2004 Valdosta State Blazers football team

2004 Valdosta State Blazers football
NCAA Division II champion GSC champion
NCAA Division II Championship Game, W 36–31 vs. Pittsburg State
Conference	Gulf South Conference
Ranking
AFCA	No. 1
Record	13–1 (9–0 GSC)
Head coach	Chris Hatcher (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	David Dean (5th season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Ashley Anders (3rd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Bazemore–Hyder Stadium

2004 Gulf South Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Valdosta State $^		9	–	0					13	–	1
No. 16 Arkansas Tech ^		8	–	1					10	–	2
Central Arkansas		6	–	3					8	–	3
Delta State		6	–	3					6	–	4
Arkansas–Monticello		5	–	4					6	–	5
Harding		4	–	5					6	–	5
North Alabama		4	–	5					5	–	5
Southern Arkansas		3	–	6					5	–	6
West Georgia		2	–	6					2	–	7
Ouachita Baptist		2	–	6					2	–	7
Henderson State		2	–	7					2	–	8
West Alabama		2	–	7					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA poll

The 2004 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 2004 NCAA Division II football season. In their fifth year under head coach Chris Hatcher, the team compiled a 13–1 record (9–0 against conference opponents) and won the GSC championship.^[1] The team advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs and defeated Pittsburg State, 36–31, in the championship game.^[2]

Two Valdosta player were honored by the Associated Press on its 2004 Little All-America team: kicker Will Rhody (first team) and offensive lineman Torry Howard (third team).^[3] Other key players included quarterback Fabian Walker and running back Vincent Brown.^[4]

The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	at No. 22 Albany State*	No. 3	Albany Municipal Stadium Albany, GA	L 22–24	11,855
September 11	at Ouachita Baptist	No. 15	Williams Field Arkadelphia, AR	W 40–19	3,687
September 18	Harding	No. 13	Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Valdosta, GA	W 32–19	5,386
September 25	at No. 19 Central Arkansas	No. 12	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	W 22–12	7,117
October 2	No. 11 Delta State	No. 12	Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Valdosta, GA	W 51–48	3,204	[5]
October 9	at Henderson State	No. 10	Henderson Stadium Macon, GA	W 27–18	2,912
October 16	West Alabama	No. 8	Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Valdosta, GA	W 34–17	6,843
October 23	at No. 23 North Alabama	No. 5	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	W 24–20	3,577
October 30	Southern Arkansas	No. 5	Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Valdosta, GA	W 45–28	2,711	[6]
November 6	at West Georgia	No. 5	Grisham Stadium Carrollton, GA (rivalry)	W 35–12	4,101
November 20	No. 13 Carson–Newman*	No. 3	Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Valdosta, GA (NCAA Division II second round)	W 38–12	3,001	[7]
November 27	at No. 2 Albany State*	No. 3	Albany State University Coliseum Albany, GA (NCAA Division II quarterfinal)	W 38–24	10,227	[8][9]
December 4	No. 23 West Chester*	No. 3	Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Valdosta, GA (NCAA Division II seminfinal)	W 45–21	4,483	[10][11]
December 11	vs. No. 1 Pittsburg State*	No. 3	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL (NCAA Division II Championship Game)	W 36–31	8,604	[12][13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

2004 Valdosta State Blazers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Jeffrey Felton Fr WR 3 Raymond Thomas So WR 4 Tyler Aurraldt So TE 6 Bama Adams Jr QB 7 Fabian Walker Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 2 Willie Johnson Jr LB 8 Donnie Daniels Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 5 Chad Gallahan Fr	Head coach Chris Hatcher Coordinators/assistant coaches Shawn Bostick Assistant head coach/Offensive line David Dean Offensive coordinator/Receivers/Special teams Ashley Anders Defensive coordinator/Linebackers Maurea Crain Defensive line/Recruiting coordinator Ryan Shirley Secondary Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Game summaries

Vs. No. 1 Pittsburg State (NCAA Division II Championship)

