West Florida

2021 GAME TEN

Nov. 13, 2021 • Blue Wahoos Stadium • Pensacola, Fla. • Att: 7,193

#2 VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS 42 #3 WEST FLORIDA ARGONAUTS 61

Score by Quarters VALDOSTA STATE 0 21 14 7 - 42 9-1 (6-1 GSC) WEST FLORIDA 7 17 21 16 - 61 9-1 (6-1 GSC)

Scoring Summary

1st 04:09 UWF Johnson 2-yard run (Cera kick) 2nd 14:05 UWF Cera 26-yard field goal 11:38 VSU Gallimore 57-yard pass from Durham (Thiele kick) 10:33 UWF Ashley 18-yard pass from Reed (Cera kick) 08:11 VSU McGill 1-yard run (Thiele kick) 01:00 UWF Reed 13-yard run (Cera kick) 00:01 VSU Durham 4-yard pass from Saunds (Thiele kick) 3rd 12:43 UWF Reed 44-yard run (Cera kick) 09:20 VSU Durham 4-yard run (Thiele kick) 07:20 UWF Johnson 1-yard run (Cera kick) 05:10 UWF Ashley 11-yard pass from Reed (Cera kick) 00:27 VSU Gallimore 36-yard pass from Durham (Thiele kick) 4th 14:19 UWF Mason 8-yard run (Thiele kick) 10:52 UWF Cera 47-yard field goal 08:47 VSU Gallimore 7-yard pass from Durham (Thiele kick) 07:13 UWF Johnson 66-yard run (Cera kick failed)

Individual Stats

RUSHING: Valdosta State-S. McGill 11-104; I. Durham 7-39; J. Thompkins 7-28; B. Saunds 1-0; TEAM 2-minus 9. West Florida-S. Mason 20-195; A. Johnson 10-96; A. Reed 6-56; S. Williams 2-22; R. Tanega-Doster 1-1; TEAM 1-0.

PASSING: Valdosta State-I. Durham 30-50-1-413; B. Saunds 1-1-0-4. West Florida-A. Reed 15-37-0-311; S. Williams 1-1-0-minus 2.

RECEIVING: Valdosta State-L. Gallimore 9-198; T. Roberts 7-62; V. Talley 6-47; B. Saunds 5-90; S. McGill 2-12; A. Dixon 1-4; I. Durham 1-4. West Florida-D. Durden 5-120; K. Ashley 4-82; S. Mason 2-29; J. Smith 2-19; L. Rembert 1-41; M. Wolfey 1-20; K. Whetzel 1-minus 2.

INTERCEPTIONS: Valdosta State-None. West Florida-S. Showers 1-0.

FUMBLES: Valdosta StateTEAM 1-0; J. Miller 1-0. West Florida-None.

SACKS (UA-A): Valdosta State-E. Williams 0-1; M. Harp 0-1; B. Williams 1-0. West Florida-None.

TACKLES (UA-A): Valdosta State-N. Moss 4-2; J. Williams 4-1; J. Jackson 3-2; C. Roberts 4-0; J. Martin 2-2; M. Jefferson 2-2; S. Colman 2-1; E. Williams 2-1; M. Harp 2-1; J. Gaskin 0-3; E. Watson 2-0; T. Dotson 2-0. West Florida-T. Archie 7-0; S. Oliver 6-0; S. Campbell 4-1; A. Bell 4-1; S. Williams 1-3; W. Breland 3-0; K. Holder 3-0; B. Franks 2-0; TJ Limehouse 1-1.

Team Stats

FIRST DOWNS

VSU UWF

26 28

RUSHING YARDS (NET) 28-162 40-370

PASSING YARDS (NET)

417 309 Passes Comp-Att-Int. 31-51-1 16-38-0 TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 79-579 78-679 Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0 Punt Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0 Kickoff Returns-Yards-TD 5-78 2-20 Interception Returns-Yards-TD 0-0 1-0 Punts (Number-Avg.) 4-29.5 2-6.5 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards 13-93 6-39 Possession Time 26:44 33:16 Third-Down Conversions 8 of 15 9 of 17 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 3 2 of 3 Red-Zone Scoring Chance 4-4 7-9 Sacks By: Number-Yards 2-14 0-0 Points off Turnovers 0 3

No. 2 Blazers Fall 61-42 at No. 3 West Florida

PENSACOLA, Fla. – In a highly anticipated matchup between two top five teams, No. 3 West Florida posted a 61-42 victory over No. 2 Valdosta State, snapping the Blazers’ nine-game winning streak and 30-game regular season winning streak. Both teams finished the regular season at 9-1 and 6-1 in Gulf South Conference play, each earning a share of the GSC title. This is the thirdstraight outright or shared league title for the Blazers and ninth overall.

