When UNA went for it on fourth down again, Kenneth Hale stepped in front of the pass from Milwee to Jason Messing.

“We needed the defense to step up and make plays, and that’s what we did,” Dean said.

The final big play for VSU’s defense came on the Lions’ final drive, as Greg Petty picked off a last-second desperation pass to lift VSU to the win against the No. 1-seeded team in the Southeast Region.

The defense overcame several missed tackles early, and supplied the Blazers with the big plays they needed to win.

“We really didn’t get too worried,” VSU linebacker William Montford said. “They didn’t throw anything at us we didn’t see before. It was all a matter of us playing hard and making plays. We’re capable of anything we put our mind to. As long as we play hard, there’s no one who can go out and go down the field on us.”

The Lions put together the two consecutive touchdowns in the second half after trailing in the first 13-10 and surrendering an 11-yard touchdown pass from Copeland to Callaway with 10:18 remaining in the third.

VSU marched out to the first touchdown of the game and a 7-0 lead, on one of its biggest drives of the season.

Copeland rushed into the end zone for a 2-yard score, capping a 68-yard, 10 play drive lasting 4:29.

The Blazers offense was efficient in the first half, rushing for 124 yards on 21 carries for an average of 10.3 yards per carry.

“We mixed it up on them, and felt like we could run the ball on them going into the ball game,” Dean said. “When we needed to put together drives, we did it.”

The Blazers made the plays on defense, put together drives on offense, and also came through on special teams.

VSU held the nation’s No. 1 returning team to 17.5 yards per kickoff return, 11 yards less than the Lions’ average, and also came up with the big field goals when needed.

After UNA kicked a 32-yard field goal, VSU answered with a 25-yarder of its own to lift the score up to 10-3. After the Lions scored its first touchdown on a 6-yard pass from Milwee to Joemal Campbell, VSU’s Zac Williams came up with his biggest kick of the season.

Williams knocked through a 42-yard field goal with 0:25 left in the second quarter, breaking the 10-10 tie.

Williams’ two field goals, added up with a touchdown pass and a touchdown run from Copeland, along with a rushing touchdown for Terry to outscore the Lions.