By james art There hasn’t been a stronger start to the Johnson C. Smith football season.
The Golden Bulls jumped all over Winston-Salem State with a comfortable 24-15 victory Saturday afternoon at Bowman Gray Stadium. The historically black university, located near upstate Charlotte, improved to 8-0, its best season opener in program history.
No. 19 JC Smith (8-0, 5-0 Central Interscholastic Athletic Association) has never had a longer winning streak. The seven-win start coming into Saturday’s game marked the program’s best since 1969 and hasn’t posted an eight-win season since 1975.
“I came out with a chip on my shoulder,” Golden Bulls junior running back Camaro Edmonds, who recorded touchdowns through the air and on the ground, said after the game. “I just stayed focused, stayed positive — came out, got the ‘W’ and executed.
“It motivates us every week. Every time we win, we just move on and build on the next game.”
JC Smith jumped ahead of Winston-Salem State early
While JC Smith missed a field goal on its opening drive, its defense forced Winston-Salem State (6-3, 4-2 CIAA) to punt six times in the first half.
The Golden Bulls got on the board within three plays of a successful fumble that took them into the red zone. Edmonds, a Havelock, N.C. native who originally signed with UNC, rushed for a six-yard touchdown that gave JC Smith an early 7-0 lead.
He marched down again late in the first half on an eight-play, 68-yard drive. The drive culminated in a 27-yard field goal by Jacob Meneses — a senior kicker for the California Golden Bulls who began his career at Fayetteville State — as time expired.
JC Smith got the ball back early in the second half and capitalized on a big point. Facing fourth down with 17 yards to go in plus territory, Ocean connected with Edmonds for a 27-yard touchdown pass that gave the Golden Bulls a 17-0 lead.
Ocean threw a pick-6 on the first play of JC Smith’s next drive. His pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Narike Smith, a Rams senior linebacker who played at Rocky River High in Mint Hill.
The score remained 17-7 entering the fourth quarter, and Edmunds’ 56-yard field goal brought the Golden Bulls close again. Junior running back Quavaris Crouch, a Charlotte standout at Tennessee and Michigan State, scored a two-yard touchdown.
The Rams scored again in the final two minutes when Greenville, N.C. native Jayden Grimes caught a touchdown pass to make it 24-15.
Remarkable
▪ Johnson C. Smith, ranked No. 19 in the AFCA Division II national poll, has never been undefeated through eight games. The program’s last eight-win campaign was in 1975.
▪ Saturday marked the 76th all-time meeting between these two North Carolina HBCUs. The Golden Bulls snapped a 21-game losing streak against the Rams with a 35-31 victory last year in Charlotte.
▪ Winston-Salem State had won five of its last six games entering Saturday’s game. It was just the second loss for the Rams this season in the CIAA, where they are ranked third.
They said it
“We’ll have 24 hours to enjoy the win,” head coach Maurice Flowers said. “We know we’re doing so many ‘firsts.’ We are the last HBCU to go undefeated in the country. For the first time in school history, we are ranked in the Top 25. We feel good.
“Here’s the thing: In 1989, I lost 80-6 on this field. When I talked to my team, I said it wasn’t a win-win deal for the coach, but I knew one day I would come back as the head coach and win here. I won here as an offensive coordinator and now it feels good to win as a head coach.”
Next up
Johnson C. Smith returns to the Irwin Belk Complex for its final home game of the regular season, hosting Fayetteville State on Senior Day next week at 1:00 pm on Saturday. Winston-Salem State will be off next week before finishing its regular season against Fayetteville State on Nov. 9.