November 6th, 2026 12:00pm
No. 13 Valdosta State (6-1) will host No. 19 North Greenville (8-1, 5-1) in a Top 25 showdown on Saturday. The outcome will not impact conference standings for either team but it may go a long way towards shaping the playoff bracket in Super Region Two. North Greenville enters the contest at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Conference Carolinas play. The Trailblazers have notable victories over Charleston, West Alabama and UNC Pembroke. Their only blemish of the season is a 16-13 loss at home to Chowan on Oct. 10. Valdosta State enters the weekend with just seven games played this season. The Blazers are 6-1 and their most mentionable victory is also their most recent - a 28-24 win at West Alabama last weekend. The lone defeat was a 44-41 setback at UNC Pembroke.
In the regional NPI rankings, North Greenville currently stands at No. 5 in super region two. Valdosta State is tenth. Both teams are vying for one of eight playoff bids that will be awarded in the SR2 bracket. NGU has the potential safety of an automatic bid if they win the Conference Carolinas championsihp game next Saturday. The Gulf South Conference does not have receive an automatic bid to the post season so Valdosta State must earn one of the five at-large spots in super region two. After three automatic bids are awarded to the champions of Conference Carolinas, the SAC and SIAC, the remaing five bids will go to the highest ranked teams in NPI, among SR2 teams. A lot can change over the next two weeks, but given their current standing, it would be very difficult for Valdosta State to play their way back into the field if they are not victorious this weekend.
Here is how D2Football.com GSC and Conference Carolinas columnist Cory Guinn sees the matchup.
No. 19 North Greenville (8-1) at No. 13 Valdosta State (6-1) | Valdosta, Ga. | 2:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
North Greenville goes to Valdosta State on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET looking for the first win over the Blazers in program history, and it brings a three-game winning streak and an 8-1 record after a 45-10 Senior Day rout of Erskine in which it rushed for 364 yards and six touchdowns, an 8.9-yard average, and held the Flying Fleet to 196 total yards. Quarterback Kam Montgomery has played his best football in big games, most notably in wins over UNC Pembroke and West Alabama, where he threw for a combined 462 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions and ran for 160 yards and two more scores. The Trailblazers are averaging 34.6 points and 386.4 yards per game while allowing 18.9 points. Montgomery has thrown for 1,654 yards and 12 touchdowns, with six interceptions, and run for 513 yards and nine scores. Sam Washam (19 catches, 330 yards) and Jonathan Manley (18 catches, 347 yards) are his top targets, and Maurice Anderson has eight rushing touchdowns. The defense has 12 interceptions, 14 sacks and 54 tackles for loss, with Jamie Downing Jr. leading the way at 70 tackles and Kaliber Hoey picking off three passes. Valdosta State is an out-of-conference test that gives NGU a chance to make noise in the national and regional rankings.
No. 13 Valdosta State trailed West Alabama 24-0 at halftime last Saturday, then scored 28 straight points in the second half for a 28-24 win in its Gulf South opener, with Champ Harris throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns and running for another score. Leon Washington Jr. caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, Jaheim Arnold added a touchdown catch, and Matt Wilson ran for the go-ahead score with 1:45 left. The defense, which made 94 tackles and 12 tackles for loss in the game, held West Alabama scoreless after halftime, with Julius Pascal making 13 tackles and three tackles for loss. At 6-1 overall, Valdosta State has won three straight games, and it is averaging 43.0 points and 448.1 yards per game while allowing 18.3 points. Shawn Paschall has 614 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns; Harris has thrown for 1,224 yards and eight touchdowns and run for 416 yards and six more; and Washington (25 catches, 299 yards) and Arnold (11 catches, 250 yards, three touchdowns) are his top targets. The defense has 14 interceptions, 18 sacks, and 52 tackles for loss, with Jayden Bethea (44 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks), Malik Moore (2.5 sacks), and Curtis Janvier (three interceptions) leading the way.
Prediction: No. 19 North Greenville
For Cory's preview of the rest of the weekend in Conference Carolinas and the GSC, read his Week Ten Preview.