VALDOSTA — The undefeated Valdosta State Blazers open Gulf South Conference action Saturday evening versus North Greenville at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium at 7 p.m.
The Blazers enter with a 3-0 record overall, while North Greenville is 2-1 overall and 1-0 in GSC play following a 23-16 victory in Tigerville, S.C., last weekend versus West Alabama. Blazer Walk will begin at 5:15.
North Greenville’s Crusaders enter with a GSC Player of the Week honoree, kicker Colin Karhu was named Special Teams Player of the Week after he had a record-breaking performance last week in the win over West Alabama.
The Crusaders are coached by Jeff Farrington who is 51-52 in his 11th season, while he is 0-4 against VSU. Offensively, North Greenville is led by standout receiver Dre’ Williams who has 18 catches for 300 yards and four touchdowns this season. Williams leads the league with four TD’s for ninth nationally, while his receiving yards is tops in the GSC and 18th nationally Williams leads the GSC in all-purpose yards at 129.33 per game for tops in the league.
Quarterback Dylan Ramirez is 51 of 90 passing for 798 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions this season. Ramirez is in the top three in the GSC in passing touchdowns (3rd), passing yards (3rd) and passing yards per game at a 266.0 clip for third in the league. As a team, the Crusaders lead the league in kickoff returns at 23.83 per return to lead the GSC, while the team is stout on defense, as it is seventh nationally and second in the league in red zone defense (.500) and 21st nationally for tops in the league in team passing efficiency defense at just 92.59.
The Crusaders are second in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 14.3 points per game.
The Blazers and North Greenville have played four times since NGU joined the league in football in 2018.
Valdosta State posted a resounding 49-25 victory over No. 2-ranked Keiser on Saturday out of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Blazer offense caught fire in the game going for 542 yards with a season-high 479 through the air, marking a career-high for junior quarterback Sammy Edwards and for head coach Tremaine Jackson from a coaching standpoint. Edwards was 28 of 36 passing with no interceptions, four touchdown passes in the game, earning him Gulf South Conference Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.
Despite running the ball for just 63 yards on 29 carries, the Blazer passing game worked as Edwards hit nine different receivers in the game and had two receivers over 100 yards receiving for the first time in the Jackson era and the first time since former Blazers Lio’undre Gallimore and Brian Saunds each eclipsed 100 yards receiving versus West Georgia on Nov. 27, 2021, in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.
Defensively, VSU held Keiser to just 346 yards on 63 plays, including 129 on the ground and 217 through the air. VSU recorded five tackles for loss and one sack, along with one forced fumble and one blocked extra-point. VSU improved to 2-0 all-time against Keiser as the Blazers won last season 36-21 in the season-opener over the Seahawks and Jackson’s first game as head coach at VSU.