Unbeaten no more, JCSU turns attention to critical finale

DONALD WATKINS | THE CHARLOTTE POST

After watching their undefeated season fall apart against Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith linebacker Jack Smith and the Golden Bulls can wrap up a spot in the CIAA title game with a win at rival Livingstone.

Johnson C. Smith’s undefeated season is a thing of the past.

The Golden Bulls took their first loss of the season Saturday in a 27-0 decision to Fayetteville State that left them in a win-and-in scenario next week in the season finale against rival Livingstone. After rolling through the season with defense and complimentary offense, JCSU (8-1, 5-1 CIAA) was on the opposite end as the Broncos (4-4, 3-3) were flawless on both sides of the ball.

“They’re not having the best season … but that is a championship-caliber team,” Golden Bulls coach Maurice Flowers said. “…(FSU) coach Richard Hayes, hats off to him making sure his team was ready to play.”

JCSU, which had its school-record 10-game regular season win streak snapped, was outmatched in every phase. Fayetteville State racked up 353 yards on offense while limiting the Golden Bulls to a season low 190, including 30 on the ground. The Broncos dominated time of possession at 35 minutes, 34 seconds as the more physical team. JCSU, the CIAA’s top-ranked offense and defense, struggled to keep pace once FSU took a 14-0 lead into intermission.

“You’ve got to know how to bounce back,” said linebacker Benari Black, a West Charlotte High grad who led JCSU with 16 tackles. “They came out … hot and we didn’t bounce back. We came out and reacted too late.”

Said Flowers: “As head coach, I take all of this one. I didn’t get my team ready to play. We were flat, we just didn’t play with [enthusiasm] or spunk, and it was because of Fayetteville State. I did not have us ready to play.”

The warning signs were abundant before kickoff. Flowers lamented a subpar week of practice that manifested in the Golden Bulls’ worst outing of the season. The offense was especially off-kilter, with quarterback Darius Ocean under constant pressure by the Broncos’ defense. He completed 15-of-35 passes for 162 yards and a pair of interceptions, including a third-quarter pick by Solomon Barnes in the end zone that killed a drive that could’ve cut the deficit in half.

“It happens,” said Golden Bulls linebacker Jack Smith, who tallied 14 tackles. “That’s part of the game. They came out firing on all cylinders and did what they were supposed to do. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do. It’s just that simple.”

Said Flowers: “We pride ourselves on being a really good practice team and early this week we didn’t have the attention to detail. That just came over to the game. The biggest thing I saw was the lack of attention to detail on the details we’re usually on top of and that’s the head coach’s job to make sure we’re ready to go and I didn’t have us ready.”

JCSU doesn’t have much time to wallow over what was. Next up is Livingstone (5-4, 3-3) in a renewal of the oldest rivalry in Black college football in the Commemorative Classic with a berth in the CIAA title game on the line. A win would sew up a spot in the conference showcase for the first time since 1972; a loss combined with a Virginia State win against Virginia Union would leave the Golden Bulls third. They are also in contention for a spot in the Division II playoffs – which would also be a school first.

“All of our goals are still there,” Flowers said. “At no time did we say our goal was to go undefeated. Our goals were not to go undefeated. We said we had the team to compete for every win. What we do know is it’s hard to go undefeated on any level, especially if you have not done it before. It’s new territory, but it’ll do us good. We’ll learn a lot from it.”

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