GSC/Conference Carolinas Week Four Preview & Picks

September 25th, 2025 7:00am

Things are rolling now for both Conference Carolinas and the Gulf South Conference as we move into Week 4. Three teams are on a bye this week, so the schedule features just four total contests but the slate will be full of excitement as UNC Pembroke squares off on the road against Valdosta State and North Greenville hosts No. 17 West Alabama looking to rebound from last week’s heartbreaking home loss to No. 4 West Florida. Buckle up folks, the crossover ride is about to get wild.

Last Week’s Results
Home team in bold
*denotes Conference Carolinas game

• Shorter 57, Virginia University of Lynchburg 20

• Delta State 21, Fort Valley State 16

• Brevard 38, Erskine 34

• UNC Pembroke 41, Ferrum 14

• No. 4 West Florida 25, North Greenville 17

• No. 18 West Alabama 52, Barton  14

Must-See Matchup

UNC Pembroke (3-1) at Valdosta State (2-1) | Valdosta, Ga. | Saturday, Sept. 27 | 4:00 p.m. | Audio | Stats | Video

UNC Pembroke is riding a three-game winning streak after last Saturday’s Conference Carolinas win over Ferrum in which the Braves put up 41 points on almost 400 yards of offense while the defense totaled seven sacks and held the Panthers to just 2.8 yards per play. Thus far in 2025, UNCP’s defense has held opponents to just 286.8 yards per game, including 157.8 passing yards per game as the unit  has tallied 26 tackles for loss and 10 sacks across four games.

The Blazers are back in action after an early bye week, having earned a 56-3 victory over Chowan in its last outing. It’s been an up and down season so far, but first-year head coach Graham Craig has the offense averaging a touch over 34 points per game, while rushing for over 220 yards per game on the ground, a stark contrast to VSU’s offense of year’s past. The defensive front has just seven sacks, but an experienced secondary has picked off four passes and 11 pass breakups, making opposing quarterbacks pay for their miscues.

The two sides haven’t met since 2016 when Pembroke came away with a 24-21 inside Bazemore-Hyder Stadium and the Braves own a slight 2-1 advantage in the overall series. The jury is still out on the new-look Blazers, but if UNCP’s young playmakers can survive the initial jolt of a hostile environment in Valdosta I believe the Braves can make the national audience pay attention to what they are building.

My pick: UNC Pembroke

Week 4 Schedule at a Glance
All times Eastern
*denotes Conference Carolinas game

Saturday, Sept. 27 

No. 17 West Alabama (4-0) at North Greenville (1-2) | Tigerville, S.C. | 12:00 p.m. | Stats | Video

West Alabama comes into this contest fresh off of a 38-point drubbing of Barton last weekend, scoring 52 points on 591 yards of total offense, including an astounding 334 yards on the ground. Quarterback Spencer Arceneaux continued to shine for the Tigers, racking up 257 passing yards with four touchdowns while also rushing for 113 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries. Defensively, UWA had just two tackles for loss and two sacks, but did force two turnovers (one fumble, one interception). Thus far in 2025, the Tigers’ defensive unit has accounted for 12 sacks and five takeaways through the season’s first four games.

The Trailblazers are fresh off yet another close battle with No. 4 West Florida, where a controversial call - quarterback Dylan Ramirez was ruled down by contact before completing a touchdown pass as time expired that would’ve given NGU a chance to tie the game with a two-point conversion - marred an otherwise entertaining comeback effort. After trailing by 16 points at halftime, North Greenville outscored UWF 14-6 in the second half, relying on a defense that forced the Argo offense to punt once, turn the ball over on downs twice, and picked off a pass early in the third quarter. NGU gave up A LOT of size in the trenches, as the offensive line surrendered six sacks and mustered just six total rushing yards, forcing the play calling to become one-dimensional late in the contest.

The Tigers will have the size advantage over North Greenville, but that’s an obstacle the Trailblazers are used to overcoming. Arceneaux will have to be the best version of himself to lift West Alabama to victory after a seven-hour bus ride, an early start time,  and changing times zones; however, NGU has something to prove after last week’s loss and I think they get over the hump this weekend on their home turf

My pick: North Greenville

*Chowan (1-2, 0-0 CC) at Shorter (1-3, 0-0 CC) | Rome, Ga. | 12:00 p.m. | Stats | Video

Chowan is back in action, opening the Conference Carolinas portion of its schedule after an early bye week. The Hawks have had mixed results to open the season, collecting a win over Elizabeth City State before dropping back-to-back games to Gulf South power West Alabama and Valdosta State in consecutive weeks. Quarterback Maurice Smith, Jr. has done it all for this Hawks offense in 2025, completing 60.2 percent of his passes for 706 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for 72 yards and a score, while also catching two passes, each going for a touchdown. Defensively, Isaiah Fulton has been a bright spot in the secondary with 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and one interception.

