It maybe a day late, and the money is most definitely short, but the fall sporting season has been unfortunately disappointing, and “Where has all the winning gone?” isn’t an unreasonable question to ask.

                The Valdosta football Blazers are 4-4 and gave up the most points ever, 62, in a home game, while the volleyball team streaked through Oct. with a 4-7 record. The cross country teams have gotten faster and improved from back of the pack to middle finishing the GSC championships in 7th(women) and 8th(men). The golf team has posted three Top-Ten finishes so far and has been the consistent shining light of VSU sports so far this year.

                While the football team prepares to right the ship against in-state rival and perennially cream-puff West Georgia, it still looks like the team is going to finish 6-4 and painfully out of the playoffs. The football team has had a mediocre season and now it is winding down in unnaturally early fashion, while the diehard fans look for something else to quench their thirst for victory.

                The volleyball team has succeeded and is ever closer to being a major force in the GSC, but mid-season woes led to a four game losing streak earlier this month and a 4-4 in conference record. The team has won back-to-back games and looks to improve that mark against Albany State tonight in Albany, Ga. and on Oct. 30 against Fort

Valley State in the Halloween-themed show down.

                The volleyball team has time to salvage this lackluster semester of athletics, but it will require a string of very solid, consistent play, a feat they accomplished earlier this season during an 8-2 start.

                If the volleyball team turns out to be a broken glass, then those thirsty fans will have to turn to cross-country and golf, which have had great success this fall, but are not really spectator sports. At that point, those football fans will just have to read the paper and the stat sheets in order to get excited about something.

                Granted, the golf team has been exciting and the cross country teams have improved greatly over the past several season. In fact, both teams are sending runners to the South regional meet on Nov. 7.

                The fall semester just hasn’t lived up to the expectation of a school used to winning and city named for its ability to bring home championships. The truth is VSU teams have been winning just not the way they are supposed to against the teams the fans want to see them beat; but even the best teams have an off season.