VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) - The Black Swarm defense of Valdosta State controlled the Blazers' first scrimmage of fall camp, Saturday morning at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
It took nine possessions for the VSU offense to finally find the end zone, which they only reached three times all day.
"I was very pleased with how the defense played today," said Blazer head coach David Dean. "The offense played well all week in practice so it was good to see the defense step up today and take a stand. You could tell they came to play.
"The one thing I told the defense after the game is that we still have some work to do with our tackling. They are going for the big hit or the big play and aren't wrapping up. We have to change that."
Looking at the two quarterbacks competing for the starting job, transfer Jake Medlock was 6-of-17 passing for 11 yards and added 42 yards rushing off of four attempts. Rising sophomore Kaleb Nobles went 13-of-26 for 190 yards, and ran for 18 more yards.
"Jake and Kaleb struggled a little," added Dean, "but not all of that was their fault. We had some busted routes and some times when our blocking wasn't there, which made things break down. What I liked was that both of them improvised well when that happened. And when both of them had to move in the pocket, they were stepping up, not going side-to-side.
"I like the attitude of this team. They work hard, they are willing to listen. We have two weeks to get ready for Albany State and there is no doubt in my mind that they will do everything they can to be ready."
Valdosta State will host their annual "Meet The Blazers" event Sunday afternoon, August 24 at 2:00 p.m. The Blazers will host a youth football clinic for kids five-years-old through eighth grade. Registration for the clinic opens at 1:00 p.m.
