JC Smith football’s November to remember rolls on

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Johnson C. Smith quarterback Kelvin Durham set new school records for total offense (2,957 yards), touchdown passes (25), passing yardage (2,717) and completion percentage (64.7%) in leading the Golden Bulls to their first NCAA Division II playoffs appearance.

Postseason football is a new experience at Johnson C. Smith. 

The Golden Bulls, who earned the school’s first berth in the Division II playoffs by winning the CIAA title last week, are neophytes in the field of 32. Their first test is Saturday when they take on Frostburg (Md.) State at McGirt Field in the first meeting between the teams.

“We know they’re a good football team – 9-2 this season – and we know in the playoffs, there are no accidents,” Golden Bulls coach Maurice Flowers said. “In the playoffs, you’ve got tough teams that are going to be there.”

The second seed Golden Bulls (10-1, No. 11 in the nation), who beat Virginia Union 45-21 to earn their first CIAA title since 1969, are tough, too. In seizing the conference crown, JCSU had to win six straight games to qualify for the championship round, then beat the nationally ranked Panthers in a rematch of the Sept. 20 game Virginia Union won 28-10. 

“This is more history for our program, this is the first playoff appearance for JCSU, so we can’t lean on experience that we’ve been there, done that,” said Flowers, the CIAA coach of the year. “We do have some coaches that have been there in the playoffs, and so that’s what we’re going to lean on. But the biggest thing that we do in our program is we just trust our process. We don’t change things. We believe in our preparation by day and our situations that we practice each day for each opponent as we go through the week, and our biggest thing is making sure we're healthy and ready to go compete at the highest level.”

Sixth seed and 24th-ranked Frostburg State, which earned a share of the Mountain East Conference title with University of Charleston (W.Va.), advanced by winning the head-to-head tiebreaker, a 34-32 double overtime result on Oct. 18. The Bobcats, who are 22nd in the nation in total defense, lead the MEC in scoring defense at 19.9 points per game, total defense (302.5 yards), and pass defense (152.7 yards). Frostburg State has a potent offense that averages 32.55 points and 398.1 yards per game.

JCSU, on the other hand, set school records for wins in a season, points scored (405), scoring average (36.0 points) and yards per game (405). All-CIAA quarterback Kelvin Durham set single season standards for total offense (2,957 yards), touchdown passes (25), passing yardage (2,717) and completion percentage (64.7%). 

Three receivers  accounted for at least five scores: All-conference pick Deandre Proctor (nine), Reggie Daniel (six) and Brian Lane (five).

All-CIAA running back Bobby Smith is 11 rushing yards short of becoming the first Golden Bull to eclipse the 1,000-yard barrier since Emanuel Wilson amassed 1,040 in 2019. 

JCSU’s defense, led by all-conference linebacker Vincent Hill (75 tackles) and defensive tackle Cadricus Stanley (32 tackles, four sacks), is 19th in the nation in total defense. The Golden Bulls concede an average of 16.9 points and 299.9 yards an outing and tallied 29 sacks and 14 takeaways, including 10 interceptions.

JCSU’s preparation will focus on fine tuning what they’ve done well, especially during a seven-game win streak, the second-longest in program history, after their lone loss. 
“We respect every opponent, but our focus is going to be on us and how we go about our preparation for our process,” Flowers said. 

For a program emerging on the national stage after decades off the football map, JCSU is doing the unprecedented, Flowers’ objective since he took over four years ago. The climb has been steady and Saturday’s game – a home date, no less – is the reward.

“I just can't even start to fathom it yet, because it's a home playoff game on our campus, and something that's never been done before,” he said. “This is one of our one of our goals.  We wanted to go to the Division II playoffs and compete for a national championship, so here we go.”

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