The Virginia Union Panthers kept up their winning ways, breezing past the Elizabeth City State Vikings in a 35-0 shutout win.
In its bid for a second straight CIAA championship appearance, Virginia Union improved its record to 3-0 in CIAA competition, tying it for first place in the conference with Johnson C. Smith.
Virginia Union defensive clinic
Virginia Union’s defense was the star of the game, particularly shutting down the Elizabeth City State offense in the second half.
The Panthers limited the Vikings to 22 yards on 20 plays in the second half, including -3 yards on eight plays in the third quarter.
In addition to blocking both of ECSU’s field goal attempts, Virginia Union stopped the other two Viking offensive drives, which ended on their side of the field with an interception and turnover on downs, respectively.
Is a third consecutive trip to D-II playoffs in the cards for @VUUPanthers and Coach Alvin Parker? pic.twitter.com/mWE4WQ4Fag
— John O’Connor (@RTDjohnoconnor) October 12, 2024
The Jada Byers bounce back game
A week after rushing for a season-low 33 yards against Winston-Salem State, Virginia Union star Jada Byers bounced back with a big day on the ground.
He finished the game rushing for 160 yards on 22 attempts and scoring two touchdowns. This marks his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Byers now brings his career rushing yard total to 4,745, bringing him within 264 yards of breaking Andre Braxton’s school record of 5,008 rushing yards.
A path back to the title game
With four weeks left in their season, the Panthers’ path back to the CIAA championship game just became much more clear.
Although three of their four remaining games will be played on the road, three of them also come against teams that entered Saturday with a combined record of 2-13.
They are looking to become the first team to win consecutive CIAA championships since Bowie State won three straight from 2018 to 2021.
