It's just early September but Virginia Union already has a signature win on its 2022 resume. VUU (2-0) held off a fourth quarter rally from No. 2 Valdosta State (1-1) to get a 45-40 upset win on the road. Valdosta State entered the game as the No. 2 Division-II football team in the country.

Jada Byers reeled off three big scoring runs for Virginia Union to break open what was a close game. With 4:28 left in the third quarter Byers scored on a 22 yard run and the Panthers went up 31-27 after the extra point kick.

To start the fourth quarter Byers exploded for a 52 yard touchdown run and put the Panthers up 38-27 after the kick. Byers seemingly sealed the game with 12:28 remaining, scoring on a 50 yard run, with VUU going up 45-27.

But Valdosta State didn't go down without a fight. Quarterback Ivory Durham threw two touchdowns in the final ten minutes of the game to receiver B.K. Smith, closing the gap to 45-39.

Virginia Union recovered an onside kick with 1:35 remaining and was able to run out the clock.

Byers had a whopping 283 yards rushing with three touchdowns on the afternoon. He averaged 9.8 yards per carry.

Valdosta State led the game 6-0 after the first quarter, before a strong second quarter from VUU. The Panthers outscored Valdosta State 24-14 in the second quarter.

"Our guys were focused the entire trip," said VUU Head Football Coach Dr. Alvin Parker. "Any time you take your program 10 hours away from home focus is definitely required. The Coaches did an amazing job of putting together a solid game plan and the players did an amazing job of carrying it out. I was also happy to see soo many VUU fans in attendance all the way in Georgia. I'm proud of this group, and after a long trip back home our job now turns to preparing for Livingstone College".

The Blazers, who finished 12-2 last season and 6-1 in Gulf South Conference play, were runner ups in the national championship game versus Ferris State last season.

The win over Valdosta State marked the highest ranked team VUU has ever defeated.  The Blazers had not lost a regular-season game at home since 2017.

Virginia Union now returns home to Willie Lanier Stadium at Hovey Stadium to face Livingstone College, who defeated Elizabeth City State University 19-0 on Saturday, at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 17.  The game will mark the 2022 Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day.