The Shorter offense got rolling in a big way with last week’s 57-point, 528-yard outing for the team’s first win of the season. The good sign is that the Hawks got a combined 232 rushing yards and three touchdowns from the duo of Charles Alia and Lanear McCray, Jr. However, the bad sign is that quarterback Jeb Walls had two interceptions against one of the worst secondaries in college football, bringing his season total to five giveaways in just three games played. The Shorter defense was able to pile up five total sacks, as the unit is averaging three sacks and just a touch over 8.5 tackles for loss per game.

Chowan is coming off an early-season bye week, so the odds are that they should be well-rested and prepped for a Shorter team that has a ways to go to be competitive on a weekly basis.

My pick: Chowan

Erskine (0-3) at Delta State (3-1) | Cleveland, Miss. | 7:00 p.m. | Audio | Stats | Video

Things went from bad to worse last weekend for Erskine as the Flying Fleet gave up 31 second-half points in a 38-34 setback to NCAA Division III Brevard College. Quarterback Ryan Kilmer did show flashes of greatness with 424 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Logan Coldren had the best game of his young college career with 118 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries. On the defensive side of the ball, Erskine continues to struggle, allowing over 38 points and almost 475 yards per game. The unit has just nine tackles for loss in three games, as opponents are gashing the front seven for almost 170 yards per contest and nearly 4.4 yards per carry.

Delta State got things going back in the right direction on Saturday with a come-from-behind road win over Fort Valley State, erasing a 13-point halftime deficit to steal the victory. The Statesmen scored 14 fourth-quarter points as reserve quarterback Garrett Ames capped off a three-play, 63-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run with just 27 seconds remaining. Running back Davion Alston was a star, rushing 12 times for 87 yards and a touchdown as both Ames and starting quarterback Cole Kirk each threw an interception for a struggling pass game. Defensively, Alex Larry continued his dominance with six total tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks for a defensive unit holding opponents to just 327 yards per game through four weeks of competition.

This one should be over early in Mississippi as Erskine will be no match for Delta State’s size and superior talent level. If the Statesmen figure out the quarterback situation, they could easily put up 50, 60, maybe even 70 points in front of the home crowd.

My pick: Delta State

BYE WEEK: Barton, Ferrum, No. 4 West Florida

Gulf South Players to Watch

• Taylon Doss, Delta State, Sr., DB – Doss makes his presence known defending the pass and the run for Delta State, having racked up 20 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and two forced fumbles. I don’t know how long Doss will stay on the field this Saturday (the game may be over by halftime), but while he is between the lines he figures to make the most of his opportunities.

• Elijah Guyton, West Alabama, r-Jr., K – It is rare that West Alabama doesn’t get points on the board when the offense has the ball, and Guyton is a big part of that. As part of a unit averaging a touch over 36 points per game, Guyton ranks among the national leaders in field goals per game (1.5) and field goal percentage (85.7%). He may be called upon frequently this weekend if UWA hopes to knock off a hungry North Greenville squad that just narrowly missed upsetting West Florida a week ago.

• Corey Reddick, Jr., Valdosta State, Jr., RB – Through three games, the Valdosta State offense is finding its rhythm, and much of that relies on the legs of Reddick, Jr. The West Palm Beach, Fla. native has 231 rushing yards (6.8 ypc) and four touchdowns, leading a backfield that has 11 touchdowns already in 2025. The Blazers will need all of that and more as they look to hold off a charging UNC Pembroke program, allowing just 3.1 yards per carry to opposing backfields, and is just two weeks removed from knocking off then-No. 16 Delta State at home.

Conference Carolinas Players to Watch

• Lanear McCrary, Jr., Shorter, r-So., RB – McCrary, Jr. is off to his best start as a collegiate athlete, having totaled 223 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 184 kick return yards to his resume for the Hawks. The redshirt-sophomore forms a standout tandem with Charles Alia that paces the Shorter offense. They’ll look to ground and pound this weekend, controlling the clock and keeping a fast-paced Chowan offense off the field.

• Eric Rasheed, North Greenville, r-So., WR – Rasheed has a knack for the big play and is on a tear to open up the 2025 season. The do-it-all skill player already has 219 all-purpose yards (156 receiving, 63 punt return) and four total touchdowns on just 10 total touches. In case you’re keeping count, that is an average of 21.9 yards per touch for the redshirt-sophomore who will need to keep up the pace against a Top 25 West Alabama program known for its defense.

• Donovan Woods, UNC Pembroke, Sr., DB – The Pembroke secondary is allowing just 157.8 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks, and the fifth-year transfer is a big reason why. Woods is tied for the team lead with 20 total tackles, registering two tackles for loss to go along with five pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble. The Braves have another tough task at hand this weekend against Valdosta State, but UNCP has already shown they are up for any challenge early on this year.

Conference Carolinas Standings

Gulf South Conference Standings