ETTRICK, VA – The Virginia State Trojans are in for a huge matchup against the Bowie State who has won their last two conference matchups and sit a place away from VSU in the Northern Division standings at third place. This weekend's game will be Homecoming for the Virginia State Trojans. The marquee matchup will be live on the CW Richmond as well as the Trojan Sports Network with coverage starting as early as 3:30 p.m. The game is slated Saturday, October 8 at 4:00 p.m.


Virginia State University (3-1, 3-0 CIAA) vs. Bowie State (3-2, 2-1 CIAA)
October 8, 2022 - 4 p.m.
Ettrick, VA – Rogers Stadium
Live Stream (subscription needed to watch): Live Stream 
Live stats: Click HERE
 
 
Self-Scouting
VSU currently averages 31 points per game while only giving up 17 points per game. While the VSU offense gains 434 yards per contest, the VSU defense has forced 16 fumbles so far this season. The Trojans currently tie for first in the country with 11 interceptions and rank second in turnover margin maintaining a 2.20. 
 

VSU Run Game
The rushing attack currently ranks second in the conference in rushing yards gained with 1,096, second in average yards per rush with 4.9 and tie for second in rushing scores with 12. They also rank 21st in the country in rushing yards. Darius Hagans leads the offense after the senior running back earned three 100-yard rushing games this season. Last time out, Hagans rushed for 94 yards on 22 carries with a huge 15-yard third down catch in the instant classic win against Shaw. The all-purpose back now leads the team with 580 rushing yards on 75 carries and three touchdowns. His 580 yards puts him firmly in the second spot in the conference as his three touchdowns puts him in third. His average yards per game (116) ranks him second in the conference. His 86-yard rushing touchdown against St. Augustine's is the longest rushing play in the conference to this point. He currently ranks 13th in the country in rushing yards and 16th in rushing yards per contest. The Human Joystick Kimo Clarke has earned 119 yards this season on just 18 carries which ranks him 18^th in the conference. While Hagans has been the vocal point of the run game, Bailey has been quietly having an extremely productive season as 260 yards has come on 41 carries. His 260 rushing yards ranks him seventh in the CIAA. He's gotten in the endzone twice on the ground this season. Against Shaw, Bailey accounted 35 rushing yards on six carries with two solo tackles on kick off. Jason Wright graded out at 94% in the win as he anchored an offensive line that helped the Trojans gain 434 yards of total offense. Darius Hagans (94), Upton Bailey (38) and Jordan Davis (33) and the rest of the rushing attack achieved 193 yards rushing on 41 rushes and scored two touchdowns. In 31 pass attempts the Trojans offensive line did not give up a single sack. 


VSU Passing Game
The VSU passing game currently ties for second in the conference with 10 passing touchdowns. The Trojans rank third in completion percentage with 55.3% and also rank third in passing yards per contest with 215. Prior to earning his first career start against LC, Jordan Davis came in a reliever role in the start of this season completing 75% of his passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. After efficient play in the first two games, he earned his first official start against Livingstone and went 18-30 passing for 251 yards with a touchdown through the air and a pair on the ground. Davis seems to steadily improve every game after another career day against Shaw going 16-of-31 through the air for a career-high 257 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He added nine rushes for 33 yards capped with two touchdowns. His last rushing score put the Trojans ahead with just :7 left in the game. He also accounted for eight punts for 178 yards and one of them was downed on the one yardline. Tylique Ray is now third in the conference in receiving yards with 312 on just 15 receptions. He has scored two touchdowns this season with one of them being a 76-yard reception. Last time out, he had four grabs for 76 yards and a touchdown.
 

VSU Defense
The VSU defense gives up 16.6 points per contest which ranks them third in the conference. They now lead the conference and the country with 11 interceptions after catching three last time out. The VSU rushing defense ranks second in conference in average yards per carry allowing just 2.9. They rank third with 15 sacks on the season. The Trojans defense has allowed just 21 points in a three game stretch this season. Zion Johnson now ties for first on the team in total tackles with 34 along with a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. His 34 total tackles ranks him 14th in the conference. Johnson also leads the way with 15 solo tackles which also ranks him 11th in the conference. He earned a season-high nine tackles (two solo) in the win against Shaw. Kymon Pope currently ties for first on the team in total tackles with 34 along with a forced fumble, two interceptions and a pair of pass breakups. His 34 total tackles ranks him 14th in the conference. Pope has accounted for 22 solo tackles which ranks him seventh in the conference. He earned a career-high 12 tackles (eight solo) and also added 3.5 tackles-for-loss. He also accounted for a game-winning interception. Willie Drew enters this week after an astonishing performance against Shaw where he caught not one but two interceptions in the first half and accounted for a tackle-for-loss and a pass break up. Wille Drew now leads the conference in interceptions with four and has also accounted for three pass breakups. His four interceptions ranks him second in the country. He also accounts for 18 tackles including 13 solo stops this season to go along with his terrific pass coverage statistics. Marteise Phipps still leads the pack with three sacks so far this season while Miqueal Pillow – Smiley leads the defensive line with five tackles-for-loss.
 

Opponent Scout – Bowie State Bulldogs
The Bowie State Bulldogs are currently ranked third behind the Trojans in the Northern Division of the CIAA after coming off of a huge 53-7 win against Livingstone. The Bulldogs average 28.4 points per game in the season as they are coming off their best offensive performance this season. The BSU defense ranks sixth in the conference giving up 20.8 points per contest. They rank within the top-four in rushing touchdowns with seven and in yards with 733. They lead the conference by a mile with 1,533 passing yards and a 62.3% completion percentage. The Bulldogs have been lights out on third down this season with a conversion rate of a whopping 50% which ties them for first in the conference. They have only given up six passing touchdowns this season. They do well getting off the field on third down as they allow teams just a 30.9% third down conversion rate which ranks them second in the conference. The Bulldogs defense is led by Defensive Lineman Joshua Pryor who leads with 26 tackles (10 solo). Dion Golatt, Jr. currently leads the conference in passing yards with 1,384. He is fresh off a historical performance where he broke the single-game passing record with 439 passing yards against Livingstone. This performance allowed him to be named the Food Lion's CIAA Quarterback of the Week after the graduate student completed 80 percent of his passes, connecting on 32 of 40 passes and throwing for 4 touchdowns. While he leads the CIAA in passing touchdowns with 10, he also ties for first in interceptions with six.
 
 
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