Wingate Ends VUU's Football Season
Virginia Union University's Jada Byers set a new CIAA rushing mark by finishing the season with 1,920 yards, but Wingate University defeated the Panthers 32-7 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs on Saturday, November 19, at Willie Lanier Field in Hovey Stadium in Richmond, Va.
Byers rushed for 119 yards against the Bulldogs, including two big runs near the end of the game. The sophomore running back eclipsed the CIAA record of 1,885 previously held by Richard Huntley of Winston-Salem State University.
The loss gave VUU a final 2022 record of 9-2, the most wins for a Union football team since 2007.
"I want to get this team used to being here," said VUU Head Football Coach Dr. Alvin Parker. "We could have made some plays here or there, but I think just understanding the whole world of the playoffs - we knew we would be playing against a great Wingate team, and just starting faster is a lesson we can take against this."
Parker, however, is already looking towards 2023, when the Panthers will open the season at Canton, Ohio, in the Black College Hall of Fame Classic.
"That's big-time," Parker said. "Shoot, I don't have to spend a bunch of money to go recruit this year. Everybody wants to be a part of this."
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