ETTRICK, Va.- The Virginia State University Trojans secured a 24-10 home field victory over the Pioneers of Tusculum College. Nearly 4,000 fans, alumni, family, and members of the military joined the Trojans to celebrate Military Appreciation Day and Family Weekend.

The Trojans improved to a 2-0 overall under the leadership of Head Coach Reggie Barlow in his inaugural season. VSU football has not had a season start of this caliber since 2010.

"Every game has a life of its own," Barlow said. "We enjoy this one for 48 hours and then of course we focus our attention on Kentucky State."

Senior Quarterback Tarian Ayres (Buckingham, VA) completed 8-of-17 passes for 43 yards and secured a single touchdown. Virginia State struggled to find a rhythm offensively in the opening quarter. The Pioneers defense held the Trojans to only 47 yards of total offense in the first quarter, but the VSU continued to fight.

Offensively the Trojans were stirred by senior running back Kavon Bellamy (Hampton, VA), who ended the game with 136 yards rushing on 20 carries. Junior kicker Mathew Hillquist nailed a 27 yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter to help lift the Trojans to victory.

The Pioneer offense was led by Isaac Robinson (Palmyra, VA) who recorded 66 yards on 20 touches.

The Trojan defense left their mark on the contest holding the Pioneers to one touchdown, recorded 3 sacks for a loss of 22 yards and tallied 3 interceptions. After picking off a pass, senior Trevon Byron (Newport News, VA) rushed for a 22 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Trojan defense was led by senior Lamont Britt (Norfolk, VA) who recorded 6 solo tackles.

Cameron Thomas (Nicholasville, KY) led the Pioneers defensive effort recording 8.5 tackles (8 solo).

On Saturday, September 17, 2016 the Trojans will travel down to Frankfort, KY to take on Kentucky State University at 1:30 P.M.

For more football information, visit govsutrojans.com, call 804-524-5030, or follow Trojan Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports.