2007 Valdosta State Blazers football team
American college football season
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The 2007 Valdosta State Blazers football team was an American football team that represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2007 NCAA Division II football season. In their first year under head coach David Dean, the team compiled a 13–1 record (7–1 against conference opponents) and finished second in the GSC. The team advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs and defeated Northwest Missouri State, 25–20, in the championship game.[1][2]
| 2007 Valdosta State Blazers football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division II champion | |
| Conference | Gulf South Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AFCA | No. 1 |
| Record | 13–1 (7–1 GSC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | Spread option |
| Defensive coordinator | Joe Cauthen (1st season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | Bazemore–Hyder Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Delta State $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Valdosta State ^ | 7 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 North Alabama ^ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Henderson State | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Harding | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas Tech | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas–Monticello | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ouachita Baptist | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Arkansas | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Georgia | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Alabama | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 21 Albany State* | No. 6 | W 41–3 | 7,694 | |
| September 8 | 5:00 p.m. | at Fort Valley State* | No. 5 | W 69–0 | 5,617 | |
| September 22 | 4:00 p.m. | at Arkansas Tech* | No. 4 |
| W 28–27 | 5,851 |
| September 29 | 4:00 p.m. | Ouachita Baptist | No. 5 |
| W 31–3 | 5,882 |
| October 6 | 2:00 p.m. | at Southern Arkansas | No. 5 |
| W 33–21 | 4,112 |
| October 11 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 8 Delta State | No. 5 |
| L 31–35 | 7,279 |
| October 20 | 8:00 p.m. | at West Alabama | No. 13 | W 37–0 | 4,812 | |
| October 27 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 2 North Alabama | No. 11 |
| W 27–24 | 4,127 |
| November 3 | 7:00 p.m. | at Arkansas–Monticello | No. 8 |
| W 63–28 | 1,001 |
| November 8 | 8:00 p.m. | West Georgia | No. 8 |
| W 35–10 | 3,842 |
| November 24 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 12 Catawba | No. 8 |
| W 55–29 | 3,228 |
| December 1 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 10 North Alabama | No. 8 |
| W 37–23 | 4,591 |
| December 8 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 6 California (PA) | No. 8 |
| W 28–24 | 3,100 |
| December 15 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 5 Northwest Missouri State | No. 8 |
| W 25–20 | 7,532 |
| ||||||
Rankings
| Week | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| AFCA | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 1 (28) |
Game summaries
No. 21 Albany State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 21 Golden Rams | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 6 Blazers | 10 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
| Statistics | ALBN | VSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 12 | 26 |
| Total yards | 265 | 436 |
| Rushing yards | 134 | 208 |
| Passing yards | 131 | 228 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:20 | 27:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany State | Passing | Kisan Flakes | 6/14, 106 yards, 2 INT |
| Rushing | LiRonnie Davis | 13 rushes, 54 yards | |
| Receiving | Nick Kyles | 2 receptions, 68 yards | |
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 18/29, 220 yards, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Michael Terry | 9 rushes, 74 yards | |
| Receiving | Cedric Jones | 5 receptions, 49 yards |
At Fort Valley State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Blazers | 12 | 21 | 22 | 14 | 69 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Wildcat Stadium, Fort Valley, Georgia
- Date: September 8
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Hot and muggy, 89 °F (32 °C)
- Game attendance: 5,617
- Referee: Art Williams
- Box score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
| Statistics | VSU | FVSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 24 | 9 |
| Total yards | 460 | 167 |
| Rushing yards | 139 | 21 |
| Passing yards | 321 | 146 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 32:26 | 27:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 20/30, 249 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Michael Terry | 6 rushes, 43 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Cedric Jones | 8 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TD | |
| Fort Valley State | Passing | Zedrick West | 12/22, 116 yards, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Garrett Williams | 3 rushes, 17 yards | |
| Receiving | Melvin Atueyi | 6 receptions, 86 yards |
At Arkansas Tech
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Blazers | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
| Wonder Boys | 14 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 27 |
at Buerkle Field, Russellville, Arkansas
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
| Statistics | VSU | ATU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 29 | 18 |
| Total yards | 501 | 367 |
| Rushing yards | 249 | 132 |
| Passing yards | 252 | 235 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 36:40 | 23:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 30/44, 252 yards, INT |
| Rushing | Michael Terry | 17 rushes, 137 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Cedric Jones | 14 receptions, 135 yards | |
| Arkansas Tech | Passing | Cole Barthel | 24/41, 235 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Cole Barthel | 11 rushes, 40 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Tracey Stiger | 8 receptions, 89 yards |
Ouachita Baptist
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 5 Blazers | 3 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
- Date: September 29
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)
- Game attendance: 5,882
- Referee: Phillip Kelly
- Box score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
| Statistics | OBU | VSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 16 | 24 |
| Total yards | 258 | 519 |
| Rushing yards | 104 | 301 |
| Passing yards | 154 | 218 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:14 | 26:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Lance Parker | 18/37, 154 yards, INT |
| Rushing | Willie Hopson | 24 rushes, 81 yards | |
| Receiving | Julius Pruitt | 8 receptions, 73 yards | |
