VALDOSTA — “Physicality” was the buzzword at the Valdosta State practice field Wednesday when the Blazers competed in their first scrimmage in the lead up to the regular season.

Valdosta State donned the full pads for the first time Tuesday, and a day later, the offense and the defense went at each other throughout a physical practice.

For his team’s first time competing in pads, less than a week of training camp, Blazers head coach Kerwin Bell was satisfied with the effort Wednesday, but he acknowledged there’s still a long way to go.

“We’ve got a lot of growing to do and a lot of things we’ve got to improve on, but it was a good first day,” Bell said after practice.

Valdosta State’s front seven came out early and set the tone for the day with its physical play and relentless drive in both the pass and the run game.

On many occasions, especially near the end of practice, the Blazers’ defensive line disrupted plays on its own, overpowering the offensive line and either forcing the quarterback into rushed throws or outright sacking him.

The defensive physicality extended through all three levels of the unit with linebackers flying to the ball and the secondary forcing receivers to create separation.

After practice, linebacker Sharmaine Washington divulged that fellow linebacker Malik Slater and himself set a high bar for the defense and the younger players in general.

“We set the standard high for the defensive line, to make sure they take care of their jobs,” Washington said. “And as they take care of their job, the linebackers, we’re going to take care of our job and make sure the secondary does their job.”

The Blazers ranked fourth in both scoring defense and passing defense within the Gulf South Conference last season, allowing 24.4 points and 196 yards through the air per game. But VSU allowed 160 yards per game on the ground, which ranked sixth in the conference.

With plenty of room for improvement, Washington and the rest of the “Black Swarm” leaders have their goal in mind.

“The expectations from the leaders is very high,” Washington said. “We come out every day to get better, to be better than anybody. We want to be the best in the country, the best in the Gulf South Conference.

“So we set that standard real high.”

While the defense played up to its standard Wednesday, Bell felt the Blazers’ offense couldn’t quite match the intensity.

Aside from the plays where the “Black Swarm” just executed better, there were a handful of times where the VSU offense simply didn’t make a play.

“Let’s not sugarcoat it, we didn’t throw and catch it the way we needed to,” Bell said. “But hey, it’s the first scrimmage, but we dropped too many balls, threw too many bad throws when it was open. We’ve got to get better in that area.”

Bell felt like the offense failed to bring the physicality the defense showed throughout the practice, but he felt optimistic about iron sharpening iron through the competition in practice.

Of course, some of the Blazers’ offensive miscues could be attributed to some of the injuries sustained by VSU’s receiving corps. Bell mentioned there’s three or four receivers out nursing injuries right now, which has forced some of the younger players into larger roles in practice.

Senior Dallas Baldner, as one of the few healthy, experienced receivers on the team has taken it upon himself to take some of the Blazers’ new receivers under his wing.

“Young guys, transfers, this offense is kind of complex, this is Coach Bell’s thing, so a lot of guys are coming up to me and asking me certain things that they have to know,” Baldner said. “I’m helping them out. I’m meeting them up here, drawing on the board, showing film, just really trying to be their shadow and tell them all the right things to do.”

But Baldner isn’t just a coach on the field for the Blazers. He’s the most productive returning receiver with 41 catches for 591 yards and six touchdowns a season ago.

Baldner stayed in town to train this offseason, and entering his second year as a starter in Bell’s offense, he’s got a chance to have a big season.

“This is the best I’ve ever felt,” Baldner said. “This was the first summer that I’ve stayed here in Valdosta and done summer workouts and my legs feel great, my body feels great, I’m having no problems.

“I know this offense now like the back of my hand, so I’m doing everything right and trying to show the new guys how to do things.”

Bell was pleased with one aspect of his offense at the conclusion of the scrimmage though, the run game.

Only two teams in the GSC rushed for fewer yards and a lower average than Valdosta State last year — one of which was a Shorter team that only managed 1,850 yards of total offense in a season in which finished 0-11.

The Blazers’ 1,280 rushing yards a year ago was the fewest yards rushing VSU has had in a season since it rushed for 1,068 yards in the 2006-07 season.

VSU’s current stable of backs could change things completely this season. Bell commented on what he saw from his backfield on Wednesday.

“I think Ryan Johnson, our running back, the guy we brought in, he did well,” Bell said. “(Jordan) Germany did well. Isaiah (Johnson) is hurt right now, but Cedric (Hollingshed), I mean, I think we’ve got a good stable of running backs.

“Compared to last year, a lot of depth. Guys who I think can make some big plays, maybe more big plays in the ground game than we had last year.”

Derrick Davis is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.