The third-ranked team in division II, the VSU Blazers, thrashed the Shorter Hawks 59-6 to move to 5-0 on the season Saturday in Rome, Georgia.

The Blazers once again had a dominant day offensively. The team scored 52 points on 13 drives in the game and have outscored their last three opponents by a staggering 159 to six.

Senior quarterback Sammy Edwards once again had a stellar day on the field with the Shorter defense. He went 19 of 29 for 348 yards and two passing touchdowns, and he also had a rushing touchdown.

The Blazers had a total of five rushing touchdowns, which is the seventh time it has happened in school history.

The Blazers’ defense continued its good work. They had seven sacks, two takeaways, one interception and a forced fumble, the latter of which was returned for a touchdown, their first defensive touchdown of the season.

The Shorter Hawks had a rough afternoon. They had difficulty moving the ball all game and were stifled at every turn.Graduate student quarterback Harld Cook was unable to keep the Hawks in the game. He went 12-20 for 163 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception.

The Blazers move to 12-0 against the Hawks in the all-time meetings between the two schools and sit in first place in the Gulf South Conference at 5-0 on the season.

They look to continue their two-game road trip, as they will travel to South Carolina for the third and final time in the regular season to resume conference play with the North Greenville Trail Blazers. As for Shorter, they will take on Chowan University Hawks on Oct.12.

Written by Christopher Mercer, Sports editor. Photo by Ibec Francis, Photo editor.