Courtesy of Dr. Earnest Brown, Albany State Athletics
After a 2-year layoff, the Albany State University Golden Rams and the Valdosta State University Blazers will collide at 6:00 pm on Saturday, September 9, at the ASU Coliseum on the East Campus in Albany, Georgia. It will be the Golden Rams home opener for the 2023 football season. The Golden Rams and Blazers will meet for the first time since September 18, 2021.
The Golden Rams will enter the game with a (0-1) record while the Blazers are (1-0).
In their season opener, the Albany State Golden Rams were defeated (30-7) by the Wingate Bulldogs at Irwin Belk Stadium in Wingate, North Carolina. Against the Bulldogs, the Golden Rams finished with 16 total first down and 252 yards of total offense, with 74 yards on the ground and 178 passing yards.
Offensively, Isaiah Knowles completed 13/22 passes for 96 yards with 1 touchdown and 29 rushing yards while Dionte Bonneauwas 9/16 with 82 yards. Ralph Lovett led the Golden Rams in receiving with 4 receptions and 54 yards.
Defensively, Ahman Ross and Randy Fillingame led the Golden Rams with 9 total tackles each. Fillingame also had a sack for the Golden Rams. Derrick Drayton finished with 2 tackles for a loss and Jalen Mitchellrecorded the game’s lone interception.
In the season opener, the Valdosta State Blazers defeated the Point University Skyhawks (63-10) at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia. The Blazers had 647 yards of total offense, including 459 passing and 188 rushing.
Sammy Edwards completed 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Edwards also had 8 rushes for a team-high 73 yards and a rushing touchdown. Council Allen had 7 catches for 90 yards while B.K. Smith had 3 receptions for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Blazers defense held Point to 186 yards of offense. The Blazers had seven tackles for loss for 28 yards and four sacks for 21 yards. Jacob Harris and Tyler Morehead had an interception for the Blazers. Kennedy Parker led the team with five total tackles, while sophomore Terrell Dudley had four tackles and one sack for seven yards.
To “watch” the Golden Rams and Blazers football game via live stream, click on the following link:
https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/595370?autoplay=1
For “live stats” of the Golden Rams and Blazers football game, click on the following link:
https://vstateblazers.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
To “listen” to the Golden Rams and Blazers football game on the radio, click on the following link:
https://www.praise1055.com
