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| The Road to Florence. |
Coaches and administration from both schools will receive more information regarding how replays will be used and how teams may challenge calls during Saturday's game on Friday night in Mankato.
"If it is like it was in 2007, then it is just like you see it on TV," Valdosta State head coach David Dean said. "It is going to be a situation where if you want to challenge something, you can. But, all plays are reviewed; All the touchdowns are reviewed, all the turnovers are reviewed. Now if you feel like they are missing something and you want to challenge, you just tell the official on your sideline."
Instant replay at the Division II level is only used in national semifinal games and the national championship game, which airs live on ESPN2 next weekend in Florence, Ala.
If a coach challenges a ruling on the field and the play is not overturned, that coach's team will be charged a timeout. If the challenge is successful, the team will not be charged and the game will be reset to reflect the outcome of the review.
When Valdosta State was in the midst of its championship run in 2007, the Blazers visited California (Pa.) in the national semifinals. As Dean remembered following Tuesday afternoon's practice, he nearly challenged a play that would have cost the Blazers a timeout in a game that was decided by four points.
"I started to challenge an interception that we had in the end zone, right before Maurice Leggett had an interception to win the game," Dean said. "But I was going to challenge (the first interception), but they blew it dead and reviewed it, and it was actually not an interception. The ball had hit the ground."
A replay booth will be set up in the press box at Mankato's Blakeslee Stadium on Saturday. All scoring plays and turnovers are reviewed by the replay official, who will signal down to the field if play needs to be stopped for a longer review.
— Follow me on Twitter at @Ed_Hooper.
