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Fort Valley State gets second chance at No. 1The 8-2 Wildcats of Fort Valley State will get a second chance to knock off the number one team in the nation when they travel to Valdosta State (11-0) Saturday for a first round NCAA Div. II playoff game.
FVSU made the 16-team playoff field for the third time in four years after a convincing 45-7 win over Albany State in Saturday's Fountain City Classic in Columbus, Ga. The Wildcats moved up from fifth in the South Region ranking to third after #4 Winston-Salem State lost (in the CIAA title game) and #3 Central Arkansas also was defeated. With the win, they join Morehouse (7-2) as co-champions of the SIAC
and could add Tuskegee (7-1) as a tri-champion if the Golden Tigers
defeat Miles Saturday. But Tuskegee, ranked second in the South Region, does not
participate in the playoffs. Back on Sept. 1, Valdosta State handed FVSU its first loss of the season, 42-6 in a game played on their home field in Fort Valley, Ga. Last year's Harlon Hill (Div. II player of the year) trophy winner, VSU senior quarterback Dusty Bonner, threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns and running back Aaron Jenkins added 107 yards and a TD on the ground as the Blazers ran out to a 28-0 lead at the half and cruised to victory. FVSU head coach Kent Schoolfield said he expects his troops to play better this time around. "We're a much different team," said Schoolfield, who is 1-2 in three playoff games. FVSU upset Delta State in a 1998 first round game and then took highly-touted Carson-Newman to the wire before losing in overtime. In '99, the Wildcats lost in the first round to Catawba. "Our defense is playing much better than we were two months ago, we're playing with more confidence and we're upbeat. Plus, this is a chance to get some payback." Schoolfield turned to sophomore Cecil Lester to replace senior Matt Davis as the starting quarterback for the game against Tuskegee, a 35-28 loss. Lester is more of an option or sprint out quarterback whose athleticism allows him to make more plays. Orlando Wiley, who along with Bonner is a finalist for the 2001 Harlan Hill Trophy, ran for 106 yards in the first meeting and scored the 'Cats only touchdown on a six-yard run. Wiley has rushed for 1,401 yards on the year, an average of 155.7 yards per contest. He has also scored 16 touchdowns. Schoolfield's son, Kent, Jr., is the leading pass receiver for the Wildcats (37 rec., 489 yds., 2 TDs) and set a new FVSU career receiving yardage mark (2,532) in his final regular season game. © 2001 Azeez Communications, Inc.
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