This was a game full of history and emotion. The first time these two schools from rival towns (Petersburg and Richmond) played was back in the 1890s. Only Emporia State (KS) and Washburn in DII have a longer rivalry. Unfortunately, the air was quickly driven out of the Trojans bubble by the running of a series of FBs who gashed the center of the VSU defense all night long. The bleeding never stopped, as the Panthers of Virginia Union rushed for a rivalry-record 485 yards. To be fair, VSU was missing their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th most productive tacklers for this game, all of whom are now out for the season with an assortment of injuries. There were two legitimate pro prospects in this one, and they went up against each other all night, salvaging the otherwise painful experience of watching this blowout.

SCOUTING SUMMARY:

College: Virginia Union Conference: Division II Columnist: Staff

Game Notes
David Mims 70 6' 7.2" 355 5.90 OT 2010: A real find. Massive, massive man with a mean streak...Played LOT, but has feet for ROT only, but that isn't bad. His feet are easily as good as Phil Loadholt's, for example. Impressed me with his athleticism. Gets off the ball fairly quickly for such a large human, and played the whole game with no appearance of letting down or tiring. Usually got the better of VSU's fine DE candidate, Brandon Fortune. Showed me he can drive block and pancake people. Can even get down low (that's right, from way up there) and cut block. His back pedal is slow and labored in pass pro, and he looks like he needs to spend a bit more time developing his upper body. Does not look fat at 355 pounds. We need to gather some more intelligence on this guy. He may join Hillsdale's Jared Veldheer as another legit DII OT candidate for this draft. GRADE: Positive


College: Virginia State Conference: Division II Columnist: Staff

Game Notes
Brian Berry 11 5' 10.0" 180 0.00 WR 2011: VSU used a freshman QB who was starting only his second game and he played awful. Could not overcome the incessant pressure and could barely get a pass away. Berry was thus impossible to evaluate. GRADE: INC.

Brandon Fortune 97 6' 1.4" 269 5.10 DT 2010: Far and away VSU's best uninjured performer. A lot to like about this guy. Start with the fact that he is mature, respected and a leader. Throw in that he is a full time player who never stops coming. Reminds me of Richmond's Sherman Logan ('09). Plays out of a 3-pt. stance and shows a variety of moves. Hustles. Had a sack, 6 tackles and another TFL. Was matched up against Mims most of the night, and had to do most of his damage elsewhere. Wasn't getting anything done at the line of scrimmage, and all of his tackles came back away from Mims. Has the heart and hustle. May lack the physical gifts. Limited lateral agility, I would guess. Doesn't appear to be a potential OLB Conversion. GRADE: Slightly positive

OTHER NOTES:

Union: Brian Smith (#25), a 5'9", 180 junior halfback is a nice player, but he lost two fumbles an was benched a good part of the second half. Didn't matter though, as anyone VU lined up in the backfield gouged the under-manned VSU defense. Even a LB got in on the running action in this one with a big run (#51). OLB Mario Hall (#17) a senior, played a nice game, as did #28, a junior LB named Brandon Nash (6'2", 215), who is probably a UDFA in 2011.

VSU: Alfred Ngauja is a 5'11", 185 sophomore CB with some skills. LOT #74 Markus Copeland, a 6'4" , 270 junior, is a try hard guy who is well though of, but with limited pro potential.