Micheal Varnum
mmvarnum@valdosta.edu

The 2007 Blazer football season is getting kicked off this Saturday at 7 pm at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium against one of our biggest rivals, the Albany State Golden Rams. The Rams haven’t beaten the Blazers since the 2004 championship season, when they handed the Blazers their only loss of the season. Many wonder why the Albany State game is so important for the Blazers.

“We always want to start the season out 1-0.” Said Coach David Dean “Plus it’s always nice to beat an in-state rival, especially a team like Albany State who we constantly battle with for recruits.”

If you are wondering what to expect from the Rams this Saturday, look no further than last year. The Rams have been known to rely on their size. Their defensive corps is led by their big, physical linebackers and their aggressive cornerbacks.

They suffered one key loss however, losing All-American defensive end Alton Pettway. The Rams’ offense is well-balanced with an explosive running platoon, and a smart, quick quarterback protected by an intimidating offensive line that specializes in run blocking.

Coach Dean doesn’t anticipate the overall bolstering size of the Rams being too much to overcome.

“We’re not a very big team, but we will rely on our speed because we are a quick team,” Dean said.

Coach Dean believes that conditioning will be the biggest key to success Saturday, and that the
heat will play a big factor in the outcome of the game. Regardless of the weather the famed matchup of speed vs. size should be every bit as entertaining as advertised.