By Jim O'Hara
 
ROME, Ga. – Junior B.J. McCoy went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season and ran for a single-game record 256 yards as the Shorter Hawks rolled up 520 total yards, but it was not enough as the visiting Valdosta State Blazers claimed a 37-22 Gulf South Conference win Thursday night at Barron Stadium.

The loss, Shorter's third straight, leaves the Hawks with a 2-5 overall record and a 1-3 conference mark heading into next week's game in Melbourne, Fla., against Florida Tech.

For the second time this season, the Hawks saw two players rush for more than 100 yards as red-shirt sophomore Devante James joined McCoy – the fullback now has 1,086 rushing yards this season – by gaining 143 yards on 11 carries, the big gainer coming on an 89-yard scoring run.

All told, Shorter rushed for 466 yards, the third most in team history, and the total yards was the fourth most, but the offensive display was not enough.

Valdosta (5-2, 2-2) managed to counter the Hawks' output with one of their own as VSU turned in a balanced attack rushing for 266 yards – Cedric O'Neal had 191 yards and two touchdowns including a 91-yard TD run in the final minute that sealed the win – and passing for another 172 yards with senior EJ Hilliard completing 18 of 25 passes for 161 yards and a pair of TD tosses.

The Blazers made a statement on their first three possessions of the game, coming away with a pair of field goals and a touchdown.

On the first series of the night, VSU put together a 75-yard march before the Hawks' defense stood its ground, forcing the Blazers to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Gavin Wilson with just under five minutes into the game.

After the Hawks were unable to get anything going on their first series – it was the first time in four games Shorter was not able to score on their opening possession – Valdosta came right back the second time they touched the ball, this time moving it 55 yards to the Shorter 30 where Wilson connected again, this time splitting the uprights from 42 yards out to give the Blazers the 6-0 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter.

Valdosta made it 13-0 on the third series, this time making the most of great field positions, starting at the Shorter 47 and breaking into the end zone when Hilliard hit Dallas Baldner with a short 2-yard touchdown pass.

The Hawks, however, find the offensive zone on their ensuing possession, coming up with an 85-yard drive that was set up by a 41-yard run by McCoy and ended when McCoy reached paydirt with a 1-yard touchdown run with Kenny Langford adding the extra point to help Shorter cut into VSU's lead, 13-7.

Shorter narrowed the gap even closer on the final series of the first half, moving the ball to the Valdosta 8-yard line – the big gainer coming via a 66-yard ramp by McCoy – where they eventually added three more points when Langford hit a 25-yard field with nine seconds remaining in the half to make it a 13-10 game.

When the second half began, the Hawks found themselves in position to take the lead when they moved the ball to the Valdosta five-yard line but on a fourth-and-less than a yard to go for a first down, Shorter made the decision to go for the first down. The Blazers, however, stood their ground and took over on downs.

The Blazers made it 20-10 in the opening minutes of the final stanza, setting up after a short SU punt on the Hawks' 32 and needing just six plays to cover the distance to score on a 15-yard pass from Hilliard to Stephen Denmark, only to see Shorter answer on its first snap on the ensuing possession when James broke open for his 89-yard TD that pulled the Hawks to within four after the extra point try failed.

The back-and-forth scoring onslaught didn't stop there.

After the Blazers tacked on seven more points with 9:13 left to play thanks to an 8-yard touchdown run by O'Neal that capped a 77-yard drive, the Hawks once again needed just one snap to keep at VSU's heels when McCoy exploded for an 81-yard scoring run. The two-point conversion fell short, but Shorter remained in the hunt, 27-22.

Valdosta extended the margin to eight on the Blazers' next series when, after VSU returned a short Shorter kickoff to the Hawks' 34, Wilson nailed a 45-yard field goal to make it 30-22.

That set up what appeared to be a Shorter drive that could have tied the game up when the Hawks, on their next series, drove 74 yards in the final minutes to the Valdosta 6. But on a fourth-and-goal play, the home team came away empty-handed via a dropped pass in the end zone with just under two minutes remaining.

Three plays later, O'Neal sealed the win for the Blazers finding room to run up the left sideline to score his 91-yard TD.

Junior Zach Butts led the Shorter defense with a team high 10 tackles, while senior All-American Jordan Shaw had nine. Sharmaine Washington paced VSU's defense with a game-high 11 hits.