2016 Valdosta State Blazers football team
The 2016 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by first-year head coach Kerwin Bell and played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia. Valdosta State compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second in the GSC. They were invited to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs, where they lost in the first round to UNC Pembroke.
| 2016 Valdosta State Blazers football | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | Gulf South Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AFCA | No. 18 |
| Record | 8–3 (6–2 GSC) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | James Rowe (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Bazemore–Hyder Stadium (capacity: 11,249) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 North Alabama $^ | 7 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Valdosta State ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Alabama | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Tech ^ | 5 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Georgia | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Florida | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delta State † | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi College | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shorter | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
Valdosta State announced its 2016 football schedule on March 17, 2016. The schedule consisted of five home games, four away game, and one neutral site games in the regular season. The Blazers hosted GSC foes Delta State, Shorter, West Florida, and West Georgia, and traveled to Florida Tech, Mississippi College, North Alabama, and West Alabama.[1]
The Blazers hosted one non-conference game against Albany State of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and traveled to one neutral site game against Kentucky State, also from the SIAC.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 3 | 7:00 p.m | Albany State* | W 16–7 | 5,401 | |||
| September 17 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 20 North Alabama | No. 22 | L 19–44 | 8,216 | ||
| September 24 | 7:00 p.m. | West Florida |
| W 40–28 | 6,810 | ||
| October 1 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. Kentucky State* | W 48–10 | ||||
| October 8 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 12 West Georgia | No. 25 |
| W 38–27 | 4,105 | |
| October 15 | 4:00 p.m. | at Mississippi College | No. 17 | W 42–41 | 5,979 | ||
| October 22 | 3:00 p.m. | Delta State | No. 16 |
| W 56–27 | 5,402 | |
| October 29 | 7:00 p.m. | at Florida Tech | No. 14 | ESPN3 | L 20–38 | 3,247 | |
| November 5 | 3:00 p.m. | at West Alabama | No. 23 | ESPN3 | W 37–22 | 5,269 | |
| November 12 | 7:00 p.m. | Shorter | No. 23 |
| W 44–0 | 3,654 | |
| November 19 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 12 UNC Pembroke* | No. 19 |
| L 21–24 | 20,184 | |
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References
- "Football Announces 2016 Schedule; Prepares for Spring Practice" (Press release). Valdosta State University Department of Athletics. March 17, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.