In a game that saw 103 combined points and 1,257 yards of offense combined, Blazer graduate student Lio’undre Gallimore had 198 yards receiving and three touchdowns receptions on nine catches, while junior quarterback Ivory Durham went a career-high 31 of 51 passing for a career-high 415 yards, three touchdown passes and one interception, while he also caught a touchdown pass from graduate student Brian Saunds on a trickeration play at the end of the first half. Junior running back Seth McGill had 11 rushes for 104 yards and a score, while Durham had nine carries for 58 yards and a score.

VSU had a season-high 419 yards passing on 32 of 52 with four touchdown passes and one interception, while rushing the ball 31 times for 180 yards. Both VSU and UWF each had 27 first downs in the game. The high-powered UWF offense was as good as advertised as it racked up 658 yards of offense with 311 through the air and 347 on the ground as UWF averaged 9.4 yards per carry as VSU entered allowing just 4.2 yards per carry for the season.

The Argos, who made timely big chunk plays when needed, were led on the ground by Shomari Mason as he had 20 carries for 195 yards and a score, while Anthony Johnson had ten carries for 96 yards and three scores. Quarterback Austin Reed had six receptions for 56 yards and two huge touchdowns in the game. Receiver David Durden had five catches for 120 yards and Ka’Ron Ashley had two receiving touchdowns for 82 yards on four receptions.

Blazer senior Nick Moss had six tackles in the game as VSU recorded three tackles for loss and two sacks of Reed in the game. Trent Archie for UWF had seven solo stops and two tackles for loss for six yards.

Saturday’s game marked the first time VSU hadn’t had the lead in a game all season and the first time since 2017. Since the final five games of 2017, VSU has won 37 of 40 games overall, including a Gulf South Conference-record 25-straight victories from the final game of 2017 through the 2019 regular season.

UWF took the lead midway through the first quarter and the Blazers played catchup the rest of the game. Following a big sack by the Blazers from Brian Williams forcing a 3rd and 15 from the VSU 44, Reed hit Durden for 17 yards and a first down, followed by a 20-yard pass to Maverick Wolfey. The Argos scored on a Johnson 2-yard run on 3rd and goal from the two with 4:09 left in the opening quarter.

Griffin Cerra made a 26-yard field goal, after he missed one in the first quarter, for a 10-0 lead for the Argos with 14:00 left in the first half. From there, VSU began to find its footing in front of a record crowd of over 7,000. On a 4th and 3 from the VSU 43, Durham hit Gallimore in stride for a 57-yard touchdown strike and a 10-7 deficit.

Each time in the game VSU pulled within striking distance, UWF would answer as the Argos scored on the ensuing possession and then VSU pulled within 17-14 on a McGill score. Later in the quarter, Reed scampered 13 yards for a score and a 24-14 lead. With one-minute left in the half, VSU took over as Durham hit Saunds for 25 yards after he found senior Victor Talley open for 14 yards. On a first and goal from the four less than five seconds left in the half, VSU pulled a reverse as Saunds took the ball from McGill and tossed to a wide-open Durham in the end zone for a 24-21 deficit. It was Saunds’ second touchdown pass of his career.

With renewed momentum heading into the second half, UWF was faced with a 3rd and 10 at the VSU 44 and Reed went 44 yards for a score and a 31-21 lead with 12:43 left in the quarter. Once again, VSU answered and pulled within three as Durham scored for a 31-28 deficit moments later.

On the first play from scrimmage for the Argos, Mason broke free of a tackle and went 65 yards down the sideline and Johnson scored from 1-yard out for a 38-28. A special teams mistake on the Blazers set the Argos up in VSU territory at the Blazer 15. Reed then hit Asley for 11 yards and a 45-28 score with 5:04 left in the quarter.

VSU kept within striking distance and pulled back within ten late in the quarter as Durham found Galimore for 36 yards and a score for a 4535 deficit. The teams scored a combined 38 points in the second quarter and 35 in the third. UWF outscored the Blazers 16-7 in the fourth quarter for the 61-42 final margin.