Michael Wilson

Sports Writer

mhwilson@valdosta.edu

The only mismatch the VSU football team had to face this past weekend was the weather. So it is little wonder that the players, coaches and even the fans are looking forward to this week’s home game against Ouachita Baptist. This Gulf South Conference match-up will be the the No. 1 Blazers first game in nearly three weeks.
It will also be the first home game for the Blazers since Aug. 23 and, for the fans, it can’t come too soon. With all of the fanfare of parents weekend and the Chili Cook-off there should be plenty of attractions to please the football starved fans before the game.
The game kicks off this Saturday at 7p.m. with both the Blazers and the OBU Tigers undefeated at 2-0. However, the Tigers have something the Blazers do not, thanks to Hurricane Ike, a conference win.
Due to the danger of the looming Hurricane Ike, the Blazer’s first scheduled Gulf South Conference game against Southern Arkansas was postponed to later in the season, giving this week’s match up an unexpected intrigue by making this game Valdosta’s GSC opener.
This fact didn’t seem to bother the coaches, but the extended rest the players received did.
“ I am not too thrilled about it (the extended break) because we haven’t played in two weeks. I was looking forward to playing Southern Arkansas,” Defensive Line Coach Earl Chambers said. “ Whether it is Gulf South or non-conference we approach every game the same,” he added.
The coaches and players are dealing with the setbacks of the past week. Last minute weather postponements are not typical problems for football teams, but the Blazers coaches are doing what they can to cope with the undesirable hurdle.
“ I have been real pleased with our work ethnic. We’ve had good practices,” Head Coach David Dean said.
Dean also commented that he is happy that his Blazers will be returning home to play their first home game since the season opener.
“ We’re excited about having the opportunity now to play in front of our home crowd, we think we have a good crowd that we can play in front of each and every week” Dean said.
The Tigers should prove to be the toughest test of the season so far for the Blazers. The Blazers and Tigers both have high-powered offenses and stout defenses.     Both teams have played very well in their first few contests with the Blazers out-scoring their opponents 70-12 and the Tigers out-scoring theirs 99-24.
Even with all of the unusual events of the past month including rain-outs and home game droughts, the coaches and fans appear to be ready for this week’s game. So as the fans wait in anticipation of the first home game in nearly a month, the players and coaches are fighting to overcome several obstacles to prepare for this early GSC match-up against the Ouachita Baptist Tigers.