By Dionte Daniel, Assistant Sports Editor

 

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Valdosta State had three weeks to digest their loss. Once they stepped back on the field, they showed what they could do.

 

The No. 16 Blazers came and blew out Erskine 56-0 at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on Saturday. They were able to utilize their rushing attack and defensive line to help them come out with a win.

 

The Blazers now stand at 4-1 after losing their first game this season on Sept 19th against UNC Pembroke 44-41.

 

Even though they came out with such a high point total, head coach Graham Craig said the team struggled in the beginning.

 

“We started off real slow on offense; we had two three and outs. Once we got our run game going, we were able to get some backs out in space.”

 

Once they found their groove, they were able to put up some impressive numbers.

 

The Blazers put up 495 total yards. They were able to rush for 298 yards and sophomore running back Shawn Paschall helped them get there. Paschall ran the ball 7 times for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns. One run that stood out to him was his 74-yard run which helped build on his 155-yard game vs UNC Pembroke.

 

“Chubb with that big run helped us out with our run game I feel like,” Craig said. “We were able to establish a rhythm on offense more so in the first half by running the football.”

 

VSU was able to score 14 points in the first quarter and another 28 in the second quarter leaving them with a lead of 42 at the half.

 

Champ Harris also had a great game for the Blazers as well. He went 9/14 for 139 yards and 1 touchdown. Harris also rushed the ball 3 times for 40 yards.

 

“I felt like Champ did a good job today,” Craig said. “Operated well. He had a couple early drops in the game but took care of the football and was able to throw some down field passes and have some big runs as well.”

 

Not only did the Blazers offense put points on the board, but their defense kept the opposing team out of the end zone.

 

They held Erskine to only 124 total yards. They only rushed for 28 yards and threw for 96. The Blazers also had no turnovers on their side.

 

With such a big lead, Craig was able to insert some younger players into the game. Which he felt that they helped him out after getting additional work during the bye week.

 

“Our defense did a great job today,” Craig said. “There were a couple times where we got some bad penalties that put us in bad situations, but our defense with some of the young guys were able to step up and make some plays.”

 

Now the Blazers will have another long break before their next game. They play Shorter on October 24th at 3 p.m. here at Bazemore-Hyder stadium. So, they will have two more open weekends before taking the field again.

 

After coming out with such a huge win, Craig knows they will have to stay focused during their break.

 

“We have two bye weeks coming up,” Craig said. “We’ll have to make sure we have great focus going into our next game at Shorter.”