VUU Opens Season with 35-21 Win Over Brevard

RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia Union University's Hakeem Holland rushed for 101 yards while Lamar Webster scored three touchdowns as the Panthers defeated Brevard College 35-21 in the football season opener on Saturday, September 5, in Hovey Field in Richmond, Va.

VUU took a 14-0 lead in the game when Webster scored from two yards out with 5:54 left in the first quarter, and then rushed in from eight yards out with 10:41 left in the second quarter.

After Brevard took a 21-14 lead, the Panthers struck back when Webster took the ball in from one yard out with 14:33 left in the fourth quarter to tie the score 21-21.

VUU took the lead for good when quarterback Shawheem Dowdy connected with Andre Coble for a 27-yard touchdown at the 11:26 mark in the fourth quarter.

Virginia Union added an insurance score when Holland broke free for a 37-yard touchdown with 3:40 left in the game.

The win raised VUU's record to 1-0 on the season while Brevard fell to 0-1.

Virginia Union travels to Raleigh, N.C., to face Saint Augustine's University at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12.

CLAW MARKS

BACK-TO-BACK: The 35-21 win marked the first time since 2011 and 2012 that Virginia Union has won back-to-back season openers. VUU defeated Siena Heights University 12-0 in last season's first game. VUU defeated Saint Augustine's University 12-0 in 2011 and then defeated Benedict College 28-7 in 2012.

TWO FOR JAMES: Mark James became the first Virginia Union head coach to win his first two season-opening games in 30 years. Joe Taylor, now Athletic Director at VUU, defeated Johnson C. Smith University 52-0 in his first game in 1984 and then beat Bowie State University 42-6 in 1985.

THREE TDS: Lamar Webster rushed for three touchdowns. This marks the first time a VUU player has rushed four three or more TDs since Cassious McDowell rushed for four touchdowns against Lincoln University on October 11, 2014.

FIRST GAME CENTURY: Freshman Hakeem Holland became the first Panther to rush for over 100 yards in the season opener since Tarian Donaldson performed the deed in 2009. Holland a freshman from Baltimore, Md., rushed for 101 yards. Donaldson rushed for 104 yards against East Stroudsburg University on August 27, 2009.

NEXT GAME: VUU faces Saint Augustine's University at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12, in Raleigh, N.C. This will mark the first meeting between the two teams since VUU beat Saint Augustine's 12-0 during in Hovey Field on August 27, 2011. The game was played as Hurricane Irene hit the city of Richmond. Although the rivalry dates back to 1929, the Panthers and the Falcons have only met nine times in the 86 years, with VUU holding an 8-0-1 edge.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION