Virginia Union University's Jada Byers rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown as VUU defeated Virginia State University 17-13 in the CIAA Football Championship on Saturday, November 16, in Salem, Va.

It marked the second straight championship for the Panthers, a feat that the school hadn't accomplished since the 1982 and 1983 teams won back-to-back CIAA Championships.

VUU's Mark Wright passed for 96 yards and a touchdown while teammate Reginald Vick, Jr., caught two passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side, Virginia Union's Shamar Graham led the Panthers with 11 tackles and a sack.

Virginia State received the ball first.  After managing a 1st and goal at the 1, Virginia Union's defense hunkered down and managed to hold VSU scoreless on the next three plays and force a 4th and goal from the two-yard line. The Trojans decided to go for it but were stopped in their tracks, resulting in a turnover on downs.  

The Panthers then used that momentum to put together a strong offensive drive that saw them on the doorstep on the endzone. As he did many times this season, Jada Byers carried the ball in for a two-yard touchdown run to help VUU strike first, leading 7-0.  

VSU responded with a 33-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3.  

With time winding down in the second quarter, the Panthers added three more points as Brady Myers hit a field goal as the clock hit zero, carrying a 10-3 lead into halftime.  

After a slow beginning to the third quarter, Virginia State got some momentum going, but the Panthers, however, didn't let that faze them as Wright connected with Vick for a 23-yard touchdown pass to put VUU back ahead, 17-10.  

With the game nearing its end, Virginia State had one last shot to drive down the field with 27 seconds left on their own 11, but their last-second hopes were shut down on the first play, as William Davis picked off a Trojan pass to seal the championship victory for Virginia Union.  

Virginia Union's Jada Byers was named MVP of the championship game after a stellar performance.  

"This is amazing," said VUU Head Football Coach Dr. Alvin Parker.  "We knew we needed to give them a good game because we didn't have a good game against them last week, but that's our chant, 'Play411.'  Everybody performed well and I thought the defense did a great job.  I thought the guys up front did great and we knew some of the mistakes we made last week weren't going to be carried over to this week."

VUU will now wait to see if the Panthers will advance to the NCAA Playoffs.  The NCAA Selection Show will air on Sunday, November 17, at 6:00 p.m. With first-round games beginning on Saturday, November 23.