VALDOSTA – It had everything you want in a football game, and the home side of Bazemore-Hyder Stadium wanted a trip to McKinney, Texas, for the NCAA Division II national championship.

For all the turnover touchdowns and game-changing special teams plays, nobody could pack the bags until Valdosta State quarterback Rogan Wells did a simple six-yard keeper. That converted 3rd-and-4 from the 49 to the 43, and all Wells had to do next was take two kneel downs to run out the game clock.

The Blazers now have the trail to a fourth title in the last 15 years.

Notre Dame College of Ohio entered south Georgia unbeaten (13-0) but could not add a blemish to the perfect record for head coach Kerwin Bell and his club, which won 30-24. The Blazers were anticipating a two-score win, but the visiting Falcons – down 30-17 – returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown with 2:20 to play.

Each team took a takeaway into the end zone, each team blocked a punt leading to points, and it seemed the only edge for Valdosta State that whole game was the final score.

What other edge do you need?

In fact, ND put up 371 yards to 329 for VSU and led in first downs 22 to 14.

The Falcons didn’t even get assessed a penalty until 3:18 of the fourth quarter. That was defensive offsides on 3rd-and-3 moving VSU to the ND 43-yard-line and generating one of the louder crowd reactions. Wells later executed a play-fake keeper to go 23 yards to the 17, but then lost the fumble on the ensuing snap that silenced the home crowd temporarily.

That noise picked back up when Miami freshman Seth McGill got to the onsides kickoff on his own 45. McGill was spelling regular running back Jamar Thompkins in toting the football for the final period, and he got that ball up to the ND 49 before the Wells game-sealing conversion.

This was a Valdosta State offense scoring points anywhere from the 40s to the 60s all season, but it was hard to score points without possessing the football. Notre Dame led 10-9 at halftime out-gaining the Blazers 209 to 130 in yards. VSU jumped out to a 9-0 lead but had 71 yards on 18 plays with two offensive penalties and four first downs after scoring on the opening series.

Notre Dame meanwhile ran 38 plays with 14 first downs and 208 yards after trailing. Tanner Harding, after badly missing a low field goal of 30 yards, got the height on a 39-yard attempt at the halftime buzzer to flip the advantage to the visitors.

If VSU was to turn those numbers around in the second half, it would start with defense as the Falcons received the opening kickoff. Freshman Jaleel McLaughlin broke tackles to gain 37 yards to the 4, but he ran into his own blocker to fall down on the 6 for 3rd-and-goal.

Middle linebacker David Brown, a senior from South Carolina, intercepted quarterback Chris Brimm on the goal line. He only had Brimm plus McLaughlin to beat on the way to the go-ahead touchdown, 16-10.

But it also meant the defense had to respond again immediately and did so with three-and-out led by lineman Thomas Incoom. The punt was returned 32 yards by Brian Saunds to the Falcon 26, great field position for Wells and his troops. Though Wells took a first-down sack, he went up top on 3rd-and-13 to Kenny Benjamin for a 29-yard score. With 8:47 to go the Blazers were up 23-10.

While the offensive penalties were a VSU problem in the first half, the defense was hit with back to back 15-yarders to move the Falcons on its next series. It’s one that started with strong Blazer kickoff coverage on the 9, but a late hit spotted ND on the 36. McLaughlin churned his way to the 15 of VSU, but on 3rd-and-3 Jameon Gaskin’s pass rush plus a big stop from Brown on the All-American McLaughlin turned the football over on downs.

But that also led to bad starting field position, and the Falcon defense forced the VSU punting unit onto the field. The Falcons blocked the kick, and the football rolled in and out of the end zone for a spot on the 2. Brimm carried in the Falcons’ touchdown at 1:15 of the third period shaving the edge down to seven, 23-16.

For the entire period, the Blazers were sitting on 33 yards of offense in just six plays. The seventh play, a hand-off to Thompkins, more than doubled the line. He went on a blast off left tackle – no cutting or shifting needed – straight into the end zone 84 yards. VSU led 30-17 at the 52-second mark.

Even with that play, the Falcons still had the statistics edge for the third quarter with 130 yards in 26 plays and seven first downs (117 yards for the Blazers).

Bell’s defense was fired up, though, to start the fourth quarter, Colquitt County’s Alex Williams helping push the Falcons back and forcing a punt. Saunds returned it 31 yards to the ND 49.

The breaks in plain offense were never going to go Valdosta State’s way on this day, even in the fourth. Wells took a sack, and one of his big completions of 37 yards to Joe Forston was overturned on review. He also fell on his own fumble for a loss of 10 yards, and saw an illegal block go against his teammates.

What they did have going was the punting game. Gavin Wilson shook off the earlier block to pin the Falcons on their own 11, from where the other offense only reached the 37.

With the game under the seven-minute mark, Wilson hit a punt downed on the ND 3.

The Blazers made things look as easy as usual at the noon kickoff. They wanted the football and right away put seven points on the scoreboard. Wells went over the middle to Benjamin for 24 yards and went bubble screen to Lio’undre Gallimore for 13 more to the ND 21. They began looking like the University of Georgia with goal line success. Thompkins ran a draw 13 yards to the 6, but in all three carries later the Falcons kept denying them the end zone. Bell went for it on fourth down, and McGill scored at 10:57. Andrew Gray added the PAT.

As Notre Dame had trouble with safety Craig Watts to go three-and-out inside its own 20, Lowndes High’s Walker Schwab blocked the punt. The Falcons pushed it out of the end zone surrendering two points and the 9-0 Blazer advantage.

There was 9:25 to play in the opening period, but half was all Falcons from there. When they got possession for the second time, they ran out the first quarter clock with 12 plays and Brimm going to the air for eight completions from his 15 up to the VSU 10. To start the second period, he hit Markus Hood on a dump off, and Hood scored from eight yards out.

Notre Dame’s third series ended with the missed field goal, the 11th play they were able to run.

With less than two minutes before the half, VSU punted the football to the Falcon 17. McLaughlin and Brimm combined to execute 10 plays, convert two third downs and reach the 22 for the field goal that made it 10-7 at the half.

Thompkins rushed 11 times for 145 yards. Wells netted 37 on the ground in 15 totes and McGill gained 15. Wells was 11-for-14 through the air for 134 yards and Benjamin caught four passes for 81 yards.

McLaughlin had 32 carries for 175 yards and Brimm was 22-for-38 for 193 yards.

• Ferris State (Md.) defeated Minnesota State 42-25 in the other Division II semifinal.