JCSU football dodges bullet ahead of huge CIAA road test

Johnson C. Smith (JCSU) remains the only unbeaten team in HBCU football after a homecoming scare against CIAA rival Shaw University. Next week, the Golden Bulls hit the road to face a hostile WSSU team that they haven’t beaten in Winston-Salem since 1976. Watch head coach Maurice Fowers take questions in the postgame presser with linebacker Benari Black, quarterback Darius Ocean, and wide receiver Brevin Caldwell, and check out the HBCU Gameday Original Series “Brick x Brick with JCSU Football” below.

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Game Notes

Shaw took a 7-0 lead over Johnson C. Smith after scoring the game’s first points on the first drive of the game. Johnson C. Smith then scored to take a 21-7 lead before the Bears put a touchdown on the board to narrow the advantage and make it a 21-14 game. Shaw had one last chance to tie the game with less than a minute left with the ball in JCSU territory but came up short on fourth down to end the threat. Game Notes

» Shaw outgained Johnson C. Smith 355-325, including a 138-60 advantage on the ground.
» Shaw had their highest scoring quarter in the fourth period when they put up seven points.
» Shaw converted 4 of 11 third downs while Johnson C. Smith was successful on 3 of 10.

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