ETTRICK, VA – Following a bye week, the VSU Trojan football team is gearing up for their first CIAA conference game of the 2021 season against the Broncos of Fayetteville State University.  The game will kick-off on September 25, 2021 at 7:00pm at Luther "Nick" Jeralds stadium in Fayetteville, NC.

VSU at FSU | Video | LiveStats
 
The Trojans have had a week to regroup after a tough 10-7 loss to Ohio Dominican University, which moved Virginia State's overall record to 0-2. VSU out earned ODU in first downs and total yards but the Panthers were 50% in the red zone, which, ultimately helped lift ODU over the Trojans. The Broncos will be entering the contest with a 1-1 overall record. FSU also had a week to sit on their first loss of the season at the hands of #13 Wingate University 40-21. The Broncos fought back after being down 30-7 in the first half as they were able to outscore Wingate 14-10 in the second half.  
 
Virginia State leads the series 13-8 over the Broncos while also leading 6-3 in games played inside of Luther Jeralds stadium. The last 10 matchups between the two teams are tied five all as VSU also leads the CIAA conference record 10-7. The last matchup saw VSU take down the Broncos 42-19 in the 2017 CIAA Championship game. VSU alum, and current player for the San Francisco 49ers, Trenton Cannon, set three CIAA Championship game records against FSU in 2017 with rushing yardage (186), yards per carry (11.6) and rushing/overall touchdowns (3).
 
The Trojans offense will look to continue to mend as the squad showed improvement from week one to week two. After leaving Rogers stadium with only 90 passing yards against LRU, redshirt sophomore Mark Wright came out sharp as he completed 10 of 14 passes for 126 yards before leaving the game late in the second half due to injury. Graduate student Sean Daniel, junior Tylin Oden and Marquez Phillips came alive in game two as the three snatched 12 passes out of the air while covering 165 yards as a group. Redshirt freshman Kimo Clarke continues his dominance in the running back room, as he is still the only Trojan to cross the plain of the end zone while averaging 6.7 yards per carry.  While the offense seems to be trending upwards, they will look to clean up their operation as the group has accumulated six penalties and six turnovers in the first two games. The offense has yet to score more than a touchdown in a game this season but look to change that against FSU this Saturday.

The VSU defense will look to build on their performance from last week, as they were able to hold a respectable ODU offense to just 10 points and 306 yards of total offense. The defensive front seven have been living in the backfield early on this season with 13.0 tackles for loss along with four sacks. The secondary for the Trojans have been extremely solid early this season breaking up 11 passes while intercepting on the year. Graduate student Will Adams is near the top of the conference in tackles as he has accumulated 11 solo tackles in just two games. Senior Javon Frazier leads the dangerous VSU front seven as he has accounted for 3.0 sacks, which lands him sixth in the CIAA conference, along with a forced fumble. Graduate student Vincent Parker has had his versatility on display all season with eight tackles along with three pass breakups. The defense will look to do a better job of getting off the field on third down this week against FSU as opponents have a 52.7% success rate on third down against the VSU defense.

For Fayetteville State, the offense averages 34 points per game while also averaging 415 total yards per game in the 2021 season. The FSU offense is led by senior Khari Lane, the 205-pound signal caller is responsible for six touchdowns in two games. Lane completed 25 of 37 passes for 356 yards and three passing touchdowns against Wingate. Redshirt junior Braxton Knots has snatched six passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns while senior Tyeous Sharpe has accumulated 11 receptions for 119 yards and a couple of scores this season. Senior Joshua Williams was named the CIAA Food Lion Defensive Back of the Week for the second straight week after totaling a game-high 10 tackles. Including five solo, while also registering a pass breakup against nationally ranked Wingate University.

*In order to attend the game, fans must be fully vaccinated (with a valid vaccination card) and one form of identification. If not vaccinated, you must provide a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the game.  

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