Valdosta, GA – North Greenville’s defense stood toe-to-toe with one of the best offenses in Division II football on Saturday but the Crusaders came up short in a loss to the #7 Valdosta State Blazers in Gulf South Action.

The Basics

• Score: Crusaders - | Blazers –
• Records: North Greenville 4 – 3 [3 – 2] | Valdosta State 8 – 0 [6 – 0]
• Location: Bazemore-Hyder Stadium (Valdosta Georgia)

Quick Facts

• Saturday was the first meeting between the two programs which means the Blazers lead the series record 1 – 0.
• North Greenville’s defense was solid on Saturday, holding the Blazer offense to 60 – yards under its season average.
• Saturday was also the first time in seven games that Valdosta was held under 50 – points for a game.

How it Happened

• Valdosta’s second-ranked offense struck quickly, taking its first drive 57 – yards on nine plays to make it 6 – 0 after the missed extra point.
• The Blazers forced NGU to punt on its first drive and added a second score to make it 13 – 0 at the midway point of the first quarter.
• NGU’s defense clamped down on Valdosta’s offense forcing a pair of punts and a turnover on downs on the next three Valdosta drives.
• The Blazers would take advantage of an interception late in the second quarter, adding a field goal and another touchdown after capitalizing on NGU’s turnover on downs to make it 23 – 0 at halftime.
• North Greenville’s offense struggled to find much production in the first two quarters. NGU was just 2 of 8 on third down through the first 30 – minutes with nine first downs. Two turnovers in the first half led to 10 – points for the Blazers.
• The defensive momentum carried over into the second half. Following an NGU punt, Matthew Thomas forced a VSU fumble that was recovered by Aaron Watson who returned it to the VSU 44 – yard line.
• NGU was unable to take advantage of the extra possession though as a Matt Gravely field goal was blocked by Valdosta.
• North Greenville’s first points of the game came midway through the third period when Will Hunter found Bobby Foos from 16 – yards out following a key third-down conversion to make it 23 – 7.
• North Greenville continued to battle but #7 VSU had an answer for each of NGU’s challenges. The Crusaders scored twice more in the game, each time the score reciprocated by the Blazers.
• Hunter found Jordan Helms and Dimajiay Rooks for a pair of scores in the fourth quarter but the Blazers answered with a pair of touchdowns to go up 37 – 21 with just over seven minutes left in the game.
• The Blazers would tack on one more score following NGU’s third score of the day but failed to reach the 50 – point mark.
• The Blazers took one final shot at the end zone up three scores in the fourth quarter but Aaron Watson shut down the final attempt with his fourth interception of the season.

Inside the North Greenville Box Score

• North Greenville finished the day with 406 – yards of total offense, 396 – yards of which came from the passing game.
• Hunter led the passing charge, connecting on 26 of 45 throws with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
• Rooks was the favorite receiver, catching 8 balls for 106 – yards and a touchdown while Bobby Foos added 76 – yards on five catches with a score.
• Jordan Helms added a third receiving touchdown and had five catches for 48 yards.
• Matthew Thomas and Dominique Hunt led the Crusaders on defense with six total tackles. Thomas added a tackle for a loss and forced a fumble.
• Zeke Stringer finished with five tackles and a quarterback sack while Hunt also finished with a tackle for a loss.
• Aaron Watson had a pair of tackles but also recovered his second fumble an picked off his team-leading fourth pass of the season.

Inside the Valdosta State Box Score

• Adam Robles led VSU’s offense throwing for 131 – yards on six completions with a pair of touchdowns and an interception.
• Ivory Durham led the rushing attack with 72 – yards and a score while Brian Saunds finished with 95 – yards on seven catches a score.
• Ravarious Rivers and Craig Watts led the Blazers with six tackles each.

Next Time Out

• The road doesn’t get any easier for the Crusaders as they welcome #17 West Florida to Tigerville for a 1 PM kickoff.