VALDOSTA – Head Coach David Dean became the winningest coach in Valdosta State football history on Saturday afternoon in Valdosta, after his Blazers routed Gulf South Conference rival West Alabama, 55-28, to remain in playoff contention in 2015.
The victory improved Valdosta State to 6-2 overall and helped the Blazers up over the .500 mark in conference play for the first time this season at 3-2. Meanwhile, the loss was a devastating one for the visiting Tigers, who fell to 6-3 overall and dropped to 2-3 in the conference, which all but killed the team’s hopes of a playoff appearance at the end of the season.
The two teams stacked up fairly evenly in the key statistical columns, although Valdosta State held the edge in both passing yards and rushing yards with 245 and 198, respectively. The combined effort led to 467 total offensive yards and 21 first downs for the Blazers.
The real difference of the game, however, lied in Valdosta State’s defense and their ability to force turnovers. While neither team lost the ball on a fumble in the contest, the Blazer secondary came up huge with four picks, two of which were of the pick six variety.
“I’m very proud of our players,” stated Coach Dean after the game. “We beat a good football team and a hot football team. One thing is, we brought a physical nature out to the field today, and we’re really proud of our defense. Although we gave up some scores, we created a lot of turnovers, which is what it takes to beat those guys.”
After outscoring the Tigers 14-0 in the first quarter and extending the lead to 20-7 after a 42-yard touchdown dash by Cedric O’Neal, Valdosta, Ga. native Kenny Moore helped put the Tigers on the ropes with an interception on West Alabama’s first play of a drive that began at the 6:36 mark in the second half. Moore read Harry Satterwhite’s pass to the right sideline beautifully, and jumped the route for an easy catch and score. The play marked the first time a Blazer has returned an interception for a touchdown since November 16, 2013, when Jeremy Grable accomplished the feat against Texas A&M Kingsville. Moore’s score also marked the first of his career and proved to be a huge factor in the first half after West Alabama added another touchdown to cut the deficit to 27-14 with just 12 seconds to play before halftime.
The two teams spent a majority of the third quarter punting back and forth to one another until Valdosta State’s Greg Dent broke the trend with a 40 yard touchdown reception from EJ Hilliard. The completion opened up a 34-14 lead for the Blazers, but the Tigers answered right back after Devonta Savage returned a kickoff for 95 yards to set UWA up for a score on a 5-yard rush by Rashaad Lee.
Facing a third-and-24 situation to open up the third quarter, the Blazer sideline erupted when O’Neal hauled in a screen pass and blasted through a host of defenders en route to a 74-yard touchdown reception. That play, along with Kenny Murphy’s second career pick six, helped open up a sizable advantage for Valdosta State in the final quarter that the Tigers could not overcome.
Other key contributors in the contest included Sharmaine Washington with six tackles on defense, and running back Austin Scott, who earned two touchdowns on the day, one receiving and one rushing.
The triumph marked the 76th of Dean’s career, pushing him past Chris Hatcher as the winningest head coach in the history of the program.
“I’m humbled by it, and it just means I’ve been here a long time,” added Dean with a laugh while speaking about the accomplishment. “I have to give credit to all the kids that I’ve had the pleasure to coach and the opportunity I’ve had to coach with all the guys I’ve worked with. I share this honor with all of those guys because I couldn’t do it without them. I extend my congratulations to all of them for giving us an opportunity to win 76 together.”
Next up for VSU, it’s a trip to Cleveland, Miss. for another important GSC contest against the Delta State Statesmen. Next weekend’s road skirmish is slated for a 5:00 p.m. EST start, and can be followed live as it unfolds right here at www.vstateblazers.com.
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