By Lloydrica Hudson, Sports Editor

No.9 VSU will hit the road Saturday, Sept. 19, to face UNC Pembroke as the Blazers look to continue their undefeated start to the season.

VSU enters the matchup 3-0 after defeating Fayetteville State last week. The Blazers are ranked No. 9 in the D2 Football poll, No. 13 in the AFCA poll and No. 14 in the FloCollege rankings.

The two teams have already faced one common opponent this season. VSU defeated Fayetteville State, while UNC Pembroke suffered a 10-7 loss to the Broncos on Sept. 5.

VSU’s offense produced 454 total yards and 38 points in last week’s victory. Through three games, the Blazers are averaging 45 points per game.

Quarterback Champ Harris completed 19 of 30 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown against Fayetteville State. Harris also contributed on the ground with 64 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Running back Shawn Paschall carried the ball 16 times for 80 yards and a touchdown. In the passing game, Jaheim Arnold finished with four receptions for 118 yards, while Kenai Grier caught two passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.

VSU has shown balance through its first three games.

The VSU defense also made an impact against Fayetteville State, forcing four turnovers. Curtis Janvier returned a fumble 41 yards for a touchdown, while freshman Jabari McMillian recorded two interceptions.

McMillian’s performance earned him Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Week honors. Jayden Bethea led VSU with seven tackles, followed by Ashton Heflin with five. Malik Moore added four tackles and a sack.

Special teams also played a role in the win. Lucas Edenfield punted five times for 197 yards, while Brett Fitzgerald made all five of his extra-point attempts and one of two field-goal attempts.

UNC Pembroke enters Saturday at 2-1 after defeating Shorter 31-24 last week. The Braves opened their season with a 21-13 win over Wingate before losing to Fayetteville State.

The Braves are averaging 19.7 points per game and have relied on both their rushing and passing attacks. Quarterback Josh Ehrlich has thrown for 351 yards and two touchdowns while also leading the team with 240 rushing yards and two scores.

Malik Brown and Avery Curtis are two targets to watch in the passing game. Brown has six receptions for 103 yards, while Curtis has 15 catches for 81 yards.

Defensively, UNC Pembroke has shown an ability to get into the backfield. The Braves recorded three sacks and 11 tackles for loss against Fayetteville State and four sacks with nine tackles for loss against Shorter.

VSU is 1-3 all-time against UNC Pembroke. The Blazers’ lone victory in the series came in 2014, when VSU won 36-7.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday in Pembroke, North Carolina.