October 30th, 2024 6:00am
We have three weeks left in the regular season and the Gulf South title race may go down to the wire. Currently, four teams are within striking distance of claiming at least a share of the League crown - Valdosta State, West Alabama, West Florida, and North Greenville - making this week’s matchup between the Trailblazers and Tigers all that more important to keep one of those programs in the hunt.
Week Eight Results (home team in bold)
North Greenville 47, Delta State 45 (4 OT)*
No. 19 West Alabama 38, Chowan 0*
Mississippi College 42, Erskine 7*
West Florida 35, Shorter 16
Week Nine Schedule (all times Eastern)
*indicates Gulf South Conference game
North Greenville (4-3, 3-1 GSC) at No. 17 West Alabama (6-1, 3-1 GSC)*
Saturday, Nov. 2 | 2:00 pm | Livingston, Ala. | Audio | Stats | Video
Don’t look now, but the Trailblazers are rolling with back-to-back wins after last week’s thrilling 47-45 victory over Delta State that took four overtime periods to decide. Receiver Dre Williams is back to full health and has won the last two GSC Offensive Player of the Week awards with 19 receptions for 353 yards and seven touchdowns during the current win streak. NGU is putting up 30.2 points and 398.3 yards per game this season, but the defense has surrendered over 35 points per game playing against some of the tougher offensive opponents in the region.
West Alabama flexed its defensive muscle last week with a 38-point shutout of Chowan at home, collecting 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions while the offense racked up 249 yards via the run game. The Tigers rank Top 20 among all NCAA Division II programs in scoring defense (13.1ppg), total defense (267.7 ypg), and turnover margin (+1.14) having held five of seven opponents to under 15 points.
I’ll be fully honest, I have no clue which way to go. The NGU offense is firing on all cylinders lately with a healthy stable of weapons, but the defense still has a few holes to fill with injuries taking their toll of late. West Alabama is one of, if not the best, defensive units in the League and an offense that controls the clock has the program hunting for a postseason berth. Experts say that “defense wins championships” so I’ll give the nod to an opportunistic unit UWA at home, but the Tigers are on full upset alert on Saturday afternoon.
My pick: No. 17 West Alabama
West Florida (5-2, 3-1 GSC) at Erskine (1-5, 0-3 GSC)*
Saturday, Nov. 2 | 2:00 pm | Greenwood, S.C. | Stats | Video
West Florida’s win streak now stands at four games after last week’s non-conference victory over Shorter behind a three-touchdown performance from quarterback Marcus Stokes. Stokes led the offense to 375 yards on just 67 plays, while the defense held Shorter to 284 yards and collected 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. Linebacker Ja’Kobe Clinton filled the stat sheet a week ago with 10 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and a pass break up. The Argos’ defense has held opponents to just 99.1 yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry on the ground.
The Flying Fleet’s first and only year in the GSC has not been a friendly one as their losing streak has reached five games after a 42-7 drubbing at the hands of previously unbeaten Mississippi College. Erskine has been outscored 218-56 during the streak, while the defense is giving up over 200 yards per game on the ground and an average of 6.6 yards per play to the opposition.
The Argos are rolling on both sides of the ball and that trend will continue this week against Erskine. West Florida might start slow after a lengthy road trip north, but they’ll be on the scoreboard often in this one.
My pick: West Florida
Chowan (2-5, 1-3 GSC) at No. 3 Valdosta State (7-0, 3-0 GSC)*
Saturday, Nov. 2 | 3:00 pm | Valdosta, Ga. | Audio | Stats | Video
After a 38-point loss on the road to West Alabama a week ago, the schedule doesn’t get any easier for Chowan this week with Valdosta State waiting in the wings. Chowan’s offense just cannot find a rhythm, ranking as one of the worst units in Division II with just 14.6 points and 266.9 total yards per game. The Hawks’ defense does what it can to limit the opposition, but being on the field so often takes its toll.
The Blazers had a bye week last Saturday and are no doubt well-rested with championship aspirations in mind. Valdosta ranks among Division II’s Top 10 in total offense (475. ypg), scoring offense (43.1 ppg), total defense (228.6 ypg), scoring defense (9.1 ppg), and turnover margin (+1.29) VSU is one of the most complete team top to bottom in the nation and it’s hard to find a weakness on this team.
We won’t call this a “trap game” for Valdosta State, but they’ll need to put this game away early to get the starters additional rest in the second half as they prepare for a challenging schedule ahead. I fully expect VSU to keep the momentum going and put plenty of points on the scoreboard in front of the home crowd.
My pick: No. 3 Valdosta State