Fayetteville State fell 35-18 to Virginia State on the road on Saturday, September 28 at Rogers Stadium in Ettrick, Virginia. The Trojans improved to 2-2 on the year and 1-1 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association play, while the Broncos fell to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

"It was a tough loss today," said Head Coach Richard Hayes. "Hats off to Virginia State. They played with desperation, and we didn't today. I am very disappointed in our effort. We are going to take it back to Fayetteville, regroup, and shuffle some things around. It is not over for us, and we understand that. We are going to have to make some changes in order to make this championship run."
 
Fayetteville State started strong with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Joe Owens Jr. to Kahlil Ashley-Diarrah, putting them ahead 7-0. However, Virginia State quickly responded with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Romelo Williams to Kevin Gayles, tying the game at 7-7.
 
In the second quarter, VSU took the lead with a 4-yard run by Jimmyll Williams, followed by another touchdown pass from Romelo Williams to Gayles, making it 21-10 at halftime. The third quarter saw Gayles scoring again with a 68-yard pass from Williams, extending the lead to 28-10. The Trojans continued their dominance in the fourth quarter with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Tayshaun Porter.
 
Fayetteville State managed to score one more touchdown with a 13-yard pass from Demari Daniels to Emanuel Ortega-Garcia, but it wasn't enough to close the gap.
 
Bryce Council led all Broncos rushers with 37 yards in the contest, picking up 4.6 yards per carry. Julian Milligan also added 22 yards on the ground, as well as 38 receiving yards. David Baros reeled in four catches for 50 yards.
 
Malik Head led the defense with seven total tackles (two solo and five assisted), two for a loss of eight yards, and a half sack for five yards. Theniias Moss had four tackles and one interception.  Shawn Robinson had five tackles, 2.5 TFL, and 1.5 sacks in the loss.
 
Both Fayetteville State and Virginia State forced one turnover in Saturday's contest, with Fayetteville State turning that takeaway into three points. FSU's defense held up fairly well against the run, limiting Virginia State to 154 yards on the ground. Virginia State outgained Fayetteville State 385-292 in the contest. The Broncos converted 5-of-15 third downs while Virginia State was successful on 4 of 13.
 
Romelo Williams led the Trojans passing attack, completing 10 of his 16 attempts for 231 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Kevin Gayles was VSU's leading receiver with 149 yards and three touchdowns.
 
Fayetteville State will host Bowie State next Saturday in the Luther Nick Jeralds Stadium at 1 pm for Military Appreciation. The game will be aired live on HBCU Go channels.