CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept 3, 2024) - This past weekend marked the official start of the 2024 CIAA football regular season, with eight schools having taken the field for week zero competition. Amongst the many highlights include the reigning champions, Virginia Union, kicking off their season in a huge way with a 69-7 victory over Kentucky State University. Another noteworthy performance came from last year’s runners-up Virginia State, as they competed in the Black College Hall of Fame Game against Benedict College and handed the Tigers a 23-7 loss. Finally, the CIAA went 3-1 in non-conference matchups with the aforementioned victories as well as Johnson C. Smith, who defeated Tuskegee University, 21-13.  
 

Shaw def. Elizabeth City State, 17-13. 
Shaw played host to Elizabeth City State and got out to a hot start with a first-quarter touchdown. The Bears took a 10-0 lead into halftime and never looked back, as they’d remain on top from start to finish, earning their first victory of the season, 17-13, over the Vikings.  
 

Virginia Union def. Kentucky State, 69-7. 
Last season’s champions picked up right where they left off, as they made a statement victory over Kentucky State, handing the Thorobreds a 69-7 loss. The Panthers set a new school record for offensive yards, amassing a whopping 674 yards, including 376 on the ground to go along with five rushing touchdowns.  
 

Charleston def. Livingstone, 38-7.
Livingstone commenced their season with their first of seven home games Saturday evening, playing host to the University of Charleston. The Blue Bears found themselves down early and struggled to get going, being held scoreless until the fourth quarter. They’d ultimately fell to the Golden Eagles, 38-7. 
 

Winston-Salem State def. Bluefield State, 34-3.
After a subpar finish to the 2023 season, Winston-Salem State enjoyed a fresh start with a strong week zero showing. Two touchdowns through the air and two touchdowns on the ground along with strong defensive play propelled Winston-Salem State to a 34-3 victory over Bluefield State to commence the season.  
 

Virginia State def. Benedict, 23-7.
Virginia State took the field for a nationally televised matchup against Benedict College Sunday evening. They displayed a well-balanced attack, throwing for 197 yards while rushing for another 187. Defensively, they forced three turnovers en route to a 23-7 victory over the Tigers.  
 

Johnson C. Smith def. Tuskegee, 21-13.
The Golden Bulls ran all over Tuskegee, both figuratively and literally, as they used their 229 yards on the ground to propel themselves to a week zero victory. JCSU went into halftime tied 7-7 but found the endzone twice in the third quarter, including a 75-yard touchdown run to start the second half, to pull ahead and would hold onto that lead for the remainder of the game.  

Next week’s schedule will see nine schools taking the field, all competing in non-conference competitions in week one of the 2024 football season.  

WEEKLY HONORS
Below are the weekly honors:


NAME: Adrian Crespin
POSITION: Offensive Lineman
CLASS: R-Freshman
HOMETOWN: Woodbridge, VA.

Crespin started his first game for the Panthers at Offensive Guard. He helped the Panther to 674 yards of total offense, a new school record. The offensive line did not give up any sacks and showed domination in the run game.


NAME: Jada Byers
POSITION: Running Back
CLASS: Senior
HOMETOWN: Bridgeton, N.J.

Byers had 214 yards on 14 carries and added 3 TDs to lead the Panthers to a week 0 victory. VUU had 376 yards on the ground to defeat the SIAC opponent. Byers now becomes the second leading rusher in VUU History.


NAME: R.J. Rosales
POSITION: Quarterback
CLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: Immokalee, FL.

Rosales led the Panthers to a dominating victory over SIAC opponent Kentucky State. Rosales went 12-17 for 233 yards with 2 TDs, he also added 12 rushing yards. He guided the Panthers to a school record 674 yards.


NAME: Benari Black
POSITION: Linebacker
CLASS: Senior
HOMETOWN: Charlotte, N.C.

Black led the Golden Bulls with 10 tackles and a forced fumble that set up the offense first touchdown. He also had two tackles for loss and one pass breakup.


NAME: Diego Coca-Hernandez
POSITION: Punter/Kicker
CLASS: Freshman
HOMETOWN: Woodbridge, VA.

Coca-Hernandez had an impressive debut for the Bears finishing Saturday's win over ECSU with 6 punts totalling 239 yards. The freshman from Woodbridge, VA. averaged just under 40 yards per punt (39.8) with two going over 50 yards including a game-long 55 yards.


NAME: Brevin Caldwell
POSITION: Wide Receiver
CLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: Charlotte, N.C.

Caldwell caught seven passes for 90 yards. He had two touchdowns on the day with his longest for 37 yards.


NAME: Mike Jones
POSITION: Defensive Tackle
CLASS: Graduate
HOMETOWN: Columbus, GA.

Jones in his debut for the Panthers had 5 tackles, 2.5 TFL, and 1 sack. The Panthers defense gave up 90 yards of total offense and held Kentucky State to an average of 1.9 per play.


NAME: Jalen Mayo
POSITION: Cornerback
CLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: Hampton, VA.

Mayo, a cornerback for the Panthers, had 3 tackles and 1 TFL, he also included a Pick-6 in the third quarter for the Panthers to open up the scoring gap. The Panthers only gave up 28 passing yards.


NAME: Joseph Rounds
POSITION: Offensive Lineman
CLASS: R-Sophmore
HOMETOWN: Suffolk, VA.

Rounds anchored an offensive line that was able to guide the Panthers to 674 yards of total offense, a new school record. The offensive line did not give up any sacks and showed domination in the run game.