RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia Union scored 15 straight points in the fourth quarter to pull off a 28-27 win over Virginia State University on Saturday, November 7, in Petersburg, Va.And the Panthers did it in dramatic fashion.
With VUU trailing VSU 27-21 with a 54-yard touchdown pass with 6:38 left in the game to tie the game. VUU's Beymar Piraquive then gave the Panthers the 28-27 win by splitting the uprights with the extra point.
Virginia Union fell behind early in the game 7-0, but struck back quickly when Hakeem Holland took the ball in from 11 yards out with 6:19 left in the first quarter.
Virginia State then scored 17 straight points to take a 24-7 lead, but the Panthers refused to fold.
VUU's Jamal Wright hauled in a Dowdy pass from nine yards out with 5:45 left in the second quarter. VSU blocked the extra point to keep the score at 24-13 as the half ended.
Virginia Unon came out and marched 94 yards in 10 plays as Olu Izegwire caught a 15 yards out. Dowdy hit Holland with a pass for the two-point conversion to pull the Panthers to within 24-21.
A Trojan field goal set the stage for the Panthers' final heroics.
Holland became the first VUU freshman since Andre Braxton to rush for more than a thousand yards in a single season. Holland currently has 1,103 yards, the most for a freshman since Braxton's rookie record of 1,383 yards in 1997.
VUU's Paulin Miano had three tackles for loss, giving him 23 total tackles for loss on the season. Miano broke the season record of 19 set by Kevin Williams in 1991.
Dowdy passed for three touchdowns on the day, giving him a season total of 19, the fifth most ever for a single season.
The win gives VUU a final regular-season record of 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the CIAA. Virginia State fell 6-4 overall and 4-3 in CIAA play.
The Panthers were ranked seventh in the NCAA Super Region 1 entering the game. VUU will now have to wait until Sunday, November 15, to find out who the Panthers will play in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. The first-round game will be played on Saturday, November 21.
COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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