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| Tehyvn Brantley and Winston-Salem State breezed past Virginia Union 55-15 on Saturday. (WS Journal photo) |
The CIAA’s Southern Division has flexed its muscle over the Northern Division time and time again over the last decade, and that was the case again on Saturday. The CIAA South went 4-2 against the North on Saturday, and most of them weren’t close. Still, there was some hope for the North, particularly at Virginia State University.
VSU came into Saturday’s game with two wins, already halfway to its 2012 win total in just three weeks. Its opponent, Johnson C. Smith, came in undefeated and averaging 42 points per game. Virginia State didn’t totally stop JCSU’s passing game as Keahn Wallace threw for over 300 yards, but they did shut down the JCSU running game, holding it to just over 1.3 yards per rush. JCSU took a slight 17-13 lead on an 11 run by Wallace with just over five minutes to go. Virginia State responded with an 11 play, 81 drive that ended with an 11 yard pass from Justin Thorpe to Will Stubblefield as VSU held on for a 19-17 win.
Down the road in Richmond, VSU’s arch-rival Virginia Union faced a tough task of its own in two-time defending champion Winston-Salem State. WSSU came out on fire, scoring on four of its first five drives and putting the game out of reach early. WSSU quarterback Rudy Johnson continued his hot streak, throwing for four touchdowns in the first half alone. WSSU’s defense also go into the act, recording four interceptions as the Rams rolled to a 55-15 win.
“@johndellWSJ: Va. Union can’t field the kickoff and Rams get the ball back….” pic.twitter.com/qAiRtXdCbL
– HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) September 28, 2013
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Elsewhere in the conference…
-Chowan was the only other Northern Division team to come away with a win, as it outlasted Shaw 29-23.
-Fayetteville State picked up its second win of the season with a 31-27 win in the Down East Classic as Derrick Bryant threw three touchdown passes.
– St. Aug easily disposed of Bowie State 29-7 to pick up its second straight win. SAU scored touchdowns on offense, defense (a fumble recovery) and special teams (blocked punt).
-Livingstone dominated Lincoln 35-7.