1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2010 Gulf South
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WINSTON-SALEM STATE - NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP - GAME 14 Saturday, December 15 • 1:00 p.m. Eastern vs. Florence, Ala. • Braly Stadium (14,150) VSU Media Relations • (229) 333-5903 • www.vstateblazers.com Football Contact: Shawn Reed ([email protected]) #17/17 VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS FACE WINSTON-SALEM STATE FOR NATIONAL TITLE (11-2, 4-1 GSC) For the fourth time in 11 seasons, Valdosta State will play for the national championship as the Blazers host Winston-Salem State in the 2012 title game at Braly Stadium in Florence, Ala. VSU first advanced to the title game in 9/1 at Saginaw Valley State L, 28-24 2002, where it fell 31-24 to Grand Valley State, before defeating Pittsburg State 36-31 for the 2004 championship 9/8 FORT VALLEY STATE W, 62-14 and Northwest Missouri State 25-20 for the 2007 title. The Blazers enter the game after defeating Minnesota State- 9/15 vs. Angelo State (Dallas, Texas) W, 43-10 Mankato 35-19 in the semifinals last week while WSSU is coming off a 41-18 victory over West Texas A&M. 9/22 WEST ALABAMA* L, 39-28 Valdosta State is averaging 42.1 points and 481.2 yards of total offense per game, including 219.8 rushing and 9/29 EDWARD WATERS W, 58-10 261.3 passing. Junior wide receiver Gerald Ford, the GSC Offensive Player of the Year, has caught 68 passes for 10/6 at West Georgia* W, 42-7 1,018 yards and 13 touchdowns while freshmen Austin Scott and Cedric O’Neal combine to rush for 157.7 yards 10/13 at North Alabama* W, 24-21 per game and have scored 22 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Cayden Cochran has passed for 2,601 yards and 25 10/20 DELTA STATE* W, 59-41 touchdowns and rushed for 336 yards and nine scores. A trio of linebackers pace the Blazer “Black Swarm” defense, 10/25 at Shorter* W, 37-6 as Chris Pope is first with 117 stops while Jeremy Grable has 98 and Ryan Smith 78. Meanwhile, Matt Pierce 11/1 TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE W, 38-31 has recorded four interceptions on the year. The Valdosta State defense has created 31 turnovers in its 13 games, 11/24 WEST ALABAMA^ W, 49-21 including 19 interceptions by 11 different players, while also tallying 31 sacks. 12/1 CARSON-NEWMAN^ W, 48-26 Winston-Salem State features a stingy defense and an explosive offense. WSSU averages 42.6 points a game 12/8 at Minnesota State-Mankato^ W, 35-19 while rushing for 190.5 per contest and passing for 292.6. The Rams are led by quarterback Kameron Smith, who 12/15 vs. Winston-Salem State 1:00 p.m. has passed for 3,043 yards and 42 touchdowns while running for 320 yards and four more scores. Wide receivers all times Eastern; *GSC; ^NCAA Playoffs Jahuann Butler and Jameze Massey have combined for 2,323 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns while running back #2/3 WINSTON-SALEM STATE Maurice Lewis has 969 yards and 13 scores on the ground. Linebacker Kris Fiegle has tallied 107 tackles, including (14-0, 7-0 CIAA) 8.0 for loss, for a Ram defense that allows 16.1 points and 293.8 yards per game this season. 9/1 UNC-PEMBROKE W, 28-23 GAME CENTER 9/8 at Concord College W, 30-22 VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS WINSTON-SALEM STATE RAMS 9/15 vs. Morehouse W, 55-21 Record: 11-2, 4-1 GSC Record: 14-0, 7-0 CIAA 9/22 VIRGINIA UNION* W, 35-6 9/29 at Bowie State* W, 35-3 Ranking: #17 AFCA/#17 D2Football.com Ranking: #2 AFCA/#3 D2Football.com 10/6 at Johnson C. Smith* W, 63-7 Last Game: Defeated Minnesota State 35-19 Last Game: Defeated West Texas A&M 41-18 10/13 ST. AUGUSTINE’S* W, 56-37 Coach: David Dean (Georgia State, 1986) Coach: Connell Maynor (North Carolina A&T, 1995) 10/20 LIVINGSTONE* W, 58-0 Record: 53-17 (6th season) Record: 35-3 (3rd season) 10/27 at Shaw* W, 62-31 at VSU: 53-17 (6th season) at WSSU: 35-3 (1st season) 11/3 at Fayetteville State* W, 41-8 vs. GSC: 29-12 vs. CIAA: 19-2 11/10 vs. Elizabeth City State W, 34-19 vs. WSSU: 0-0 vs. VSU: 0-0 11/24 SHIPPENSBURG^ W, 37-14 QUICK NOTES 12/1 INDIANA (PA.)