# 2007 Valdosta State Blazers football team

The 2007 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 2007 NCAA Division II football season. In their first year under head coach David Dean, the team compiled a 13–1 record (7–1 against conference opponents) and finished second in the GSC. The team advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs and defeated Northwest Missouri State, 25–20, in the championship game.
The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 21 Albany State* | No. 6 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | W 41–3 | 7,694 |
| September 8 | 5:00 p.m. | at Fort Valley State* | No. 5 | Wildcat StadiumFort Valley, GA | W 69–0 | 5,617 |
| September 22 | 4:00 p.m. | at Arkansas Tech* | No. 4 | Buerkle FieldRussellville, AR | W 28–27 | 5,851 |
| September 29 | 4:00 p.m. | Ouachita Baptist | No. 5 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | W 31–3 | 5,882 |
| October 6 | 2:00 p.m. | at Southern Arkansas | No. 5 | Wilkins StadiumMagnolia, AR | W 33–21 | 4,112 |
| October 11 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 8 Delta State | No. 5 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | L 31–35 | 7,279 |
| October 20 | 8:00 p.m. | at West Alabama | No. 13 | Tiger StadiumLivingston, AL | W 37–0 | 4,812 |
| October 27 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 2 North Alabama | No. 11 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | W 27–24 | 4,127 |
| November 3 | 7:00 p.m. | at Arkansas–Monticello | No. 8 | Cotton Boll StadiumMonticello, AR | W 63–28 | 1,001 |
| November 8 | 8:00 p.m. | West Georgia | No. 8 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA (rivalry) | W 35–10 | 3,842 |
| November 24 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 12 Catawba | No. 8 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA (NCAA Division II Second Round) | W 55–29 | 3,228 |
| December 1 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 10 North Alabama | No. 8 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal) | W 37–23 | 4,591 |
| December 8 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 6 California (PA) | No. 8 | Adamson StadiumCalifornia, PA (NCAA Division II Semifinal) | W 28–24 | 3,100 |
| December 15 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 5 Northwest Missouri State | No. 8 | Braly Municipal StadiumFlorence, AL (NCAA Division II Championship Game) | W 25–20 | 7,532 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### No. 21 Albany State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 21 Golden Rams | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 6 Blazers | 10 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy and humid, 85 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 7,694
* Referee: Phillip Kelly
* Box score
| Statistics | ALBN | VSU |
| First downs | 12 | 26 |
| Total yards | 265 | 436 |
| Rushing yards | 134 | 208 |
| Passing yards | 131 | 228 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:20 | 27:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Albany State | Passing | Kisan Flakes | 6/14, 106 yards, 2 INT |
| Albany State | Rushing | LiRonnie Davis | 13 rushes, 54 yards |
| Albany State | Receiving | Nick Kyles | 2 receptions, 68 yards |
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 18/29, 220 yards, 2 TD |
| Valdosta State | Rushing | Michael Terry | 9 rushes, 74 yards |
| Valdosta State | Receiving | Cedric Jones | 5 receptions, 49 yards |

### At Fort Valley State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Blazers | 12 | 21 | 22 | 14 | 69 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Wildcat Stadium, Fort Valley, Georgia
* Date: September 8
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Hot and muggy, 89 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,617
* Referee: Art Williams
* Box score
| Statistics | VSU | FVSU |
| First downs | 24 | 9 |
| Total yards | 460 | 167 |
| Rushing yards | 139 | 21 |
| Passing yards | 321 | 146 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 32:26 | 27:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 20/30, 249 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Valdosta State | Rushing | Michael Terry | 6 rushes, 43 yards, TD |
| Valdosta State | Receiving | Cedric Jones | 8 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TD |
| Fort Valley State | Passing | Zedrick West | 12/22, 116 yards, 2 INT |
| Fort Valley State | Rushing | Garrett Williams | 3 rushes, 17 yards |
| Fort Valley State | Receiving | Melvin Atueyi | 6 receptions, 86 yards |

### At Arkansas Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Blazers | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
| Wonder Boys | 14 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 27 |
at Buerkle Field, Russellville, Arkansas
* Date: September 22
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. EDT/2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear, 86 °F (30 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,851
* Referee: Stan Sence
* Box score
| Statistics | VSU | ATU |
| First downs | 29 | 18 |
| Total yards | 501 | 367 |
| Rushing yards | 249 | 132 |
| Passing yards | 252 | 235 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 36:40 | 23:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 30/44, 252 yards, INT |
| Valdosta State | Rushing | Michael Terry | 17 rushes, 137 yards, TD |
| Valdosta State | Receiving | Cedric Jones | 14 receptions, 135 yards |
| Arkansas Tech | Passing | Cole Barthel | 24/41, 235 yards, TD, INT |
| Arkansas Tech | Rushing | Cole Barthel | 11 rushes, 40 yards, 2 TD |
| Arkansas Tech | Receiving | Tracey Stiger | 8 receptions, 89 yards |

