Valdosta State returns to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time since the 2008 season as the Super Region Two No. 3-seed Blazers host No. 6 seed North Alabama in Bazemore-HYder Stadium. VSU enters the game with an 8-2 overall mark and finished the year 6-2 and tied for first in the Gulf South Conference while North Alabama is currently 8-3 overall and finished GSC play with a 5-3 mark, which tied for fourth in the league standings. The game will feature two of the best defenses in the nation as UNA currently ranks second nationally in scoring defense and 17th in total defense while VSU is eighth in scoring and 22nd overall.
This weekend’s contest marks the 34th meeting between the two schools, with UNA holding an 18-14-1 edge in the all-time series. The Blazers claimed a 5-0 victory in Florence, Ala. earlier this year, a win that snapped a three-game Lion winning streak in the series that dated back to the beginning of the 2008 season.
Valdosta State enters the game averaging 323.2 yards of offense while surrendering 290.2 total yards per game. The balanced Blazers, who score 24.0 points a game, are rushing for 152.0 yards per contest while throwing for 171.2 yards a game. Meanwhile, the defense is surrendering 86.5 yards rushing, 203.7 passing and 14.6 points per game.
Ronnye Nelson leads the VSU offense as he is averaging 34.5 yards rushing and has caught a team-high 29 passes for 280 yards. In addition to scoring a team-high five offensive touchdowns, the senior averages 7.3 yards per punt return and 21.5 yards on kickoff returns, an average of 130.3 all-purpose yards each contest. Meanwhile, Larry Dean paces the defense as he leads the GSC with 112 tackles while Stevie Harden has intercepted eight passes and has scored six total touchdowns, including five on defense.
North Alabma is averaging 28.3 points and 379.4 yards per game on the year while allowing 11.3 points and 271.7 yards per game. The Lions rush for 128.3 yards a game while passing for 251.1 per contest while their defense surrenders 92.9 yards a contest on the ground and 178.8 through the air.
Lee Chapple leads the UNA offense as he has passed for 243.6 yards per game while also tossing 19 touchdown passes. Wes Holland rushes for 62.8 yards a game while linebacker Harrison Bryant has tallied 75 tackles on the year. Defensive end Courtney Harris is a force on the Lion defensive line as he has tallied 53 tackles, inclduing 10.0 sacks, on the year.
The West Alabama game will be the 331st game in history of Valdosta State football. The Blazers have won 224 contests, lost 102 and tied four times, a winning percentage of .685.
All-Time in the Division II Playoffs
The 2010 season marks the 11th time that Valdosta State has advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The Blazers first made it to the postseason in 1994 and returned in 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. Valdosta State has gone 15-8 all-time in the playoffs, including trips to the national championship game in 2002, 2004 and 2007.
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