July 6th, 2026 6:00am
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
Over the next several weeks leading up to the start of the 2026 season, we will spotlight some of the most notable non-conference matchups on the early-season schedule.
We begin the series with one of the most recently announced contests. Virginia Union of the CIAA will travel to Hickory, North Carolina, to face Lenoir-Rhyne of the SAC in a Week 0 showdown. The game is scheduled for Friday, August 28. The matchup became possible after West Florida announced plans to reclassify to Division I. The Argonauts had originally been scheduled as Lenoir-Rhyne's Week 0 opponent.
Over the past five seasons, Virginia Union and Lenoir-Rhyne have been among the most successful programs in the Southeast. Virginia Union has reached the CIAA Championship Game in each of the past three seasons, capturing conference titles in 2023 and 2024. The Panthers have also earned four consecutive playoff appearances. In 2024, Virginia Union won two postseason games and advanced to the national quarterfinals. The 2025 season was highlighted by Curtis Allen's Harlon Hill Trophy-winning campaign. From 2021 through 2025, the Panthers compiled a 45-14 record, won two conference championships, made four playoff appearances, and recorded two playoff victories.
Lenoir-Rhyne completed its ninth consecutive winning season in 2025, although its 6-5 record marked the program's lowest win total since 2017. Even so, the Bears' five-year record is nearly identical to Virginia Union's, with 45 wins and 16 losses during that span. The high point came in 2023, when Lenoir-Rhyne advanced to the national semifinals and matched a program record with 13 victories in a single season.
The two programs represent conferences with a long history of competition, yet the Panthers and Bears have met only three times. Virginia Union holds a 2-1 advantage in the series, with the visiting team winning each matchup. The most recent meeting came in the second round of the 2024 playoffs, when Virginia Union rolled to a 44-12 victory. Jada Byers rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns, while Curtis Allen added 132 rushing yards and two scores. Allen averaged 12 yards per touch in the contest.
Lenoir-Rhyne's lone victory in the series came during Week 2 of the 2019 season. The Bears defeated Virginia Union 28-11 at Hovey Field behind three touchdowns from Dareke Young, who later became a 2022 NFL Draft pick.
Virginia Union at Lenoir-Rhyne will take center stage with a Friday night matchup, August 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., with live coverage available on FloSports.