Virginia Union’s next three football games will be played on the road, which could be viewed as an obstacle blocking continued Panthers’ success. Based on recent program history, that’s not how that challenge should be seen.
By the time those three road games are done in mid-October, VUU will have played 23 of its last 32 games away from Lombardy Street’s Lanier Field at Hovey Stadium, dating back to the start of the 2023 season.
Despite the preponderance of games away from home, the Panthers captured the last two CIAA championships and are favored to repeat, according to the league’s preseason poll. They are 2-1 heading into Saturday’s game at Shaw, and that’s followed by trips to Winston-Salem State and Elizabeth City State.
Alvin Parker, VUU’s coach since the 2018 season, on Tuesday classified the Panthers’ three upcoming dates as “the North Carolina tour.” That’s not overly intimidating, Parker suggested, in light of the travelling his teams have done in recent years.
Sleep and movies are the Panthers’ preferred pursuits while aboard a bus, according to Parker. He noted that VUU success away from home is associated with “an extra focus on some things when you go into a different type of environment. That’s always key.
“Being able to be effective and take this thing on the road is something we thrive on. When we started this season, we knew that six were going to be on the road, and four were going to be at home.
“It’s something we embraced at the time.”
Few flights
During the 32-game stretch with nine home games, the Panthers flew to games in Jacksonville, Florida, and Valdosta, Georgia. Otherwise, they took buses to Frankfort, Kentucky, Canton, Ohio (twice), Kutztown Pennsylvania, and many other destinations that are nearer to Richmond.
Virginia Union has largely spent an inordinate amount of time on the road since the start of the 2023 season because it has participated in showcase games, such as two appearances in the Black College Hall of Fame Classic in Ohio, played in CIAA championship games at neutral sites, and participated in four NCAA Division II playoff games as a visitor. The Panthers won the first two D-II playoff games in program history last season, at Wingate and at Lenoir-Rhyne.
VUU went 10-4 in 2024, and 10-2 in 2023. Of those 26 games, the Panthers played eight at home.
“Being on the road as much as we have the last few years, those guys kind of know what the expectation is,” said Parker.
Gone, not forgotten
Seventeen players left VUU via the transfer portal after last season, including safety William Davis (Halifax), who transferred to West Virginia, and receiver Reginald Vick, who shifted to Wake Forest. Several other former VUU players are now in lower levels of Division I.
“I thought before the year, we lost a lot. But we still have a lot of guys on the roster that kind of know what the mode is around here,” said Parker.
Parker said he keeps up with the players who left VUU and “I’m proud of all of them. A lot of them are making differences at the programs that they’re at right now … When I see those guys perform where they are and kind of doing what they’re doing, it still makes me happy, because they’re still mine, although they’re not here. I still get a kind of joy in seeing those guys succeed.”
Curtis Allen rolling
Senior Curtis Allen, a 6-foot-2 215-pounder from Prince George High, leads the CIAA and ranks sixth nationally (D-II) in rushing yards per game (153.3).
“I still think some of his best football is in front of him,” said Parker. “We’re looking forward to kind of seeing what he can do. But right now, I love the pace that he’s on.”
Allen spent the last three seasons backing up Jada Byers, the career leading rusher in school history and winner of the 2024 Deacon Jones HBCU Player of the Year Trophy.