It was supposed to be a great day in Ettrick. But it didn’t turn out that way.

With national RTV cameras rolling, homecoming at Virginia State University was missing a key ingredient – a victory.

The host Trojans fell behind early and never was a threat in a 41-14 loss to visiting Bowie State. The Bulldogs led 24-0 after one quarter and 31-7 at halftime.

Bowie outgained the Trojans, 413 yards to 276.

A crowd of 4,137 was entertained at halftime by the always exciting Trojan Explosion marching band, but by then it was too late for the home team on the field.

If VSU’s game had a star, it likely was Tyrone Fisher with 11 tackles. That said, the Trojans’ defense was on the field far too long. Bowie had the ball for 37 minutes compared to VSU’s 23.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for first-year Coach Henry Frazier and came in the second half of an HBCU double-header, following Virginia Union and Elizabeth City.

VSU, now 4-2 overall and 3-1 in CIAA, travels to Murfreesboro, N.C., this Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff against Chowan. The Braves are 3-3 overall and, like VSU, 3-1 in the CIAA. Both remain contenders.

VSU and Chowan will border on an elimination game for the CIAA Northern Division title. It would be difficult to withstand two league losses and still qualify for the Nov. 12 CIAA championship in Salem.