By james art Johnson C. Smith is arguably the best team in HBCU football and they continued to add to their historic season against conference rival Winston-Salem State University. WSSU, which has a storied football tradition, was victorious in the previous 46 games the Golden Bulls hosted at Bowman Gray Stadium. But Johnson C. Smith’s hot undefeated team was able to secure a 24-15 victory over the Rams. Before today, the last time Johnson C. Smith won against Winston-Salem State on the road was in 1975.
Johnson C. Smith won the game with a balance of efficient offensive attack and stifling defense that contained Winston-Salem State. The Golden Bulls held the Rams to 155 offensive yards, including 39 rushing yards. Johnson C. Smith entered the game as the #1 rushing defense in the CIAA, giving up just 75.3 yards per game Saturday thanks to their solid defensive front. But Winston-Salem State also failed to find success through the air.
Rams quarterback Daylin Lee completed just 10 of 25 passes, demonstrating the challenge of finding opportunities to generate offense against the Golden Bulls’ defense. Meanwhile, Johnson K. Smith quarterback Darius Ocean continued his stellar play at the helm of the offense. He finished the game throwing for 262 yards and one touchdown with one interception on 23/38 passing. The Johnson C. Smith run game also proved successful as the team rushed for 150 yards and scored two touchdowns courtesy of Kamarr Edmonds (102 yards rushing) and Quavari Crouch.
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Johnson C. Smith is off to one of the best starts in program history, and head coach Maurice Flowers is overseeing the construction of a contender that could make some noise in the CIAA and possibly NCAA Division II playoffs if they continue their dominant season. The Golden Bulls host 2023 CIAA Championship finalist Fayetteville State on Saturday, Nov. 2, hoping to continue their streak and remain at the top of HBCU football. The game will be broadcast live on the CIAA Sports Network.
Randall Barnes is Head of HBCU (Historically Black College or University) Content at ClutchPoints and founder of HBCU Pulse, a multimedia outlet with a mission to tell the authentic stories of HBCU Life through traditional, digital and social media.