JC Smith takes on Virginia State for the highest of stakes 

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Johnson C. Smith linebacker Vincent Hill (0) gestures to teammates in the Golden Bulls’ 40-6 win against Lincoln (Pa.) on Oct. 18, 2026. JCSU’s defense, which is second in the CIAA at 10.9 points allowed per game, plays Virginia State, the conference’s highest-scoring team at 40.5 points per game, on Oct. 31.

Win and get in.

That’s the equation Johnson C. Smith faces over the final two weeks of the regular season to play for the CIAA football title. It’s not an unfamiliar task – consecutive losses in 2024 knocked the Golden Bulls out of the mix while last year’s team got the formula right and won the crown. 

This time, JCSU needs wins against Virginia State on Saturday and at Livingstone on Nov. 7 to qualify. The Golden Bulls (6-2, 5-1 CIAA) lost their first conference game last week at Bowie State to fall a game behind Virginia State and Virginia Union. The Trojans and Panthers play each other in their regular season finale. 

“There’s not going to be a sense of panic anywhere,” Smith coach Maurice Flowers said. “You’re not going to see the coaches going crazy, you’re not going to see us staying in the office until 12 or 1 o'clock at night. We’re going to do our same thing that we normally do in how we prepare for a football game and prepare for an opponent and we’re going to fix these things that we know went wrong. We’re going to get ready to play against a very good football team in our place on Saturday.”

JCSU, which had its six-game win streak snapped at Bowie State, were mistake-prone at critical moments. The Golden Bulls managed just one touchdown on five trips inside the Bulldogs’ 20, and the defense was flagged four times on the Bulldogs’ game-winning drive, capped by a 7-yard pass from Joshuah Keith to John Thompson with 34 seconds left. Other than the dramatic ending, JCSU’s missteps were like the season-opening loss at Benedict.

“It's an area that we should have conquered,” Flowers said. “I won’t say it’s frustrating; I’ll just say it’s an area that we still haven’t mastered. Still have growth to basically get through. You master things when you move on and they don’t come back up. Well, it’s clearly shown that we haven’t mastered it.” 

The Golden Bulls dominated statistically, rolling up 383 yards on offense (197 rushing) while limiting Bowie State (4-4, 4-2) to 194, with 44 yards passing. The difference was red zone efficiency, where the Bulldogs turned three trips inside JCSU’s 20 into a pair of touchdowns and a field goal.

“Really not a great performance by the Golden Bulls – just didn’t take advantage of a lot of opportunities,” Flowers said. “First, they get off to a good start, but then you let them hang around. We had opportunities to go up two scores – we went up a score, and then defense held them, and then we got the ball on the plus-47. 

“So, [if] we go score from 47 yards out, we’re up two scores in the fourth quarter – game is essentially over. Well, we didn’t take advantage of that opportunity.”

JCSU has another chance to get right against Virginia State (7-1, 6-0), the CIAA’s highest-scoring team at 42.5 points per game. The Golden Bulls, who’ve beaten the Trojans the last two seasons and allow only 10.9 points per game (second in the CIAA), understand the stakes.

“We expect to get their best shot,” Flowers said. “They’re coming off a bye week, also. This is a great opportunity for us to get back on track. We’re going to be playing a good team. We’re familiar with them. They’re going to come in, I’m sure. with all guns blazing. 

“But we’re going to be ready for Saturday, and for our young men, this is going to be a great learning experience, what we just had losing to Bowie State. We’re a resilient group, and we’re going to get out and have a good week of practice each day, one day at a time, and get ready for Saturday.”

Note: JCSU running back Fabian Duncan set the school single-season rushing record with 1,213 yards. The previous mark was 1,170 set by Ernest Williams in 1976. 

Duncan, who ran for 138 yards on 35 carries against Bowie State, has rushed for 100 yards in seven of eight games. 

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