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Nobles Blocks Emotions As UWF Faces Showdown With No. 1 Valdosta State
November 16, 2024
by Bill Vilona, Argos correspondent
The hour-long drive south on Georgia Hwy-129 that UWF coach Kaleb Nobles made from the family home in Fitzgerald to Valdosta State’s campus became second nature.
He often travelled as a young fan with his father, Buddy Nobles, a high school football coaching legend, to watch Tucker Pruitt, son of then-Fitzgerald High coach Robby Pruitt, play as Valdosta’s quarterback.
More trips occurred when Kaleb was being recruited by VSU, then became the Blazers quarterback.
“I’ve beaten the streets from Fitzgerald to Valdosta on Highway 129 South,” said Nobles, laughing. “I still know all the back roads, so I am looking forward to getting back in that neck of the woods on Saturday.”
The proverbial landscape Saturday is now so different. And so are the stakes.
In a climactic season-finale, the No. 16-ranked Argos (7-2) face their defining game against the unbeaten, newly-minted, No. 1-ranked Valdosta State Blazers (9-0) in a 7 p.m. contest that will decide the Gulf South Conference champion.
It’s one of the biggest games and best matchups this season across Division II football.
For UWF, the Argos likely must win to qualify for the NCAA Division II postseason.
WHO: UWF Argos vs. Valdosta State Blazers
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m. (CST)
WHERE: Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Ga.
These teams have met before with a lot on the line, including twice in Valdosta in 2019 as UWF marched to its historic national championship. But this will be the first for Nobles to experience VSU’s Bazemore-Hyder Stadium as an opposing head coach.
Though he’s faced the Blazers before as UWF’s quarterback in their 2016 inaugural football season, then as an assistant coach through the 2019 season, Nobles acknowledged returning to a place that carried such emotional investment brings a different kind of feeling.
“I’d be liar to say no,” Nobles said. “There is obviously a lot of things going on, a lot of conversations going on. Anytime you’re playing somebody that you have worked for or played for previously, there will be conversations like that.
“It will definitely be cool to go back, this is my first time as a head coach. But we went there twice in 2019. It’s the first time I have been back as a coach, which is good for me, but having the ability to see it from a visitor’s perspective is good for me, because I know what to expect. I know the setup… I’m excited for it.
“Now, as I am getting older, growing up as a head coach, this is no different of a game. That field will be 120 yards long, 53 and one-third yards wide and we’re going to show up and play and we don’t care where it is. We’ll play in the parking lot of our hotel. We’ll be ready to go.”
Valdosta State is the No. 1 ranked team in the latest NCAA Super Region South rankings. That’s in addition to being ranked No. 1 overall in the coaches poll, No. 2 in the D-2 Football.com poll. In addition to their coaches’ poll ranking, the Argos moved back into the Top 25 in the D-2 Football.com poll at No. 21.
After winning its sixth consecutive game last Saturday, UWF moved up to No. 8 in the region rankings. Eight teams make the playoffs. That’s why UWF is in a virtual must-win situation for postseason.
“My message is going to be the same,” Nobles said. “It doesn’t matter who is across the sideline from us or who is across the field.
“At the end of the day, if we play our best and we give ourselves a chance to be in the game and win this in the fourth quarter, then I like our chances. We know what our best is and I think we are still discovering what our best is.”
These two teams have annually played thrillers. Last year, the Blazers won 31-28. In 2022, UWF prevailed in Valdosta 32-31. In 2019, the Argos avenged a 26-21 loss at No. 1 Valdosta State by beating the Blazers 38-35 in the second round of the NCAA D-2 playoffs, which helped propel UWF into the national championship game.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to play a really good team and have a lot on the table when we play ‘em,” Nobles said.
VSU holds the series edge at 5-3. The Blazers are No. 7 nationally in offensive yards per game (473.2), fourth in scoring per game (44.8), ninth in total points scored (403).
UWF leads the GSC in total defense (205.8 yds per-game) and rushing defense (70.3 yds per-game).
The Argos were in a dire situation after dropping two of their first three games – an overtime home loss to West Alabama and a blowout road loss at Grand Valley (Mich.) State.
But since the calendar switched to October, the Argos have not sweated the fourth quarter in any game.
“They have truly bought in to everything that we are trying to do, wanting to do,” Nobles said. “I sat on that plane on the way back from Grand Valley and just took note after note, writing down that, okay, we have to change this, we have to do this.
“Because we would be fools as coaches not to try everything. I am so proud of our guys. We talked the day after Grand Valley and said, ‘hey we’re going to change some things.’
“This is how things will be moving forward and you have to buy into this. If you guys buy into this, we think it can help us in the future.
“We haven’t done everything perfectly right since then as players or coaches, but we feel we’ve got a little bit of momentum and we feel we have to keep that rolling.”
Heading into the biggest game of his two-year, head coaching career, Nobles is confident in his players and blocking out any emotional flashbacks.
“What I draw upon is the 64 players in my locker room and the 10 coaches on my staff that have put in the work all week getting ready for it,” Nobles said.
“And knowing what we have gone through and pushed through. Once we get there, I will have my headphones in place, I’m going to be in game mode, because I’m ready to go to battle with my guys, the ones I have put the work in with.
“And I know they feel the same way.”
Photo: Jon Rose/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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