The 2024 HBCU football season is in full swing and the HBCU Gameday Original series ‘Brick x Brick with JCSU Football’ is in mid-season form delivering back-to-back episodes on the eve of the biggest Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) football game in recent memory, when JCSU hosts VA Union in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, Sept 21 at 6 pm.
Brick x Brick began in 2022 as a segment on JCSU football head coach Maurice Flowers’ first win over Elizabeth City State University. From there, HBCU Gameday and JCSU partnered on a documentary of the Golden Bulls’ spring ball program, highlighted by a trip to Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers for a special spring practice. That project bloomed into a five-part series, culminating with an all-access episode where filmmaker Wali Pitt traveled to Fort Lauderdale, FL with JCSU football on their trip to the inaugural Florida Beach Bowl.
Episodes four and five of season two of ‘Brick x Brick’ follow the Golden Bulls to Atlanta for a ‘Business Trip’ against Morehouse and take you behind the scenes of the JCSU football home opener against Lincoln where Smith was looking to ‘Protect the Crib.’
Brick x Brick SzN II | JCSU vs Morehouse | Business Trip
Follow JCSU football as they load the team bus in Charlotte, NC, and head for Atlanta to take on Morehouse College at historic B.T. Harvey Stadium. After a win over Tuskegee in the Red Tails Classic, the Golden Bulls look to prove they can handle business on the road against a tough non-conference opponent.
Brick x Brick SzN II | JCSU vs Lincoln | Protect the Crib
After going 2-0 on the road to start the season, JCSU football returned to Charlotte, NC for its home opener against CIAA foe Lincoln University. The Golden Bulls’ packed the Irwin Belk Complex and showed what type of atmosphere you can expect in Charlotte with a winning football team.
JCSU vs VA Union
The Golden Bulls are 3-0 and welcome the defending CIAA champion Virginia Union (VA Union) Panthers to Uptown Charlotte and the Irwin Belk Complex for a 6 pm kickoff. Union is coming off a tough 33-21 loss to Virginia HBCU rival Hampton and has had a long road to becoming a CIAA football champion.
The Panthers come to Charlotte with an all-CIAA running back and one of the first two HBCU Legacy Bowl selections of 2025. Brigton, NJ native Jada Byers has been one of the top backs in the CIAA for a few seasons and he’s continuing his dominance in 2024 averaging 158 yards per game and scoring five touchdowns on the year.
The Golden Bulls will counter Virginia Union’s steady dose of Jada Byers with the three-headed backfield of Quavaris Crouch, Kamarro Edmunds, and Avante George, who collectively average 164 yards per game.
The JCSU football program’s 3-0 record shows they have gone from rebuilding to resurging. Still, the matchup against VA Union will show if they are already a CIAA championship-caliber team in year three under head coach Maurice Flowers.
HBCU Gameday cameras will be in Charlotte covering the contest for the next episode of ‘Brick x Brick with JCSU Football.’ Full episodes are available on the HBCUGameday.com homepage, the Gameday, and on the HBCU Gameday YouTube Channel. You can also find exclusive content on all HBCU Gameday social media platforms.