VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP) Vinnie Saylor threw a pair of touchdown passes and DeMarcus Blount scored twice to lead North Alabama to a 40-13 victory over Valdosta State on Saturday, eliminating the defending national champion Blazers in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.<br>
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The Lions (9-2) will meet second-seeded North Carolina Central at Durham, N.C., next week in the second round.<br>
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This was the second meeting between the Gulf South Conference rivals, with Valdosta winning the regular season game 26-23 on Oct. 20.<br>
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Saylor, who completed 13 of 25 passes for 244 yards, had scoring passes of 30 yards to Jason Messing in the opening period and 31 yards to Anthony Merritt in hte second, giving the Lions a 23-10 halftime lead.<br>
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Blount, who had 128 yards on 33 carries, scored his touchdowns in the final seven minutes on runs of 1 and 2 yards.<br>
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The Lions also scored on Blake Farris' 2-yard fumble recovery and field goals of 28 and 32 yards by Yuta Fukuda.<br>
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The Blazers only touchdown was the first of the game, a 2-yard run by Vincent Brown early in the opening period. Michael Green kicked field goals of 31 and 30 yards for the Blazers.<br>
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(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
