The VSU Blazers are set to hit the road to Cleveland, Mississippi, to take on the Delta Statemen in a pivotal Gulf South Conference clash.  

The Blazers come into this matchup 8-0 following a dominant victory over GSC rival, the Chowan Hawks, last week 52-0. The offense was clicking on all cylinders as they rushed for 335 yards on the ground, while the defense held up their end with four takeaways that led to the team’s third shutout of the season. 

The two contributors to the win last week were running backs Blake Hester and Alfonso Franklin, who had 123 yards and three touchdowns and 117 yards and a touchdown, respectively.  

Their opponent, the Delta State Statesman, who is 5-3 on the season, is stewing on coming off a bye week. However, their previous game went against the North Greenville Trailblazers, which they lost in a quadruple overtime epic 47-45. 

The loss has eliminated them from the GSC title race as they look to play spoiler. A significant contributor this season from the Statesmen has been quarterback Cole Kirk, who has 1,766 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions.   

In this matchup, the Blazers lead this all-time series 8-6; the teams also shared the GSC championship last season. The two teams met twice last season as the Statemen won the regular season matchup on the road 49-25 at Bazemore -Hyder Stadium on Oct. 7. 

However, the Blazers had the last laugh as they would go on the road to beat the Statesmen in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, 38-31 with Blazer quarterback Sammy Edwards throwing the game-winning touchdown pass with nine seconds left.  

The Blazers hope for their first win at Delta State since 2019.  This is also a notable game for running back Franklin, who was on the Delta State Statemen roster last season and looks to have a big game in his return to his former stomping grounds.  

This game is critical for the Blazers as they look to keep pace with West Alabama and West Florida in the GSC title hunt. 

Written by Christopher Mercer, Sports Editor. Photo courtesy of Flickr.