2004 NCAA Division II Championship Game
No. 3 Valdosta State Blazers vs. No. 1 Pittsburg State Gorillas – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Blazers	0	17	9	10	36
No. 1 Gorillas	14	3	7	7	31

at Braly Municipal Stadium, Florence, Alabama

• Date: December 11
• Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST/3:05 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Cloudy, 44 °F (7 °C)
• Game attendance: 8,604
• Referee: Thomas Delaney
• TV announcers (ESPN): Andre Ware and Eric Collins
• Box score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Jimmie Taylor 32-yard interception return (Nathan Alleman kick), 14:04. Gorillas 7–0. PSU – Jermaine Carpenter 10-yard pass from Neal Philpot (Nathan Alleman kick), 7:37. Gorillas 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:33. Second quarter VSU – Zach Parker 1-yard pass from Fabian Walker (Will Rhody kick), 14:12. Gorillas 14–7. Drive: 4 plays, 19 yards, 1:39. PSU – Nathan Alleman 30-yard field goal, 7:54. Gorillas 17–7. Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards, 6:18. VSU – Fabian Walker 4-yard run (Will Rhody kick), 2:45. Gorillas 17–14. Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 5:02. VSU – Will Rhody 27-yard field goal, 0:03. Tied 17–17. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 0:44. Third quarter VSU – Team safety, 13:19. Blazers 19–17. VSU – Tyran Robinson 23-yard run (Will Rhody kick), 8:14. Blazers 26–17. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 2:47. PSU – Joe Taylor 1-yard run (Nathan Alleman kick), 2:58. Blazers 26–24. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:11. Fourth quarter VSU – Raymond Thomas 7-yard pass from Fabian Walker (Will Rhody kick), 14:15. Blazers 33–24. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:42. VSU – Will Rhody 28-yard field goal, 10:49. Blazers 36–24. Drive: 6 plays, 20 yards, 3:15. PSU – Neal Philpot 1-yard run (Nathan Alleman kick), 7:27. Blazers 36–31. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 3:17.

Statistics	VSU	PSU
First downs	21	22
Total yards	366	371
Rushing yards	201	163
Passing yards	165	208
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	31:09	28:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Valdosta State	Passing	Fabian Walker	19/27, 165 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Vincent Brown	13 rushes, 72 yards
	Receiving	Rod Dalton	4 receptions, 48 yards
Pittsburg State	Passing	Andy Majors	11/14, 148 yards, INT
	Rushing	Neal Philpot	20 rushes, 117 yards, TD
	Receiving	Tim Austin	8 rushes, 119 yards

References

1. "2004 Football National Championship Team". Valdosta State University. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
2. "Valdosta State vs Pittsburg State (Dec 11, 2004)". Pittsburg State University. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
3. "AP Little All-America team". The Atlanta Constitution. December 17, 2004. p. D11 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "They take all kinds". The Atlanta Constitution. December 10, 2004. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Valdosta St. turns back Delta St. 51-48: Blazers seal deal with last-second goal line stand". The Clarksdale Press Register. October 3, 2004. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Blazers earn eighth win in row". The Atlanta Constitution. October 31, 2004. p. F8 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Blazers cruise to playoff win". The Atlanta Constitution. November 21, 2004. p. H7 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Comeback kids; Furious second-half rally snaps Rams' streak". The Atlanta Constitution. November 28, 2004. Retrieved June 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Valdosta State 38, Albany State 24". The Greenville News. November 28, 2004. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
10. Ira Josephs (December 5, 2004). "W. Chester ride comes to an end". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D4.
11. Rob Morton (December 5, 2004). "Blazers play keep-away". The Atlanta Constitution. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Rob Morton (December 12, 2004). "First title for Blazers". The Atlanta Constitution. p. E7 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Pitt Stopped". The Kansas City Star. December 12, 2004. pp. C1, C11 – via Newspapers.com.