1994 Valdosta State Blazers football team

1994 Valdosta State Blazers football
1994 Valdosta State Blazers football
NCAA Division II Quarterfinals, L 24–27 (2OT) vs. North Alabama
Conference	Gulf South Conference
Ranking
AFCA	No. 6
Record	11–2 (6–1 GSC)
Head coach	Hal Mumme (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Mike Leach (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Mike Major (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Cleveland Field
	Seasons ← 1993 1995 →

1994 Gulf South Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 North Alabama $^	7	–	0	–	0	13	–	1	–	0
No. 6 Valdosta State ^	6	–	1	–	0	11	–	2	–	0
Central Arkansas	6	–	1	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
No. 10 West Georgia	4	–	3	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
Delta State	2	–	4	–	1	3	–	5	–	2
Henderson State	1	–	5	–	1	2	–	8	–	1
Livingston	0	–	7	–	0	1	–	9	–	0
Mississippi College *	2	–	5	–	0	4	–	5	–	1

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant * – ineligible for conference championship Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

The 1994 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 1994 NCAA Division II football season. Led by third-year head coach Hal Mumme, the Blazers finished the season 11–2 and went 6–1 in GSC play to finish second in the conference. The Blazers received a bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in program history, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual champion North Alabama.^[1] The team played its home games at Cleveland Field in Valdosta, Georgia.

On offense, the Blazers were led by quarterback Chris Hatcher, who won the Harlon Hill Trophy, throwing for 4,076 yards and 55 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions. Hatcher would later go on to become the Blazers' head coach, winning the NCAA Division II championship in 2004.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Schedule

The Blazers' 1994 regular season schedule consisted of seven home games and four away games. In non-conference play, Valdosta State hosted Division III independent Knoxville, Clark Atlanta from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and Division II independent New Haven, and traveled to Division I-AA independent UCF.

In GSC play, the Blazers hosted Fort Valley State, West Georgia, Delta State, and Henderson State, and traveled to Livingston, Mississippi College, and North Alabama.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 p.m.	Knoxville*	No. 18	Cleveland Field Valdosta, GA	W 36–0	5,117
September 10	1:00 p.m.	at No. 6 (I-AA) UCF*	No. 17	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 31–14	22,518
September 17	7:00 p.m.	No. 16 Fort Valley State	No. 10	Cleveland Field Valdosta, FA	W 58–6	6,097
September 24	7:00 p.m.	Clark Atlanta*	No. 7	Cleveland Field Valdosta, GA	W 63–6	5,763
October 1	3:00 p.m.	at Livingston	No. 5	Tiger Stadium Livingston, AL	W 63–0	3,500
October 8	1:00 p.m.	No. 5 New Haven*	No. 3	Cleveland Field Valdosta, GA	W 38–7	9,368
October 15	2:00 p.m.	No. 15 West Georgia	No. 3	Cleveland Field Valdosta, GA (rivalry)	W 49–33	10,214
October 22	7:00 p.m.	at Mississippi College	No. 3	Robinson-Hale Stadium Clinton, MS	W 24–7	5,719
October 29	7:00 p.m.	Delta State	No. 3	Cleveland Field Valdosta, GA	W 57–10	6,329
November 5	7:00 p.m.	at No. 1 North Alabama	No. 2	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	L 21–38	9,113
November 12	7:00 p.m.	Henderson State	No. 6	Cleveland Field Valdosta, GA	W 49–7	5,376
November 19	1:00 p.m.	No. 11 Albany State*	No. 6	Cleveland Field Valdosta, GA (NCAA Division II First Round)	W 14–7	10,948
November 26	2:00 p.m.	at No. 1 North Alabama*	No. 6	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)	L 24–27 ^2OT	7,039
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]