### Ouachita Baptist

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 5 Blazers | 3 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
* Date: September 29
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,882
* Referee: Phillip Kelly
* Box score
| Statistics | OBU | VSU |
| First downs | 16 | 24 |
| Total yards | 258 | 519 |
| Rushing yards | 104 | 301 |
| Passing yards | 154 | 218 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:14 | 26:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Lance Parker | 18/37, 154 yards, INT |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Willie Hopson | 24 rushes, 81 yards |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Julius Pruitt | 8 receptions, 73 yards |
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 22/37, 218 yards, TD |
| Valdosta State | Rushing | Michael Terry | 9 rushes, 181 yards, 2 TD |
| Valdosta State | Receiving | Cedric Jones | 5 receptions, 57 yards, TD |

### At Southern Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Blazers | 10 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 33 |
| Muleriders | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Wilkins Stadium, Magnolia, Arkansas
* Date: October 6
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Partly cloudy and hot, 84 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,112
* Referee: Todd Allen
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Valdosta State | Passing |
| Valdosta State | Rushing |
| Valdosta State | Receiving |
| Southern Arkansas | Passing |
| Southern Arkansas | Rushing |
| Southern Arkansas | Receiving |

### No. 8 Delta State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Statesmen | 0 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 35 |
| No. 5 Blazers | 11 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
* Date: October 11
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Clear and cool, 67 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 7,279
* Referee: Thomas Graham
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Delta State | Passing |
| Delta State | Rushing |
| Delta State | Receiving |
| Valdosta State | Passing |
| Valdosta State | Rushing |
| Valdosta State | Receiving |

### At West Alabama

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 13 Blazers | 14 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 37 |
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Tiger Stadium, Livingston, Alabama
* Date: October 20
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 4,812
* Referee: Stan Sence
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Valdosta State | Passing |
| Valdosta State | Rushing |
| Valdosta State | Receiving |
| West Alabama | Passing |
| West Alabama | Rushing |
| West Alabama | Receiving |

### No. 2 North Alabama

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Lions | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| No. 11 Blazers | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
* Date: October 27
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy and cool, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,127
* Referee: Stan Sence
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Alabama | Passing |
| North Alabama | Rushing |
| North Alabama | Receiving |
| Valdosta State | Passing |
| Valdosta State | Rushing |
| Valdosta State | Receiving |

### At Arkansas–Monticello

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Blazers | 21 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 63 |
| Boll Weevils | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Cotton Boll Stadium, Monticello, Arkansas
* Date: November 3
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT/5:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Warm and sunny, 71 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,001
* Referee: Patrick Smith
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Valdosta State | Passing |
| Valdosta State | Rushing |
| Valdosta State | Receiving |
| Arkansas–Monticello | Passing |
| Arkansas–Monticello | Rushing |
| Arkansas–Monticello | Receiving |

### West Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolves | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 8 Blazers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
* Date: November 8
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Clear and cool, 45 °F (7 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,842
* Referee: Stan Sence
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| West Georgia | Passing |
| West Georgia | Rushing |
| West Georgia | Receiving |
| Valdosta State | Passing |
| Valdosta State | Rushing |
| Valdosta State | Receiving |

### No. 12 Catawba (NCAA Division II Second Round)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Indians | 13 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 29 |
| No. 8 Blazers | 7 | 6 | 14 | 28 | 55 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
* Date: November 24
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,228
* Referee: Anthony Purcell
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Catawba | Passing |
| Catawba | Rushing |
| Catawba | Receiving |
| Valdosta State | Passing |
| Valdosta State | Rushing |
| Valdosta State | Receiving |

### No. 10 North Alabama (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Lions | 9 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| No. 8 Blazers | 13 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 37 |
at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Georgia
* Date: December 1
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Clear and cool, 68 °F (20 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,591
* Referee: T. Levingston
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Alabama | Passing |
| North Alabama | Rushing |
| North Alabama | Receiving |
| Valdosta State | Passing |
| Valdosta State | Rushing |
| Valdosta State | Receiving |

### At No. 6 California (PA) (NCAA Division II Semifinal)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Blazers | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| No. 6 Vulcans | 0 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
at Adamson Stadium, California, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 8
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. EST
* Game weather: Overcast, 30 °F (−1 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,100
* Referee: Greg Waybright
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Valdosta State | Passing |
| Valdosta State | Rushing |
| Valdosta State | Receiving |
| California (PA) | Passing |
| California (PA) | Rushing |
| California (PA) | Receiving |

### vs. No. 5 Northwest Missouri State (NCAA Division II Championship Game)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Bearcats | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| No. 8 Blazers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 25 |
at Braly Municipal Stadium, Florence, Alabama
* Date: December 15
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. EST/10:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Overcast, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 7,532
* Referee: Rodrick Hollowy
* Box score
| Statistics | NWMSU | VSU |
| First downs | 12 | 19 |
| Total yards | 235 | 305 |
| Rushing yards | 87 | 34 |
| Passing yards | 148 | 271 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:38 | 29:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwest Missouri State | Passing | Joel Osborn | 18/28, 148 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Northwest Missouri State | Rushing | Xavier Omon | 27 rushes, 63 yards, TD |
| Northwest Missouri State | Receiving | Mike Peterson | 5 receptions, 57 yards, TD |
| Valdosta State | Passing | Willie Copeland | 29/44, 257 yards, TD, INT |
| Valdosta State | Rushing | Michael Terry | 12 rushes, 36 yards, TD |
| Valdosta State | Receiving | Cedric Jones | 10 rushes, 95 yards |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| AFCA | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 1 (28) |