JC Smith football: Lessons learned, title game earned

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Johnson C. Smith linebackers Jamaris Stevens (10) and Vincent Hill celebrate Stevens’ interception in the Golden Bulls’ 39-33 overtime win against Virginia State Oct. 31, 2026, at McGirt Field. JCSU (8-2, 7-1 CIAA) will play Virginia Union (9-1, 8-0) in the CIAA title game Nov. 14 at Durham County Stadium.

Fabian Duncan transferred to Johnson C. Smith for meaningful football.

He’s getting it.

The Golden Bulls, who are playing for a second straight CIAA title Saturday against Virginia Union at Durham County Stadium, are familiar with the concept. Duncan, a running back who transferred from Allen, played a major role in their return visit with 148 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries in their 27-14 win at Livingstone in the Commemorative Classic to close the regular season 8-2. 

“I’m feeling really good,” said Duncan, who extended his school single-season rushing record to 1,564 yards. “Great experience to be a part of this classic game, and really, I’m just looking forward to (the title game), being able to go compete for a championship and put a ring on my hand.”

And perhaps another record in the process. Duncan’s 15 touchdowns (13 rushing) equals William Dusenbury’s JCSU single-season standard set in 1967, a feat Duncan was unaware of until a reporter informed him.

“For real?” the North Mecklenburg High graduate asked. “Let me not get ahead of myself now, but OK. We got the yards, of course – cool. But we just tied the touchdown record? OK, cool. It’ll be broken next Saturday.”

Duncan wasn’t alone in his excitement. Golden Bulls coach Maurice Flowers took a measure of satisfaction in finally beating Livingstone in Salisbury in his third try to improve his record against the Blue Bears to 3-2. This time, JCSU (No. 22 in the national Division II media rankings) raced to a 20-0 advantage and fended off Livingstone’s rally with a combination of balanced offense and defense that rose to the occasion.

“Winning the CIAA championship is such a big high, but to come to a place where you probably had one of your biggest heartbreaks, that’s really what growth is about,” Flowers said. “It’s what faith is about, and just so glad that we’re able to do this together. When you have faith, it gets tested, and our faith has been tested. 

“Just look at the road that we have traveled because leaving this field in ‘24, when we got beat 15-10, and we had everything in our grasp – win and go to the championship game, win and go to the playoffs – and we came up short. You know what? That’s really life, also, so to learn those lessons and … come back to the scene where it happened is major.”

For the second straight season, JCSU closed with a win streak after losing a conference game to reach the CIAA final. This time, it required beating Virginia State (7-3, 6-2) to grab second in the conference standings and rival Livingstone to close the deal. 

“We’re still growing as a program,” Flowers said. “We’ve got to remember this is still new to us and a few weeks ago at Bowie State, it was new to us, bringing your ‘A’ game every single game. “We’re still growing with it, but it’s just a blessing to … finish 7-1 in the conference, and to have earned our way.” 

And off to Durham they go for another big game in a season full of them – this time against a familiar nemesis in Virginia Union (9-1, 8-0), which is on a nine-game win streak and ranked 18th in the nation. 

“Definitely feeling really good, but at the same time still not done yet,” Duncan said. “I’ve been saying it since game one, game two, the job’s still the same, but I’m definitely feeling really good about this.” 

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