Experience, meet opportunity at 6-0 JC Smith football

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Johnson C. Smith linebacker Jack Smith (2) closes in on Virginia Union running back Jada Byers during the Golden Bulls’ 21-16 win on Sept. 21. Smith’slast-minute  interception against Virginia State on Oct. 5 preserved a 21-17 win and JCSU’s unbeaten record at 6-0.

Jack Smith leaned on experience to keep Johnson C. Smith’s unbeaten season going.

As Virginia State drove to the Golden Bulls’ 19 in the dying seconds of last week’s clash for first in the CIAA standings, Smith, JCSU’s middle linebacker, cut in front of Romelo Williams’ fourth-and-14 pass at the 2 to preserve a 21-17 win and first place in the CIAA. Smith’s heroics was the result of understanding tendencies: He correctly deduced Virginia State would try to lure him into shallow coverage and throw over the top.

This time, Smith drifted deep to undercut the intended receiver for the game-clinching interception with 17 seconds left.

“Everybody played their part on defense and offense – it’s a team win,” he said. “They kept running [over the ball routes] to the running back or the guy coming in [underneath], so I said I was going to sit on it and wait on him. I just pulled a veteran move out of my tricks.”

It became necessary because Virginia State (2-3, 1-1 CIAA) didn’t allow the Golden Bulls (6-0, 3-0) to wear them down as had been the case the first five games. JCSU, ranked No. 22 in the national Division II coaches’ poll and 21st in the media survey, never trailed – continuing a season-long trend – but couldn’t land the knockout punch until Smith’s game-saving pick.

“He’s a veteran,” Golden Bulls coach Maurice Flowers said. “Jack Smith, his first game [at JCSU] a team ran a running back right past him for a touchdown. Never happened again. If you listen to what he drew from … about that interception to end the game, [VSU was] trying something that basically he’s seen. That’s what you get with experience.”

JCSU led 7-0 at halftime, but spent the second half holding Virginia State, the preseason CIAA favorite, at bay. Both sides scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter followed by a defensive stalemate in the fourth. The Trojans managed a field goal but couldn’t solve JCSU’s fourth-ranked defense (209.6 yards per game) when needed.

The Golden Bulls, who managed 373 yards on offense compared to VSU’s 321, committed nine penalties for 69 yards and converted only 5-of-15 third down situations, did enough with situational football to get by.

“It was offense, defense and special teams again,” Flowers said. “All credit to Virginia State, but it was very clear we did some things that were very uncharacteristic of us. We turned the ball over, had some uncharacteristic flags, drops, blown assignments, just things that aren’t normally us, and Virginia State was the cause of some of those things. … [There are] some things that we will have to clean up, but when we play a very good ball club, those types of things happen.”

With four games left in the regular season and riding the crest of a school-record best start, the Golden Bulls are spending their off week contemplating history while preparing for next week’s game against Shaw, which needs a win to stay in the race for a spot in the CIAA title game.

“It feels good to know that we are undefeated in the CIAA and going into the bye week to get some guys healthy and to be ready to clean up some things that we didn’t do well” against Virginia State, Flowers said.

This article is updated to reflect Shaw as Johnson C. Smith's next opponent.

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