CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In Episode 3 of the ‘HBCU Hard Knocks’ docuseries Brick x Brick, the cameras capture what might be the most important 60 minutes in the modern era of Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) football.
The Golden Bulls walked into Week 1 calling it a “measuring stick game.” They walked out with a 28–16 victory over the No. 11-ranked Valdosta State Blazers — a powerhouse program fresh off a Division II national championship appearance.
Inside the walls of Irwin Belk Complex, Brick x Brick offers the rawest kind of HBCU football cinema: locker room prayers, sideline energy, and the emotional spine of a team that no longer plays for validation — because, as Strength Coach Kevon Fly says, “We been that.”
“We Been That”: Respect, Fire, and the Moment Before Kickoff
This episode opens not with the typical pregame hype, but with tension. A Valdosta State player strolls through JCSU’s warmup zone — an unspoken line crossed in football culture.
The cameras catch Coach Fly stepping forward, rallying his team in the huddle.
“Don’t let nobody come into your house and disrespect you,” he growls. “They don’t think you can ball with them… That’s cool, though. We gon’ show them exactly who we are. We been that.”
That moment sets the emotional pulse for the episode. No filters. No re-takes. Just a team playing with pride, presence, and purpose.
Coach Flowers’ Philosophy: Win the Physical Battle
Head Coach Maurice Flowers brings the team together in the weight room — a sacred space in the JCSU program — and lays it out plain.
“We win ball games right here. This is where we become physical. Be the most physical team on the field today — and we win. Period.”
The scene juxtaposes calm and chaos: the quiet of a team prayer against the rumble of pads and cleats minutes later.
It’s here that the Brick x Brick style shines — showing football not as a spectacle, but as a discipline. When Kelvin Durham and the offense piece together a 19-play, 85-yard drive before halftime, you can see that philosophy manifest before your eyes.
The Drive That Changed Everything
Down 10-0 late in the first half, Kelvin Durham orchestrates the drive that flips the script — a sequence that eats nearly nine minutes of clock and resets the tone.
As Coach Flowers says during the halftime address:
“What they got we gave to ‘em. We missed blocks, missed reads. But now, you know it ain’t nothing (over there) we haven’t seen before. Tighten up and play our brand of football.”
In the second half, that brand — physical, patient, relentless — takes over.
The Turning Point: Belief Becomes Culture
By the fourth quarter, JCSU had out-hit and outlasted the Blazers. A late touchdown from Durham to freshman Reggie Daniel seals the deal, sending the crowd into chaos and the Golden Bulls into the national Top 25 rankings.
After the final whistle, the Golden Bulls were ecstatic — but not in disbelief. Coach Fly’s pregame mantra echoes back full circle as cameras catch him reminding anyone in earshot that, “we been that.”
“We’re happy,” Flowers tells his team during his post-game speech. “But we’re not surprised. We know we’re a Top 25 ball club. Down 10-0 and didn’t flinch.”
A Cinematic Look Inside the HBCU Football Grind
Episode 3 is quintessential Brick x Brick: a field-level portrait of HBCU football that rejects polish for truth. Viewers see everything — the targeting penalty, the language of raw emotion, and the determination of players who’ve carried years of rebuilding on their backs.
From the weight room to the prayer circle, the episode delivers what fans have come to expect from HBCU Gameday’s signature docuseries — it is genuinely the ‘Hard Knocks’ of HBCU football.
Next Up: The Virginia Road Trip Arc
With the Valdosta win in the books, Brick x Brick shifts gears for the next chapter of Season 3. Post-production is underway on episodes chronicling the Golden Bulls’ road battles against Virginia Union and Virginia State — programs that played one another in the 2024 CIAA championship game and sit atop the CIAA football hierarchy.
Filming on new episodes resumes the week of the Winston-Salem State rivalry game, where JCSU’s playoff hopes and CIAA title chase will take center stage.
Because as the team’s mantra says — and as every frame of this series proves — JCSU football is “not done yet.”
Watch the Episode
Brick x Brick with JCSU Football: “Dawg Check” premieres live on HBCU Gameday’s YouTube channel on October 15 at 8 p.m. ET.
The full episode will be available to stream anytime on HBCUGameday.com and the HBCU Gameday app.