(Raleigh, NC) - Shaw quarterbacks combined for six touchdown passes as Shaw handily defeated visiting Virginia Union 57-27.

Starting quarterback Kevin Atkins (right) threw for 212 yards and four touchdowns on the evening, while Quinshon Odom came in with the second team in the fourth quarter and added 103 yards and two touchdowns of his own – one a 60-yard bomb that was pulled in by Tyrone Craig in the endzone.

While the Shaw defense gave up some big plays at key moments, including a 25-yard touchdown pass from Panther quarterback Aris McGlone-English to Andre Winston as the clock hit zero at the end of the first half, they also managed to hold Virginia Union scoreless in the first and third quarters.

"It's the first game for us," said Coach Darrell Asberry. "You never know what you are going to get, and I think we did pretty well."

He continued, "We knew they had two great receivers and our goal was to keep everything in front of us and not give up the big plays. For the most part, we did that."

The Bears scored two touchdowns each quarter, with the defense joining in during the fourth quarter with a safety.

Until the fourth quarter, when freshman backup quarterback Odom showed off his strong arm with long strikes, the Bears scored on deliberate drives with short passes mixed evenly with rushing attempts.

Shaw opened the game with a 15-play drive that covered 74 yards and ate 5:40 off the clock before Tyrone Bolden hauled in an Atkins pass. One of the few missteps for the Bears occurred on the extra point attempt, which ended with a muffed snap.

Raymond Williams, who had 81 yards rushing on the night, scored with two minutes left in the first quarter to give the Bears the 13-0 lead.

McGlone-English took the reins and powered his team down the field in a 14-play drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock and ended with him scrambling into the end zone, and cutting the lead to only six, 13-7.

The Bears spent the rest of the game scoring two touchdowns for every one that the Panthers managed. A blocked Panther punt that went through the end zone early in the fourth quarter gave the Bears an extra two points.

Antonio Dunn topped off a six-play drive with a 19-yard touchdown run that gave the Bears the 20-7 lead, followed a few minutes later by Craig's first touchdown catch on the evening – a 24-yard strike that topped a nine-play drive.

Their two touchdowns in the book, the Bears left the Panthers back on the scoreboard with the half-ending touchdown strike from McGlone-English to Winston.

In the third, the Bears scored as Julius Gregory and Jayson Royal each pulled in a touchdown pass – with Royal's topping an eight-play drive.

After the Shaw safety, which gave the Bears a 43-14 lead, Odom took the field and led a five-play drive that ended with a 36-yard pass to Gregory.

The Panthers then scored twice – both when McGlone-English connected with Matias Parker for 16 and 15 yard touchdown passes.

Odom combined with Craig for a 60-yard strike with just over two minutes left in the game to bring the final tally 57-27.

Gregory hauled in a touchdown pass from each quarterback, netting 88 receiving yards. He also punted for the Bears – and launched a 61-yard punt in the first half. Craig also caught touchdown passes from each quarterback and had 89 yards on the night.

Marcus Skeen had seven tackles on the night and LaMichael Howell added six solo tackles and one assist. Fred Sparkman had five solo tackles and two assists.

For the Panthers, McGlone-English had 233 yards while throwing for three touchdowns. He was intercepted once. Parker pulled in two touchdowns for 42 yards, while Joseph Jean-Pierre had 151 receiving yards. Adidias Arrington led the Panthers on defense with seven solo tackles and three assists, while Jason Boyce had six tackles and four assists.

Next Saturday, the Bears step up a division and visit Elon for a 7:00 p.m. start. "We need to improve our special teams – special teams win games," said Asberry of next week's challenge. "We have to block punts. We have to learn to finish in all aspects of our game."