Valdosta State blasts Virginia Union to reach Div. II semifinals
Published 6:29 pm Saturday, December 7, 2024
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times VSU’s Alfonso Franklin glides past a diving Jalen Mayo of Virginia Union to slip into the front left corner of the end zone for the Blazers’ first touchdown of the afternoon.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Jamorey Jones wraps up Jada Byers before the reinforcements of Alajujuan Sparks and Larry Elder make sure Byers can’t gain more.
J’Quan Hicks Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times J’Quan Hicks of Valdosta State knocks the ball free from quarterback R.J. Rosales’ arms. Virginia Union fell on the ball. VSU ended up forcing three fumbles for the game, recovering two.
Keon Davis Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times A rare highlight for Virginia Union against the Blazers was this 42-yard catch by Keon Davis in the fourth quarter. It was too little, too late as Virginia Union trailed 49-7 at the time.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Rodney Bullard of Valdosta State torches Jalen Mayo for a 47-yard touchdown reception with 1:27 remaining in the third period. Bullard caught three touchdown passes from Sammy Edwards and had 158 receiving yards total.
Updated Dec. 9, 2024
By Austin Bruce
VALDOSTA — Two years ago, Virginia Union walked into Bazemore-Hyder Stadium and put on a clinic against then No. 2 Valdosta State, handing the Blazers a 45-40 loss, the first in head coach Tremaine Jackson’s tenure.
It’s safe to say that Jackson kept receipts.
This time around, with a spot in the semifinals on the line, the Blazers (12-0) roared out the gate and never looked back in a 49-14 romp over the Panthers (10-4).
“It feels good to be able to thrive and advance in this tournament, but make no mistake about it, deep down on the left side of my body, I did remember what happened two years ago,” Jackson said. “When you’re at a place like Valdosta State, you remember every loss because you don’t lose much, but I was really proud of these guys and how they attacked the week. [They were] not trying to beat Virginia Union because of something two years ago but beating Virginia Union because of where we want to go right now. … We’re not that team two years ago. We continue to say that, and these guys, I think they displayed that today.”
The Blazers, re-seeded as the No. 1 seed following the quarterfinals, will now host Minnesota State (11-3) on Saturday with a trip to McKinney, Texas, at stake.
As for the win over Virginia Union, the Blazers came out with an aggressive mindset from the opening kickoff, converting multiple critical fourth downs to build an early lead. In all, VSU was 4-6 on fourth down, with the Blazers not punting once in the game.
The first came on the first possession of the game. Facing a fourth-and-one in the red zone, the Blazers relied on senior running back Alfonso Franklin to move the chain. Franklin would gain four on the play and then went on to score the very next play on an eight-yard touchdown run.
Following a Virginia Union punt, the Blazers put together another methodical drive. Senior quarterback Sammy Edwards and the offense went on an 88-yard march, capping things off with Franklin’s second rushing touchdown of the game.
Feeling the urgency to score, the Panthers rolled the dice on a pair of fourth downs, relying on running back Jada Byers to get the job done. Byers eventually found the end zone with a seven-yard touchdown run to get Virginia Union on the board.
The Panthers then rose up defensively to force what seemed to be a quick three-and-out. However, the Blazers had a trick up their sleeves as they pulled off a fake punt.
The fake punt was a first for Jackson.
“I’ve been a head coach for five years, and we’ve never faked a punt,” Jackson said. “I’m really not a big fake guy. They gave us a look, and our special teams coordinator talked about it all week. They gave us the look we were looking for, and we were able to execute it.”
That was not the only fourth down conversion Valdosta State would make on the drive. After again being stopped on third down and now facing a fourth-and-one, the Blazers went to the air on a free play — a Virginia Union defender jumped offsides — and struck gold. Edwards delivered a downfield strike to graduate wide receiver Rodney Bullard for a 38-yard touchdown pass to put the Blazers up 21-7.
Bullard says the play went exactly as planned.
“We were looking to get them to jump offsides on that short yardage, and they did,” Bullard said. “We were able to take a one-on-one shot, and my quarterback gave me a good ball and I made the catch.”
Virginia Union’s attempt to respond ultimately backfired on them as Byers fumbled the ball away on back-to-back drives. Fortunately for the Panthers, the first fumble resulted in no damage as the Blazers turned it over on downs.
The same could not be said for the second fumble.
With time winding down in the first half, Edwards took another downfield shot, again finding Bullard and once again finding the end zone as the Blazers took a 28-7 lead into halftime.
The Blazers continued to pour it on in the second half as the passing game proved to be unstoppable. Edwards finished his day going 13-19 for 302 yards and four touchdowns, while Bullard led the way in receiving with five receptions for 158 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Black Swarm clamped down on the passing game, giving up just 88 yards on the day.
“They continue to be great,” Jackson said. “They continue to be elite as far as pass defense, and those guys work at it every single day. … Again, when you’re playing every day against an offense that can hit you for 300-400 yards passing at any time, then you have a tendency to be pretty good against the pass because you don’t see that when you walk out there on Saturday. It’s just iron sharpening iron in my opinion.”
