Box Score / Event Stats

Blazers Top Ouachita Baptist 29-6

Hart throws for 373 yards, three touchdowns

Valdosta, Ga. - Valdosta State compiled 536 yards of total offense, including 401 in the decisive second half of play, in defeating Ouachita Baptist 29-6 in Gulf South Conference football action at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Saturday evening.

Much of the damage inflicted by the Blazers (3-0, 1-0) in the second half came through the air as Chris Hart passed for 330 yards, including touchdown passes of 76, 38 and 66 yards. The red-shirt freshman used his legs for VSU's final touchdown of the day as he scored on a 29-yard run.

Trailing 3-2 entering the second half, Valdosta State was forced to punt on its first possession of the third quarter before having a 33-yard field goal attempt blocked. However, Blazer defense forced punts on each of Ouachita Baptist's first two possessions, before the VSU offense began to find its rhythm.

Hart opened the third Valdosta State possession with a nine-yard completion to Cedric Jones before hooking up with T.J. Williams on a 76-yard scoring strike to give the Blazers a 9-3 advantage.

On the next Blazer possession, Hart again opened the drive with a nine-yard completion to Jones before an incomplete pass and a loss of a yard on a third-down run brought up a fourth-and-two on the Ouachita Baptist 45. The Blazers ran the punt team out onto the field, but snapped the ball to Russ Callaway, who picked up seven yards for a first down. Two plays later, Hart hit a wide open R.J. Bastone for a 38 touchdown pass and a 16-3 VSU edge.

The Tigers (2-1, 1-1) responded with an 11-play, 48 yard drive that culminated with a 30 yard Zack Wright field goal before Valdosta State added another touchdown for a 23-6 advantage. On the Blazer scoring drive, Hart picked up five yards on the ground before being sacked for an eight yard loss. On the next play, Hart hooked up with Ronnye Nelson on a screen pass and the sophomore weaved his way through the defense for a 66-yard touchdown reception.

After an OBU punt, Valdosta State closed out the scoring with Hart's touchdown run. A 16-yard completion to Jones opened the drive before Mike Brown picked up a yard on the ground. Hart and Williams proceeded to hook up for a 19-yard pick-up and Jones caught a 12-yard pass to the Tiger 20 before Hart was sacked for a nine-yard loss. On the next play, the Bradenton, Fla. native dropped back to pass before taking off. He weaved his way through the Ouachita Baptist defense before stretching out over the goal line for a score with 8:48 to go.

The Blazers struggled early in the contest as they took the field for the first time in 21 days. The Tigers held VSU to 43 yards rushing and 92 passing during the first 30 minutes of play as Valdosta State's only points of the half came on a blocked punt that went out the back of the end zone for a safety. Meanwhile, OBU tallied 58 yards rushing in the half while passing for 115 yards. However, the Valdosta State defense held the Tigers to a 36-yard Wright field goal in the first quarter to trail by one at the half.

Hart completed 22-of-35 passes in the game for 373 yards while picking up 33 yards on six carries. Markus Manson led the rushing game with 54 yards on seven carries while Jones and Williams caught seven passes each. Williams tallied 167 receiving yards in the game, the most by a Blazer since Sherard Reynolds had 194 against Southern Arkansas on October 29, 2005. Jack Fulford enjoyed a strong night of punting on the evening as he kicked five punts for a 227 yards, a 45.4 yards per punt average. Three of his punts backed the Tigers up inside their own 20-yard line, including two inside the OBU 10.

Japree Miles led the Valdosta State defense with nine tackles and a pass broken up while Larry Dean had eighth stops. VSU tallied two interceptions in the game as Sherard Reynolds and Dudley Spence had one each.

Lance Parker completed 28-of-49 passes for 227 yards for the Tigers while John Johnson tallied seven carries for 32 yards. Julius Pruitt caught 10 of Parker's passes for 67 yards as Ouachita Baptist finished with 324 yards of total offense. However, OBU was held without a touchdown after entering the contest averaging 49.5 points a game.

Jerry McNeil led the Tiger defense with eight tackles while Robert McKee had six, including two sacks.

Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, September 27 when it travels to Livingston, Ala. to play West Alabama in Gulf South Conference action. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. Eastern start.

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