Personnel

1994 Valdosta State Blazers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
TE	`3`	Steve Greer	Sr
TE	`5`	David Banks	Jr
RB	`6`	Reggie Walker	Jr
FB	`7`	Dominique Ross	Jr
WR	`8`	Gilbert Grantlin	Jr
WR	`9`	Robert Williams	Sr
QB	`10`	Coby Bentley	Jr
QB	`11`	Jamie Deloach	Jr
QB	`12`	Lance Funderburk	Jr
QB	`16`	Matt Mumme	Fr
WR	`17`	Stanley Flanders	Sr
QB	`18`	Chris Hatcher	Sr
WR	`19`	Angelo Williams	So
FB	`20`	David Glisson	So
RB	`22`	Billy Poole	So
RB	`24`	Billy White	Jr
WR	`25`	Sean Pender	Jr
WR	`28`	Lardell Brinson	Fr
WR	`29`	Mike Davis	Jr
WR	`42`	Jonathan Harris	Jr
WR	`49`	Tirrell Andrews	Fr
OT	`51`	Tause Letuli	Jr
OT	`52`	Darryl Cherry	Fr
C	`54`	Tommy Clark	Sr
OT	`65`	Drew McPhail	Jr
G	`66`	Steve Foote	Sr
OT	`67`	Charlie Walsh	Sr
C	`68`	Mark Sanders	Fr
OT	`69`	Josten Clark	Sr
G	`70`	Jeremy Lundy	So
G	`71`	Matt Moore	Sr
OT	`72`	Michael Yates	So
OT	`75`	Jeremiah Laster	Fr
G	`76`	James Hubbard	Jr
OT	`77`	Steve Gates	So
OT	`78`	Shawn Brannen	So
TE	`82`	Chad Hunter	Fr
TE	`83`	Jimmy King	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB	`2`	Edward Mitchell	Sr
MLB	`4`	James Lockhart	So
SS	`13`	Keith Braddock	Sr
CB	`15`	Jason Jelks	So
CB	`21`	Archie Lewis	Fr
LB	`23`	Cornelius Seymour	So
CB	`26`	Terry Smith	So
SS	`27`	Tony Hill	Sr
CB	`30`	Mike Gibson	So
LB	`32`	Erasmus Harvey	Sr
CB	`33`	Walt Foy	Sr
LB	`34`	Tamarcus Smith	So
CB	`35`	Jamal Stevens	Fr
SS	`36`	Darrell Mydell	Jr
DT	`37`	Mike Berry	Sr
FS	`38`	Eugene Autry	Jr
FS	`39`	Brad Trout	Jr
NT	`40`	Andre Randle	Sr
LB	`43`	Tavaris Smith	Fr
MLB	`45`	Ryan Branch	So
CB	`46`	Dennis Vela	So
FS	`47`	Marcus Johnson	Sr
LB	`50`	James Sirmans	Jr
LB	`50`	Wayne Crews	Fr
DE	`55`	Dennis Hampton	Jr
DE	`56`	Andre Hampton	Sr
LB	`61`	Jody Honea	Jr
DT	`72`	Emanuel Johnson	Sr
NT	`74`	John Hinson	Sr
DT	`80`	Matt Fiorelli	Jr
DE	`81`	Shay Williams	Sr
DE	`96`	Rodney Rigdon	Jr
DE	`97`	Jeff Greer	Fr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P	`14`	David Ashby	Sr
PK	`31`	Vernon Loree	Sr
P	`46`	Wayne Devane	Fr

Head coach

Hal Mumme

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Mike Leach
Offensive coordinator/Offensive line
Mike Major
Defensive coordinator/Assistant head coach
Scott Preston
Running backs
Mike Fanoga
Defensive line/Recruiting coordinator
Dana Holgorsen
Quarterbacks and receivers/Special teams
Joe Salas
Secondary

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: November 8, 2023

Game summaries

Knoxville

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0
No. 18 Blazers	13	9	7	7	36

Statistics

Statistics	KC	VSU
First downs	23	19
Total yards	219	376
Rushing yards	49	79
Passing yards	170	297
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	35:39	24:21

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Knoxville	Passing	Darell Williams	18/37, 165 yards, INT
	Rushing	Miles	15 rushes, 48 yards
	Receiving	Terrell Bellamy	6 receptions, 46 yards
Valdosta State	Passing	Chris Hatcher	19/36, 291 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Dominique Ross	16 rushes, 135 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Robert Williams	6 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TD

At No. 6 (I-AA) UCF

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Blazers	0	14	10	7	31
No. 6 (I-AA) Golden Knights	7	0	7	0	14

Statistics

Statistics	VSU	UCF
First downs	20	28
Total yards	402	360
Rushing yards	124	125
Passing yards	278	235
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	31:33	28:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Valdosta State	Passing	Chris Hatcher	26/34, 278 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Dominique Ross	31 rushes, 102 yards, TD
	Receiving	Steve Greer	7 receptions, 79 yards
UCF	Passing	Darin Hinshaw	25/40, 235 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Marquette Smith	10 rushes, 46 yards
	Receiving	David Rhodes	8 receptions, 103 yards, TD

