It was a great day for the Virginia Union offense, blasting through the Winston-Salem State defense with 408 rushing yards on their way to a 44-34 win.
This is the second game in a row the Panthers have tallied over 400 rushing yards, entering the day averaging 311.2 rushing yards per game (third in the country).
Curtis Allen added another impressive performance to his resume, accounting for 249 rushing yards on 34 attempts and four touchdowns.
Through five games, Allen is averaging 197.4 rushing yards per game and has scored 14 rushing touchdowns, both on pace to set new single-season school records set by Jada Byers last season.
The Panthers’ running back was not the only Panther to have it going in the backfield, with five other running backs (and quarterback RJ Rosales) logging a run of at least seven yards.
Virginia Union started the game, scoring three unanswered touchdowns (all by Allen) to take a 23-0 lead in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, the Winston-Salem State offense struggled to get going early, compounded by an errant snap that traveled into the end zone 19 yards out for a safety.
Looking for a spark after falling behind 23-0, the Rams turned to their special teams unit, getting a 64-yard kickoff return from Sean Walker to give the offense their best starting field position of the game to that point.
They would take full advantage of the opportunity, cashing in on the first play from scrimmage with a 36-yard touchdown connection from Daylin Lee to Dahari Mitchell.
This was the first of two touchdown passes from Lee to Mitchell in the game, also connecting on a score before the end of the first half.
Trailing 30-14 at halftime, Winston-Salem State gave itself some much-needed momentum to start the second half, getting a 62-yard touchdown run from JaQuan Kelly on the opening drive to trim the deficit.
However, a pair of touchdowns by the Panthers was all the cushion they needed to coast to victory the rest of the way.
The Rams did all they could to give themselves a chance to win, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
However, after the latter touchdown, Virginia Union’s run game down the stretch allowed them to smother the ball, preventing the WSSU offense from getting back on the field in the final six minutes.
Following Livingstone’s loss to Elizabeth City State, Virginia Union is now one of two teams remaining in the CIAA with unblemished conference records (Fayetteville State).