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 22/37, 218 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Michael Terry | 9 rushes, 181 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Cedric Jones | 5 receptions, 57 yards, TD |
At Southern Arkansas
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Blazers | 10 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 33 |
| Muleriders | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Wilkins Stadium, Magnolia, Arkansas
- Date: October 6
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Partly cloudy and hot, 84 °F (29 °C)
- Game attendance: 4,112
- Referee: Todd Allen
| Statistics | VSU | SAU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valdosta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Southern Arkansas | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
No. 8 Delta State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Statesmen | 0 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 35 |
| No. 5 Blazers | 11 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
- Date: October 11
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Clear and cool, 67 °F (19 °C)
- Game attendance: 7,279
- Referee: Thomas Graham
| Statistics | DSU | VSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Valdosta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
At West Alabama
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13 Blazers | 14 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 37 |
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Tiger Stadium, Livingston, Alabama
- Date: October 20
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. CDT
- Game attendance: 4,812
- Referee: Stan Sence
| Statistics | VSU | UWA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valdosta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| West Alabama | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
No. 2 North Alabama
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Lions | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| No. 11 Blazers | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
- Date: October 27
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy and cool, 72 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 4,127
- Referee: Stan Sence
| Statistics | UNA | VSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Alabama | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Valdosta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
At Arkansas–Monticello
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Blazers | 21 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 63 |
| Boll Weevils | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Cotton Boll Stadium, Monticello, Arkansas
- Date: November 3
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT/5:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Warm and sunny, 71 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 1,001
- Referee: Patrick Smith
| Statistics | VSU | UAM |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valdosta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Arkansas–Monticello | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
West Georgia
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolves | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 8 Blazers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
- Date: November 8
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Clear and cool, 45 °F (7 °C)
- Game attendance: 3,842
- Referee: Stan Sence
| Statistics | UWG | VSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Georgia | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Valdosta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
No. 12 Catawba (NCAA Division II Second Round)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 12 Indians | 13 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 29 |
| No. 8 Blazers | 7 | 6 | 14 | 28 | 55 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
- Date: November 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 3,228
- Referee: Anthony Purcell
| Statistics | CAT | VSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Valdosta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
No. 10 North Alabama (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10 Lions | 9 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| No. 8 Blazers | 13 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 37 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
- Date: December 1
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Clear and cool, 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 4,591
- Referee: T. Levingston
| Statistics | UNA | VSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Alabama | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Valdosta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
At No. 6 California (PA) (NCAA Division II Semifinal)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Blazers | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| No. 6 Vulcans | 0 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
at Adamson Stadium, California, Pennsylvania
- Date: December 8
- Game time: 11:00 a.m. EST
- Game weather: Overcast, 30 °F (−1 °C)
- Game attendance: 3,100
- Referee: Greg Waybright
| Statistics | VSU | CAL |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valdosta State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| California (PA) | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
vs. No. 5 Northwest Missouri State (NCAA Division II Championship Game)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Bearcats | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| No. 8 Blazers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 25 |
at Braly Municipal Stadium, Florence, Alabama
- Date: December 15
- Game time: 11:00 a.m. EST/10:00 a.m. CST
- Game weather: Overcast, 60 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 7,532
- Referee: Rodrick Hollowy
- Box score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
| Statistics | NWMSU | VSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 12 | 19 |
| Total yards | 235 | 305 |
| Rushing yards | 87 | 34 |
| Passing yards | 148 | 271 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:38 | 29:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Missouri State | Passing | Joel Osborn | 18/28, 148 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Xavier Omon | 27 rushes, 63 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Mike Peterson | 5 receptions, 57 yards, TD | |
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 29/44, 257 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Michael Terry | 12 rushes, 36 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Cedric Jones | 10 rushes, 95 yards |
Roster
| 2007 Valdosta State Blazers football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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