Homecoming – and history – await the torrid Golden Bulls

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Johnson C. Smith running back Kamarro Edmonds runs downfield against Lincoln (Pa.) in the Golden Bulls’ 52-6 win on Sept. 18. JCSU (6-0, 3-0 CIAA) is second in the conference in points scored per game with an average of 32.8. Edmonds is one of three Golden Bulls in the top eight in CIAA rushing.

A Johnson C. Smith homecoming football game has never been this relevant.

The unbeaten Golden Bulls, who are ranked 20th in this week’s AFCA Division II coaches’ poll, has more at stake in Saturday’s game against Shaw than any time in school history. Along with the first-ever national ranking, there’s an opportunity to extend their school-record start to 7-0 and remain atop the CIAA standings.

“Our young men, they’re aware that we’re doing some things that hadn’t been done since 1969” when the Golden Bulls won their only CIAA title, coach Maurice Flowers said. “They’re definitely aware of being ranked in the top 25 for the first time in school history. They’re aware of being No. 1 in the HBCU Division II poll.

“They’re aware of all these things, and aware that we’re undefeated in the conference, so they’re also aware of what got us to this point, which is the most important thing.”

That means paying attention to details amid preparations against Shaw (4-3, 2-2 CIAA), which is desperate for a win to keep its slim conference title game hopes alive. The backdrop of history adds another source of potential diversion.

“With homecoming, the distractions become more through the week as the week goes,” Flowers said. “It’s not like most of the time … as our preparation starts to go down, the distractions start to go up, so we’re very aware. The team is very aware, and we’ve just got to be really focused on the job at hand. That’s what our message has been – let’s focus on the job at hand.”

For JCSU (6-0, 3-0 CIAA), Shaw is the first of four games against conference rivals from North Carolina. The intensity – and stakes – are heightened as JCSU, along with Virginia Union, are the only teams with unblemished conference records. Smith’s 21-16 win against the Panthers on Sept. 28 counts in the CIAA standings for the Golden Bulls due to an unbalanced conference schedule.

Livingstone and Winston-Salem State, both former Southern Division members, have a CIAA loss along with Virginia State. Livingstone and WSSU square off Saturday in what amounts to an elimination game for the loser.

“This is old Southern Division matchups now, so every game is going to be a tough one,” Flowers said. “Nothing should surprise us. It’s going to be knock-down, drag-out for the rest of the regular season.”

The Golden Bulls, who were off last week, spent time recovering and fine-tuning. Flowers said running back Quavaris Crouch, who had been limited by high ankle sprain), is a full participant, as is guard Tyler McBeth, who missed the last four games.  

JCSU, which has won eight straight regular season games datng to last year, is among the CIAA leaders on both sides of the ball with 32.3 points per game on offense (second in the conference) compared to 11.3 points conceded (first). Shaw, on the other hand, scores an average of 27.4 points an outing (third) but allows 28.1 (ninth). The Golden Bulls worked at cleaning up miscues from their last game, a 21-17 win against Virginia State on Oct. 5.

“Offensively, we’re leaving points on the board,” Flowers said. “We’re very fortunate to be 6-0 overall and 3-0, but you look at all three games that came down to the end. Tuskegee, our defense is on the field to wrap the game up. You look at Virginia Union, our defense was on the field to pretty much wrap it up … and then Virginia State, our defense pretty much wrapped it up.

“You look at each game, there were points in each … that offensively, if we finish some drives, those games could look very different. That’s really where our focus is: offense to finish those drives and defensively, let’s get some more takeaways.”

One thing JCSU has done well is impose its will on offense and defense. That, Flowers believes, is key to success during the stretch drive.

“What we do know is the most physical team is going to win, and we define that very clearly within our program,” he said. “…People sometimes mix up physicality with dirty play – hitting people late, hitting them out of bounds. But the way we define physical football is just being the aggressor, being low, playing with hands and lots of hands and keeping people off your body. The physical team wins.”

Comments