes for 424 yards with four touchdowns.

The performance earned Cochran Gulf South Conference Player of the Week honors.

“I thought it was awesome,” Dean said. “I thought (Cayden) did a great job. He created a spark for us.”

If Roberts is able to play, it seems as though he will be on a short leash. Following Tuesday’s practice, Dean said the coaching staff would play Cochran if Roberts struggles.

“If (Austen) struggles we know we can go with Cayden, and know that he can make plays,” Dean said. “The one thing that people have to understand is that Cayden stepped into a game where they didn’t prepare for (him). Cayden does different things than Austen, so West Alabama is looking at that film thinking ‘this is what we have to do to corral Cayden Cochran.”

As for the rest of the team, they haven’t forgotten last years meeting with West Alabama. The Blazers blew a 15-point third quarter lead, falling to the Tigers, 24-21.

The win for West Alabama was its first over Valdosta State in 25 years.

“It’s in the past, there is nothing we can do about it,” Center Jake Thomas said. “This year is all that matters…We didn’t finish in West Alabama (last year), and that has been the theme of our season, is just finish this season.”

The loss cost the Blazers the outright Gulf South Conference championship, which they ended up sharing with Delta State and Henderson State.

The loss also cost VSU the second playoff seed in Super Region 2, costing the Blazers a bye week in the first round of the playoffs.

Instead, the Valdosta State hosted North Alabama, who ended the Blazers’ season.

“We owe those guys,” Junior cornerback Matt Pierce said. “Because of them, we didn’t win the conference championship outright.”

This season, the Tigers are 5-1 and have won five straight, which includes a blowout victory over Southern Arkansas last weekend. This weekend’s game will serve as the Gulf South Conference opener for both teams.

“If you go 0-1 off the bat, you’re in a huge uphill climb,” Dean said. “So, to put yourself in a position to win a Gulf South Conference championship, you’re going to have to win the first game.”