HBCU Football: JCSU survives homecoming scare, moves to 7-0

Courtesy of JCSU Athletics

CHARLOTTE – Johnson C Smith University maintained its perfect HBCU football season by defeating Shaw inside Irwin Belk Stadium with a final score of 21-14 on Saturday afternoon. This win keeps Johnson C. Smith undefeated at 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the CIAA, while Shaw drops to 4-4 and 2-2.

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Shaw’s Ah’sha Belcher scored an 8-yard pass from Christi Peters at 08:47, giving Shaw an early 7-0 lead. Johnson C Smith responded with Blake McCullough catching a 23-yard pass from Darius Ocean as the quarter ended, leveling the score at 7-7.
In the third quarter Avante George pulled JCSU ahead with an 8-yard pass from Ocean at 09:55, after an 11-play, 72-yard drive, making it 14-7.

In the final quarter, Darius Ocean connected with Brevin Caldwell for a 12-yard pass at 04:20, extending their lead to 21-7 after a 10-play drive. Shaw’s Travon Tensley closed the gap with a 1-yard run at 02:18, finishing a 3-play, 31-yard drive, making the final score 21-14.

Notable Performances
Johnson C. Smith:
Darius Ocean threw for 265 yards.
Brevin Caldwell had 182 receiving yards.
Quavaris Crouch contributed 29 receiving yards.

Shaw:
Christi Peters threw for 217 yards.
Travon Tensley ran for 96 yards.
Ah’sha Belcher added 81 receiving yards.

Brick x Brick Docuseries with JCSU Football

The Charlotte, North Carolina HBCU is amid a football resurgence, and HBCU Gameday cameras have captured the turnaround at Johnson C. Smith under head coach Maurice Flowers since his first win in 2022. Season 1 of Brick x Brick showed the Golden Bulls increase their win total from two to seven games, the most at the HBCU in over a decade. Season 2 is unfolding to reveal the Golden Bulls as a CIAA championship contender, as they continue to make HBCU football history in Charlotte, NC.

In the latest episode, JCSU is the hottest team in HBCU football heading into the second half of the season. The Golden Bulls battle not just CIAA preseason favorite Virginia State, but the rising expectations as the only undefeated HBCU after 5 weeks. Can JCSU block out the noise of ESPN’s College GameDay and NFL scouts to go 6-0