VALDOSTA – The 13th-ranked Valdosta State football team puts its undefeated 3-0 record on the line today, Saturday, September 19, 2026, as it travels to face UNC Pembroke. The Blazers, fresh off an impressive 38-9 road victory against Fayetteville State last week, anticipate a challenge from UNC Pembroke's defense, which is noted for being among the nation's stingiest.
Against Fayetteville State, Valdosta State's offense continued its high-scoring trend, marking the third consecutive game with over 30 points. This achievement is the first such streak for the Blazers since a seven-game run during the 2024 season. The team amassed 439 total yards and 19 first downs in the win. Starting quarterback Champ Harris led the offense with a season-high 289 yards, completing 19 of 30 passes for one touchdown and one interception. The offense also benefited from the return of playmakers Jaheim Arnold and Shawn Paschall, alongside contributions from rotation players Kenai Grier and Chris Lawson.
Arnold had a standout performance, exploding for 118 yards on four catches, including a 61-yard gain. Paschall contributed 66 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Grier added two catches for 51 yards and a touchdown, while Lawson secured three catches for 53 yards. Second-year head coach Graham Craig noted that having Jaheim Arnold back was "huge" for the team's vertical passing game, and he praised Champ Harris for getting into a rhythm. Coach Craig stated, "I thought Champ played well, got into a rhythm in the passing game. He’s ran the ball well all year, but he was able to get into a rhythm in passing game and had some big plays from the wideouts and running backs in the passing game that really helped get him going."
While the offense started quickly, the Blazers' defense, known as the Black Swarm, also delivered with four takeaways against the Broncos. Freshman Jabari McMillan recorded two interceptions, falling one shy of tying the single-game record of three set in 1985. McMillan's performance earned him Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Week honors. Additionally, Curtis Janvier snagged a 41-yard scoop-and-score early in the first quarter, and Sergio Mason contributed a 3-yard scoop-and-score late in the game. Defensively, the Blazers limited Fayetteville State to 254 total yards and disrupted drives effectively, holding them to a 2-of-12 performance on third down. Graduate inside linebacker Malik Moore registered four tackles, including a 21-yard sack on Broncos quarterback Jamir Dismukes, contributing to the Blazers' five tackles for loss on the day. Coach Craig expressed satisfaction with the team's fast start on both sides of the ball and commended the defense for playing "really fast" and flying to the football.
Valdosta State has moved up to No. 13 in this week's AFCA Top 25 Poll, rising three spots from 16th. They also climbed to No. 9 in the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll. The Blazers currently rank in the top-10 nationally in six statistical categories: tied for first in defensive touchdowns (2), fourth in third-down conversion defense (.154), sixth in total defense (217.3 yards per game), tied for sixth in takeaways (7), sixth in scoring defense (9.67 points per game), and ninth in scoring offense (45 points per game). The team is also 12th in the country in rushing, averaging 262.3 yards per game.
UNC Pembroke, with a 2-1 record, presents a unique challenge, having scored a total of 59 points across their first three games — a total VSU achieved in its Week 2 win over Warner alone. Head coach Mark Hall is in his fourth season with the Braves. Last week, UNC Pembroke defeated Shorter 31-24 despite being outgained 475-234 and scoring only one offensive touchdown. Twelve of their 14 first downs came from their ground game, as they rushed for a season-high 201 yards. Quarterback Josh Ehrlich threw for a season-low 33 yards but ran for 94 yards on 13 carries, including a 36-yard scoring run that proved to be the difference.
The Braves excelled on defense and special teams against Shorter. Their defense recorded four sacks, nine tackles for loss, and a 69-yard pick-six by Frederick Sellars. On special teams, Malik Brown was a key player with four kickoff returns for 215 yards, including two touchdowns of 88 and 91 yards. Brown's performance earned him D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Coach Craig acknowledged Brown's impact, stating, "We’re going to have to do a really good job of the kickoff team of getting down there and placing kicks and finding ways to make sure he doesn’t make those game-changing plays that way." Nationally, UNC Pembroke ranks 25th in Division II in scoring defense, allowing 15.67 points per game, and is tied for 13th in tackles for loss per game.
Valdosta State has an all-time record of 1-3 against UNC Pembroke. The Braves won the first meeting 34-29 in 2013, with VSU securing a 36-7 victory in a 2014 non-conference game.
