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2004 Valdosta State Blazers football team

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American college football season

2004 Valdosta State Blazers football
NCAA Division II champion
GSC champion
NCAA Division II Championship Game,
W 36–31 vs. Pittsburg State
ConferenceGulf South Conference
Ranking
AFCANo. 1
Record13–1 (9–0 GSC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDavid Dean (5th season)
Offensive schemeAir raid
Defensive coordinatorAshley Anders (3rd season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumBazemore–Hyder Stadium
Seasons← 20032005 →
2004 Gulf South Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Valdosta State $^   9 – 0     13 – 1  
No. 16 Arkansas Tech ^   8 – 1     10 – 2  
Central Arkansas   6 – 3     8 – 3  
Delta State   6 – 3     6 – 4  
Arkansas–Monticello   5 – 4     6 – 5  
Harding   4 – 5     6 – 5  
North Alabama   4 – 5     5 – 5  
Southern Arkansas   3 – 6     5 – 6  
West Georgia   2 – 6     2 – 7  
Ouachita Baptist   2 – 6     2 – 7  
Henderson State   2 – 7     2 – 8  
West Alabama   2 – 7     2 – 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll

The 2004 Valdosta State Blazers football team was an American football team that represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2004 NCAA Division II football season. In their fifth year under head coach Chris Hatcher, the team compiled a 13–1 record (9–0 against conference opponents) and won the GSC championship. The team advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs and defeated Pittsburg State, 36–31, in the championship game.

Two Valdosta player were honored by the Associated Press on its 2004 Little All-America team: kicker Will Rhody (first team) and offensive lineman Torry Howard (third team). Other key players included quarterback Fabian Walker and running back Vincent Brown.

The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 4at No. 22 Albany State*No. 3L 22–24 11,855
September 11at Ouachita BaptistNo. 15W 40–19 3,687
September 18HardingNo. 13W 32–19 5,386
September 25at No. 19 Central ArkansasNo. 12W 22–12 7,117
October 2 No. 11 Delta StateNo. 12
  • Bazemore-Hyder Stadium
  • Valdosta, GA
W 51–48 3,204
October 9at Henderson StateNo. 10W 27–18 2,912
October 16West AlabamaNo. 8
  • Bazemore-Hyder Stadium
  • Valdosta, GA
W 34–176,843
October 23at No. 23 North AlabamaNo. 5W 24–20 3,577
October 30Southern ArkansasNo. 5
  • Bazemore-Hyder Stadium
  • Valdosta, GA
W 45–28 2,711
November 6at West GeorgiaNo. 5W 35–12 4,101
November 20 No. 13 Carson–Newman*No. 3W 38–12 3,001
November 27at No. 2 Albany State*No. 3W 38–2410,227
December 4 No. 23 West Chester*No. 3
  • Bazemore-Hyder Stadium
  • Valdosta, GA (NCAA Division II seminfinal)
W 45–214,483
December 11vs. No. 1 Pittsburg State*No. 3
  • Braly Municipal Stadium
  • Florence, AL (NCAA Division II Championship Game)
W 36–318,604
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

2004 Valdosta State Blazers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 1 Jeffrey Felton Fr
WR 3 Raymond Thomas So
WR 4 Tyler Aurraldt So
TE 6 Bama Adams Jr
QB 7 Fabian Walker Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 2 Willie Johnson Jr
LB 8 Donnie Daniels Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 5 Chad Gallahan Fr


Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Shawn Bostick
    Assistant head coach/Offensive line
  • David Dean
    Offensive coordinator/Receivers/Special teams
  • Ashley Anders
    Defensive coordinator/Linebackers
  • Maurea Crain
    Defensive line/Recruiting coordinator
  • Ryan Shirley
    Secondary
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Game summaries

Vs. No. 1 Pittsburg State (NCAA Division II Championship)

2004 NCAA Division II Championship Game
No. 3 Valdosta State Blazers vs. No. 1 Pittsburg State Gorillas – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 3 Blazers 0 17 91036
No. 1 Gorillas 14 3 7731

at Braly Municipal Stadium, Florence, Alabama

Game information
First quarter
  • PSU – Jimmie Taylor 32-yard interception return (Nathan Alleman kick), 14:04. Gorillas 7–0.
  • PSU – Jermaine Carpenter 10-yard pass from Neal Philpot (Nathan Alleman kick), 7:37. Gorillas 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:33.

Second quarter

  • VSU – Zach Parker 1-yard pass from Fabian Walker (Will Rhody kick), 14:12. Gorillas 14–7. Drive: 4 plays, 19 yards, 1:39.
  • PSU – Nathan Alleman 30-yard field goal, 7:54. Gorillas 17–7. Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards, 6:18.
  • VSU – Fabian Walker 4-yard run (Will Rhody kick), 2:45. Gorillas 17–14. Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 5:02.
  • VSU – Will Rhody 27-yard field goal, 0:03. Tied 17–17. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 0:44.

Third quarter

  • VSU – Team safety, 13:19. Blazers 19–17.
  • VSU – Tyran Robinson 23-yard run (Will Rhody kick), 8:14. Blazers 26–17. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 2:47.
  • PSU – Joe Taylor 1-yard run (Nathan Alleman kick), 2:58. Blazers 26–24. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:11.

Fourth quarter

  • VSU – Raymond Thomas 7-yard pass from Fabian Walker (Will Rhody kick), 14:15. Blazers 33–24. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:42.
  • VSU – Will Rhody 28-yard field goal, 10:49. Blazers 36–24. Drive: 6 plays, 20 yards, 3:15.
  • PSU – Neal Philpot 1-yard run (Nathan Alleman kick), 7:27. Blazers 36–31. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 3:17.
Statistics VSU PSU
First downs 21 22
Total yards 366 371
Rushing yards 201 163
Passing yards 165 208
Turnovers 2 4
Time of possession 31:09 28:51
Team Category Player Statistics
Valdosta State Passing Fabian Walker 19/27, 165 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Vincent Brown 13 rushes, 72 yards
Receiving Rod Dalton 4 receptions, 48 yards
Pittsburg State Passing Andy Majors 11/14, 148 yards, INT
Rushing Neal Philpot 20 rushes, 117 yards, TD
Receiving Tim Austin 8 rushes, 119 yards

References

  1. "2004 Football National Championship Team". Valdosta State University. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  2. "Valdosta State vs Pittsburg State (Dec 11, 2004)". Pittsburg State University. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  3. "AP Little All-America team". The Atlanta Constitution. December 17, 2004. p. D11 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "They take all kinds". The Atlanta Constitution. December 10, 2004. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Valdosta St. turns back Delta St. 51-48: Blazers seal deal with last-second goal line stand". The Clarksdale Press Register. October 3, 2004. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Blazers earn eighth win in row". The Atlanta Constitution. October 31, 2004. p. F8 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Blazers cruise to playoff win". The Atlanta Constitution. November 21, 2004. p. H7 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Comeback kids; Furious second-half rally snaps Rams' streak". The Atlanta Constitution. November 28, 2004. Retrieved June 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Valdosta State 38, Albany State 24". The Greenville News. November 28, 2004. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Ira Josephs (December 5, 2004). "W. Chester ride comes to an end". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D4.
  11. Rob Morton (December 5, 2004). "Blazers play keep-away". The Atlanta Constitution. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Rob Morton (December 12, 2004). "First title for Blazers". The Atlanta Constitution. p. E7 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Pitt Stopped". The Kansas City Star. December 12, 2004. pp. C1, C11 – via Newspapers.com.
2004 Valdosta State Blazers football—NCAA Division II national champions
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Chris Hatcher
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