Virginia Union entered the 2026 season with championship expectations, as the HBCU has been on an impressive run.
VUU was picked as the CIAA preseason No. 1 team and entered the season ranked No. 14 in Division II. But after Friday night’s season opener, there are already plenty of questions surrounding whether Virginia Union is truly ready to live up to those expectations.
Lenoir-Rhyne answered that question for at least one night. The Bears dominated Virginia Union 45-3, taking a 31-0 lead into halftime and holding the Panthers to just 183 total yards. It gave a level of payback for the HBCU knocking it out of the 2025
For head coach Dr. Alvin Parker, the performance was not what he wanted.
“I’m definitely not happy with how today went,” Parker told HBCU Gameday after the game. “We got to go back to the drawing board on some things.”
The numbers explain why. Virginia Union managed only 26 rushing yards on 24 attempts, averaging just 1.1 yards per carry. The Panthers also went 0-for-9 on third down, recorded only 10 first downs and scored no touchdowns.
A New Virginia Union Team Still Searching for Its Identity
Parker knows this isn’t the same Virginia Union team that took the field last season. The Panthers are replacing significant production, including former standout running backs Curtis Allen.
That transition was evident against Lenoir-Rhyne.
“We still got to figure out the type of team we are,” Parker said. “We still half-new and half old.”
Virginia Union’s rushing attack struggled to find consistency. Ramon Brown led the Panthers with 25 yards on five carries, while Raphael Tucker added 15 yards on two attempts. As a team, VUU averaged only 1.1 yards per rush.
Parker, however, isn’t questioning the talent on his roster.
“We got enough talented players,” he said. “I don’t think it showed up well tonight.”
That’s the challenge now: getting that talent to produce.
The Quarterback Question
Virginia Union also rotated quarterbacks, with RJ Rosales and Myles Derricott both seeing action. Together, they finished 9-of-19 for 157 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Rosales threw for 67 yards, while Derricott finished with 90.
Parker isn’t ready to name what comes next. When asked whether Virginia Union could have a different quarterback next week, he kept the door open.
“It might be the same thing, it may be something different,” Parker said. “We’re going to go back to the drawing board.”
That decision could be critical for a Virginia Union offense that struggled to sustain drives.
The Panthers had just 23:05 of possession, compared with 36:55 for Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears also finished with 505 total yards and converted 8-of-14 third downs.
Too Early to Say the CIAA Got It Wrong
So, did the CIAA get its preseason prediction wrong? Not yet. But Virginia Union has already given everyone a reason to ask the question.
Parker isn’t running from the loss. Instead, he’s focused on what comes next.
“I think a lot of improvement will come from the first game to the second game,” Parker said. “We’re going to come back and we’re going to chop up the film. We’re going to make sure that we get better.”
Virginia Union still has nine more games to prove that Friday night was an ugly first chapter rather than a preview of the entire season.
But for a team picked to be the best in the CIAA, the message is simple:
The Panthers have a lot to clean up.
And in HBCU football, preseason expectations don’t mean much once the games begin.