2019 Valdosta State Blazers football team
The 2019 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by first-year head coach Gary Goff. The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia.
| 2019 Valdosta State Blazers football | |
|---|---|
 | |
GSC champion | |
| Conference | Gulf South Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AFCA | No. 5 |
| Record | 10–1 (8–0 GSC) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Lee Stalker (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Bazemore–Hyder Stadium (capacity: 11,249) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Valdosta State $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 West Florida ^ | 7 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delta State | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Georgia | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi College | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Alabama | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Tech | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Greenville | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shorter | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Valdosta State entered the 2019 season as defending NCAA Division II champions and the favorite to win the conference. The Blazers finished the regular season undefeated with an overall record of 10–0 and a mark of 8–0 in GSC play, winning the conference title. In the NCAA Division II football playoffs, Valdosta State was upset in the second round by eventual national champion West Florida.[1][2]
Previous season
The Blazers finished the 2018 season 14–0, 8–0 in Gulf South Conference (GSC) play, to finish first in the conference standings. The team won their four national title after defeating Ferris State in the 2018 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game.[3]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7 | 7:00 p.m. | at Albany State* | No. 1 | W 38–3 | 5,011 | ||
| September 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Ohio Dominican* | No. 1 | ESPN3 | W 48–21 | 5,065 | |
| September 21 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 20 West Alabama | No. 1 |
| WALB | W 44–27 | 5,792 |
| September 28 | 6:00 p.m. | at Shorter | No. 1 | ESPN+ | W 44–7 | 1,471 | |
| October 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Mississippi College | No. 1 |
| W 42–17 | 4,199 | |
| October 12 | 7:00 p.m. | at Delta State | No. 1 | W 34–13 | 3,165 | ||
| October 19 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida Tech | No. 1 |
| W 55–28 | 4,631 | |
| October 26 | 4:00 p.m. | at North Greenville | No. 1 | W 20–15 | 2,437 | ||
| November 9 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 20 West Florida | No. 1 |
| ESPN3 | W 26–21 | 6,002 |
| November 16 | 7:00 p.m. | at West Georgia | No. 1 | ESPN3 | W 42–14 | 3,161 | |
| November 30 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 20 West Florida* | No. 1 |
| L 35–38 | 4,261 | |
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Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Final |
| AFCA | 1 (29) | 1 (31) | 1 (31) | 1 (30) | 1 (30) | 1 (30) | 1 (30) | 1 (30) | 1 (29) | 1 (29) | 1 (28) | 1 (30) | 5 |
| D2Football | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
References
- Brian Achatz (November 30, 2019). "Anthony Johnson lifts UWF football to win over No. 1 Valdosta State in second-round playoff". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- "#20 West Florida shocks everyone with win over #1 Valdosta State". WTXL-TV. November 30, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- Shane Thomas (December 17, 2018). "National Champs: Valdosta State defeats Ferris State for D2 title". Valdosta Daily Times. Retrieved November 12, 2021.