^ W, 21-17 • Valdosta State is in its 31st year of intercollegiate football and owns an overall record of 241 wins, 109 losses 12/8 WEST TEXAS A&M^ W, 41-18 12/15 vs. Valdosta State^ 1:00 p.m. and four ties. all times Eastern; *CIAA; ^NCAA Playoffs • David Dean is the second-winningest coach in Valdosta State history, having compiled 53 wins, against just 17 losses, during his five-plus year coaching career. He owns a .757 career winning percentage. ABOUT THE GAME • The Blazers have won 88.9 percent of their games played in the month of December, compiling a record of 8-1 TV • ESPN2 during the 12th month over the years. Play-by-Play Dick Rockey • Valdosta State is making its 12th NCAA Postseason appearance. The Blazers have played 27 previous postsea- Analyst Charles Hurd son games and accumulated a 18-9 record, a .667 winning percentage. Sideline Tom Odom • The 2012 postseason appearance marks the fourth time in six years Dean has led his team to the playoffs. • VSU is appearing in its fourth National Championship game and is 2-1 in its previous appearances. RADIO • VSU RADIO NETWORK • Valdosta State had a school record 16 players named All-Gulf South Conference, including 13 players on the Play-by-Play Dick Rockey league’s first team squad. Analyst Charles Hurd • Valdosta State altered the school rushing records this year as the Blazers have set a new school rushing touch- Sideline Tom Odom down record with 37, a new total rushing yardage mark with 2,858 and a new rushing yards per game mark at Network Stations WDDQ Talk 92.1 FM (Valdosta) 219.8. All of the previous marks were set in 2004 when VSU won its first national championship. WJEM 96.1 FM / 1150 AM (Valdosta) • Meanwhile, VSU is closing in on its school mark for total yardage as its 6,255 is just 379 shy of the current WSFB 97.7 FM / 1490 AM (Quitman) record while the Blazers’ 547 points this year is second all-time, 70 behind that school record. WJHC 107.5 FM (Jasper, Fla.) • Cedric O’Neal has 13 rushing touchdowns this season, tied for the third-highest single season total in school WBHB 1240 AM (Fitzgerald) history and just two behind the school record. Meanwhile, Austin Scott and Cayden Cochran are tied for 11th WHJD 920 AM (Hazelhurst) with nine each. WAAC 92.9 FM (Valdosta) • Gerald Ford and Seantavious Jones each of 13 receiving touchdowns on the year. WAYS 1500 AM (Macon) SERIES HISTORY AGAINST WINSTON-SALEM STATE Live Audio talk921.com The two schools meet for the first time. 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 AND 2010 GULF SOUTH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS ALL-TIME IN THE NCAA PLAYOFFS VSU PLAYOFF RECORDS RECORD 16 BLAZERS TABBED ALL-GSC Most Points Scored Fewest Points Scored A school record 16 Valdosta State players were named VSU 2007-CAT 55 2008-UNA 10 ot the All-Gulf South Conference team this year, as voted Year Record Streak Opponent Score 2012-UWA 49 2000-DSU 12 on by the league coaches. 1994 1-0 Won 1 Albany State W, 14-7 2012-C-N 48 2005-UNA 13 Of the 16 players, 13 garnered first team accolades, also 1994 1-1 Lost 1 North Alabama L, 27-24 (2ot) 2004-WCU 45 1994-ASU 14 a new school mark. Of those 13, nine came on the offensive 1996 2-1 Won 1 Albany State W, 38-28 2001-FVSU 40 1996-C-N 19 side of the ball, including a GSC record four offensive linemen 1996 2-2 Lost 1 Carson-Newman L, 24-19 - tackles Ryan Schraeder and Mesh Wokomaty as well as 2000 2-3 Lost 2 Delta State L, 45-12 Most Points Allowed Fewest Points Allowed 2001 3-3 Won 1 Fort Valley St. W, 40-24 guards Cam Short and Edmund Kugbila. The Blazers also 2001 3-4 Lost 1 Catawba L, 37-34 (ot) 2000-DSU 45 1994-ASU 7 had three wide receivers garner first team honors - Gerald 2002 4-4 Won 1 Catawba W, 24-7 2010-UNA 43 2002-CAT 7 Ford, Seantavious Jones and Regginald Lewis. In the 2002 5-4 Won 2 Carson-Newman W, 31-28 2005-UNA 40 2002-TAMUK 12 backfield, quarterback Cayden Cochran and running back 2002 6-4 Won 3 Texas A&M-Kings. W, 21-12 2001-CAT 37 2004-C-N 12 Cedric O’Neal also earned first team honors. Overall, a 2002 6-5 Lost 1 Grand Valley St. L, 31-24 2008-UNA 37 2012-MSU 19 Blazer filled nine of the 15 spots on the first team offense. 2003 6-6 Lost 2 Carson-Newman L, 35-29 Four members of the Black Swarm defense also gained 2004 7-6 Won 1 Carson-Newman W, 38-12 Largest Margin of Victory Largest Margin of Defeat first team honors, including linebackers Chris Pope and 2004 8-6 Won 2 Albany State W, 38-24 2012-UWA 28 2000-DSU 33 Jeremy Grable.