Bad and good news are sprinkled together for Virginia State University’s beleaguered football team.

The bad news is that the Trojans fell to 0-3 last Saturday with a 24-14 CIAA loss at Fayetteville State University.

The good news is that the Men of Troy are returning home this Saturday, Oct. 2, to face another down-in-the-dumps CIAA squad, St. Augustine’s University. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Rogers Stadium in Ettrick.

The St. Augustine’s Falcons from Raleigh, N.C., are 0-2, with a 58-14 loss to Tusculum University of Tennessee and a 59-12 setback to Chowan University on their ledger.

VSU Coach Reggie Barlow continues to look for a full-time quarterback to take the place of departed three-season starter Cordelral Cook. Mark Wright, a sophomore from Georgia, alternated with sophomore D’Vonte Waller in the loss at Fayetteville. Wright and Jordan Davis had shared duties in the first two VSU games.

In his first action as quarterback, the 6-foot-3 Waller hit seven of 14 passes for 70 yards.

Waller arrived at VSU with a glowing resume from Highland Springs High School in Henrico. In 2018, he led the Springers to the State 5A title with a 15-0 record.

Highlights for VSU at Fayetteville included a 37-yard touchdown run by Demetrius Strickland and a 77-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Tyrone Fisher.

VSU has only four touchdowns in three games, including one by Fisher on defense.

Defensively, VSU has been solid. Zion Johnson was in on 13 tackles and Aponte Braxton was credited with four sacks against Fayetteville State.

The offense has been the problem.

The Trojans had only 14 first downs and 131 yards total offense at Fayetteville State as the team hunts for a cure for its offensive woes.

St. Augustine’s, having yielded 117 points in two games, could be just what the doctor ordered.