# 2021 Valdosta State Blazers football team

The 2021 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2021 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by third-year head coach Gary Goff. The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia.
The Blazers competed for the 2021 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game against Ferris State. This was their first appearance in the championship game since the 2018 game.

## Previous season

The Blazers finished the 2019 season 10–1, 8–0 in Gulf South Conference (GSC) play, to finish first in the conference standings. On August 12, 2020, Gulf South Conference postponed fall competition in 2020 for several sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A few months later in November, the conference announced that there will be no spring conference competition in football. Teams that opt-in to compete would have to schedule on their own. The Blazers did not compete in the 2020 season and opted out of spring competition.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Savannah State* | No. 6 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | FloSports | W 53–7 | 5,003 |
| September 11 | 5:00 p.m. | at Virginia Union* | No. 5 | Hovey FieldRichmond, VA | | W 51–7 | 5,019 |
| September 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Albany State* | No. 4 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | FloSports | W 21–3 | 3,376 |
| October 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Shorter | No. 4 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | FloSports | W 49–13 | 5,346 |
| October 9 | 7:00 p.m. | Delta State | No. 4 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | FloSports | W 55–0 | 3,063 |
| October 16 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 10 West Alabama | No. 4 | Tiger StadiumLivingston, AL | FloSports | W 42–17 | 2,563 |
| October 23 | 3:00 p.m. | at Mississippi College | No. 2 | Robinson-Hale StadiumClinton, MS | FloSports | W 41–14 | 1,256 |
| October 30 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 3 West Georgia | No. 2 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA (rivalry) | FloSports | W 36–34 | 6,102 |
| November 6 | 3:00 p.m. | North Greenville | No. 2 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | FloSports | W 31–21 | 4,781 |
| November 13 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 3 West Florida | No. 2 | Admiral Fetterman FieldPensacola, FL | FloSports | L 42–61 | 7,193 |
| November 27 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 13 West Georgia* | No. 5 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA (NCAA Division II Second Round) | | W 66–35 | 2,087 |
| December 4 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 10 Bowie State* | No. 5 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal) | | W 41–17 | 2,444 |
| December 11 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 9 Colorado Mines* | No. 5 | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA (NCAA Division II Semifinal) | ESPN+ | W 34–31 | 3,197 |
| December 18 | 9:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Ferris State* | No. 5 | McKinney ISD StadiumMcKinney, TX (NCAA Division II Championship Game) | ESPNU | L 17–58 | 3,933 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes :
| | 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 | Final |
| AFCA | 6–T | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 (7) | 2 (4) | 2 (6) | 2 (5) | 5 | 2 |