No. 16 Fort Valley State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Wildcats	0	6	0	0	6
No. 10 Blazers	21	30	7	0	58

Statistics

Statistics	FVSU	VSU
First downs	9	33
Total yards	215	599
Rushing yards	66	199
Passing yards	149	400
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	31:01	28:59

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fort Valley State	Passing	Richard Smith	5/15, 138 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Caden Owens	8 rushes, 36 yards
	Receiving	James Reddick	2 receptions, 65 yards
Valdosta State	Passing	Chris Hatcher	24/31, 317 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Dominique Ross	15 rushes, 113 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Stanley Flanders	8 receptions, 155 yards, 4 TD

Clark Atlanta

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	0	6	6
No. 7 Blazers	21	21	21	0	63

Statistics

Statistics	CAU	VSU
First downs	11	24
Total yards	177	417
Rushing yards	-15	101
Passing yards	192	316
Turnovers	4	2
Time of possession	30:40	29:20

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Clark Atlanta	Passing	Darius Jones	8/23, 105 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ryan	13 rushes, 25 yards
	Receiving	Barnes	4 receptions, 56 yards
Valdosta State	Passing	Chris Hatcher	28/37, 267 yards, 7 TD
	Rushing	Dominique Ross	11 rushes, 135 yards, TD
	Receiving	Robert Williams	7 receptions, 53 yards, 3 TD

At Livingston

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Blazers	28	21	14	0	63
Tigers	0	0	0	0	0

Statistics

Statistics	VSU	LIV
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Valdosta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Livingston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 5 New Haven

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Chargers	0	7	0	0	7
No. 3 Blazers	0	14	14	10	38

Statistics

Statistics	UNH	VSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
New Haven	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Valdosta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 15 West Georgia

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 15 Braves	13	14	0	6	33
No. 3 Blazers	0	14	14	21	49

Statistics

Statistics	WGU	VSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Georgia	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Valdosta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Mississippi College

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Blazers	7	10	0	7	24
Choctaws	0	7	0	0	7

Statistics

Statistics	VSU	MC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Valdosta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mississippi College	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Delta State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Statesmen	0	2	0	8	10
No. 3 Blazers	27	16	14	0	57

Statistics

Statistics	DSU	VSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Valdosta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At No. 1 North Alabama

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Blazers	7	0	0	14	21
No. 1 Lions	10	7	14	7	38

Statistics

Statistics	VSU	NAU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Valdosta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Henderson State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Reddies	0	0	0	7	7
No. 6 Blazers	21	7	14	7	49

Statistics

Statistics	HSU	VSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Henderson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Valdosta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 11 Albany State (NCAA Division II First Round)

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 11 Golden Rams	0	0	7	0	7
No. 6 Blazers	7	7	0	0	14

Statistics

Statistics	ASU	VSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Valdosta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At No. 1 North Alabama (NCAA Division II Quarterfinals)

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
No. 6 Blazers	0	3	0	14	7	0	24
No. 1 Lions	7	7	3	0	7	3	27

Statistics

Statistics	VSU	NAU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Valdosta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Final
DII FCP	18	17	10	7	5	3	3	3	3	2	6	6	6

References

^ ^a ^b "1995 Football Program" (PDF).
^ "Valdosta State vs Pittsburg State (Dec 11, 2004)". Pittsburg State University. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
^ Rob Morton (December 12, 2004). "First title for Blazers". The Atlanta Constitution. p. E7 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Pitt Stopped". The Kansas City Star. December 12, 2004. pp. C1, C11 – via Newspapers.com.

[1995_program-1] "1995 Football Program" (PDF).

[NC-2] "Valdosta State vs Pittsburg State (Dec 11, 2004)". Pittsburg State University. Retrieved October 10, 2021.

[3] Rob Morton (December 12, 2004). "First title for Blazers". The Atlanta Constitution. p. E7 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Pitt Stopped". The Kansas City Star. December 12, 2004. pp. C1, C11 – via Newspapers.com.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Valdosta State Blazers football
Venues	Bazemore–Hyder Stadium (1982–present)
Bowls & rivalries	West Georgia
Culture & lore	Blaze
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold