Coming off its first shutout in nearly three years, Valdosta State will face a tough test as Angelo State visits Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. The Blazers enter the game with a 2-0 record while ASU comes in at 1-2.
Valdosta State, which is coming off a 41-0 win over Shorter,features a balanced offensive attack as the Blazers average 201.0 rushing yards and 235.0 passing yards per game. The Blazer offense, which is averaging 38.5 points per game, is led by sophomore running backs Cedric O'Neal and Austin Scott, who have combined for 361 yards and four touchdowns in the first two games. Senior quarterback Cayden Cochran has passed for 462 yards and six scores while senior wide receiver Regginald Lewis has caught eight passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, VSU surrenders 10.5 points, 88.0 rushing yards and 247.0 passing yards each contest. The Black Swarm defense has recorded 10.0 sacks and 22.0 tackles for loss and is led by junior linebacker Justin Williams, who counts 4.5 tackles for loss among his 16 tackles on the season. Senior defesnive tackle Lawrence Virgil has proven to be disruptive up front as he has tallied 2.5 sacks, 4.0 tackles for loss and forced three fumbles.
Angelo State has put up big numbers offensively on the year as the Rams average 523.3 yards of total offense per game. ASU passes for 236.3 and rushes for 287.0 per contest while scoring 32.0 points a game. Quarterback Kyle Washington, who played sparingly against VSU in Dallas last year, leads the offense with 563 passing yardss and 281 more on the ground to go along with four rushing touchdowns and four more through the air. The Rams also own an eight-minute per game advantage in time of possession, but have been victimized through the air as they are allowing 309.0 passing yards each game. The ASU defense also gives up 171.7 rushing yards to go along with 36.3 points per contest. Linebacker Rush Seaver leads the defensive unit with 25 tackles on the year and returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown two weeks ago against Colorado State-Pueblo.
