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| VSU's Cedric O'Neal makes a move on an Eagle defender during the first quarter on Saturday. (Ed Hooper | The VDT) |
If the Blazers are declared the away team for next week's game — which is believed to be the case, although the official notice will come Saturday night from the NCAA — they will be faced with cold temperatures for their game.
Weather.com is reporting that next Saturday's high in Mankato, Minn. is 31 degrees, with a low of 23 and a 10 percent chance of snow. The Mankato area is projected a 60 percent chance of snow showers Saturday night and Sunday.
With the majority of the Blazers being from the state of Georgia — 23 of the 25 starters are from the state — the Blazers will be faced with the difficult task of adjusting to the weather,.
In the postgame press conference Saturday, all three players present — running back Cedric O'Neal, linebackers Chris Pope and Trokon Gaye — were all asked if they had ever played in snow. All three confirmed they had not.
"There isn't too much snow down here," Pope laughed in front of the room of media members and onlookers.
During Valdosta State's 2007 national championship season, the Blazers visited California (Pa.) in the national semifinals. Head coach David Dean remembers the team's reaction when the plane landed on the ground.
"I know when we went to California (Pa.), we were very timid when we got off the plane," Dean said. "We were descending through the clouds and you could hear a rumbling through the plane and the pilot came across and said, 'Yes, that is snow.'
"Our guys got off the plane and didn't know how to walk in the snow and by the time we got to the bus, they were unloading on each other with snow ball fights. So once we got there, it didn't bother us."
— Follow me on Twitter at @Ed_Hooper.
