The Virginia Union Panthers have completed their quest to repeat, beating the Virginia State Trojans 17-13 to claim their second straight CIAA championship.
A year after winning their first CIAA championship since 2001, the Panthers repeat as conference champions for the first time since 1983.
Virginia Union gets revenge on Virginia State after losing 35-28 against them last Saturday. They will now await the announcement of the NCAA Division II Football Championship field, set to be announced Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
Jada Byers runs wild again
After being held to just 3.4 yards per carry in their matchup against Virginia State last weekend, Virginia Union had a much better day on the ground when it mattered most.
The Panthers ran for 257 yards on 41 attempts (6.3 yards per carry), accounting for one of the team’s two touchdowns in the game.
CIAA Offensive Player of the Year Jada Byers was named the game’s MVP after amassing 178 rushing yards on 32 attempts and a touchdown. This marks the sixth game this season Byers has rushed for over 170 yards.
In the team’s two CIAA championship appearances, Byers has combined for 313 rushing yards on 72 attempts and three touchdowns.
Curtis Allen also had a big day for the Panthers, rushing for 86 yards on six attempts while adding 42 yards on two kickoff returns.
Both teams played stong defense
In last week’s contest, both teams combined for 884 offensive yards and 63 points(combined to surrender 541.2 yards through the first nine games).
With a championship on the line, however, the defensive play was much better this time around. The team allowed a combined 604 yards and 30 points.
Virginia Union held Virginia State to a season-low 251 offensive yards, including 102 rushing yards (also a season-low).
Meanwhile, Virginia State snapped Virginia Union’s four-game streak of 200-yard passing games, limiting them to just 96 yards.
