Valdosta State football welcomes in Grand Valley State for joint practice

VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) — One month of spring practice comes to a close this weekend for the Valdosta State football team, and while the Blazers aren't hosting a spring game, they are doing something pretty cool for their finale.

Valdosta State is taking a page out of the NFL's book, as they invited Grand Valley State down from Michigan and Friday was night one of the two-day joint practice. The two storied programs share eight national titles. With COVID, the Blazers haven't faced another team since the fall of 2019, and to have a chance to compete against someone other than themselves is a welcomed change.

"We're trying to put them in game-type situations, but we're also trying to keep them out of harm's way," said head coach Gary Goff. "Our ultimate goal is to win a National Championship in 2021. Right now, doing this in the spring, it's such a short window of recovery for when we report to camp. That's the coach's concern. The players? They want to come out here and compete at a very high level. They're asking me, why aren't we tackling? I said, let's just think of this as being professional."

Saturday's practice starts at 2 p.m. It is open to the public.