Johnson C. Smith (JSSU) football is headed back to the CIAA championship game. And Brick x Brick with JCSU Football, HBCU Gameday’s all-access docuseries following the Golden Bulls’ rise under head coach Maurice Flowers, is going with them.
And waiting in Durham is the program that has helped define some of the most important chapters of this HBCU football story.
The Golden Bulls defeated Livingstone 27–14 in Saturday’s Commemorative Classic, securing another championship appearance and a rematch with Virginia Union. A year after JCSU beat the Panthers to end a 56-year title drought, the two programs will meet again November 14 at Durham County Memorial Stadium.
For viewers of Brick x Brick with JCSU Football, the matchup comes with a history that stretches well beyond last year’s trophy ceremony. Our cameras have followed this back-and-forth since 2023. Now, with Season 5 in production, they are following JCSU back to the game that changed the program.
Last season’s breakthrough became Not Done Yet, the two-part Season 4 championship event now streaming on Tubi.
This time, the Golden Bulls return with a championship to defend and a team motto that carries the story forward: “Still Not Done Yet.”
Fabian Duncan carries JCSU through the final hurdle
Before JCSU football could revisit its championship rivalry, it had to handle the oldest rivalry in Black college football.
Livingstone had already shown how dangerous that assignment could be. In 2024, the Blue Bears’ 15–10 victory helped shut the door on JCSU’s championship hopes after an 8–1 start.
On Saturday in Salisbury, the Golden Bulls built enough separation to keep that history from repeating.
Fabian Duncan rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries, delivering another heavy workload one week after scoring the overtime winner against Virginia State.
His four-yard touchdown finished JCSU’s opening 75-yard drive. A two-yard scoring run in the second quarter pushed the lead to 14–0. Alexis Rosario-Beltran added field goals from 25 and 29 yards, and the Golden Bulls entered the fourth quarter ahead 20–0.
Livingstone finally broke through on Andrew McClain’s 68-yard touchdown pass to Tikey Hayes. However, JCSU answered with the play that restored its cushion: Damien Mazil found Reginald Daniel for a 45-yard touchdown with 4:21 remaining.
Mazil finished with 155 passing yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Jamaris Stevens led JCSU with 11 tackles, while Taurus Damon Jr. added 10. The Golden Bulls held Livingstone to 94 rushing yards and kept the Blue Bears scoreless through three quarters.
There is still work to clean up before the CIAA championship in Durham. JCSU football converted just one of nine third downs and drew seven penalties for 70 yards. But after the loss at Bowie State put pressure on the final stretch, the defending champions answered with consecutive rivalry wins.
The first required overtime. The second sent them back to the championship game.
Virginia Union has been part of the story all along
The championship rematch gives Brick x Brick another chapter in a rivalry its viewers have watched develop over multiple seasons.
In 2024, JCSU beat defending CIAA champion Virginia Union 21–16 in Charlotte. Quavaris Crouch scored three touchdowns, and the Golden Bulls finished a punishing 19-play, 99-yard touchdown drive. It was a breakthrough that showed how far Maurice Flowers’ program had come.
Then came Richmond in 2025.
Virginia Union beat JCSU 28–10 in a weather-delayed game that became the focus of Season 3’s “Weather the Storm.” The episode gave viewers access to a setback while the Golden Bulls were still working through what came next.
That next meeting changed everything.
JCSU defeated Virginia Union 45–21 in the 2025 CIAA championship game, claiming its first conference crown since 1969.
Across those games, the stakes kept growing. A regular-season breakthrough became a road setback. The setback became a championship rematch. Now, the Panthers and Golden Bulls will play for the trophy for a second consecutive year.
A familiar opponent with a different championship case
Virginia Union arrives in Durham as the No. 1 seed after finishing 9–1 overall and 8–0 in CIAA play. JCSU earned the No. 2 seed with a 7–1 conference record.
The Panthers closed their regular season with a 36–14 victory over Virginia State. Quarterback RJ Rosales threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Ramon Brown contributed 111 rushing yards and a touchdown.
That sets up a tough assignment for a JCSU defense coming off three scoreless quarters against Livingstone. Meanwhile, the Golden Bulls must find more consistency on third down to complement Duncan’s production and the passing game’s ability to strike downfield.
Last year, JCSU arrived chasing a championship generations of Golden Bulls had never experienced. This year, the challenge is sustaining that success against an opponent with its own unfinished business.
Still Not Done Yet
The connection between this rematch and Not Done Yet is already there on screen.
The Season 4 event follows JCSU through championship preparations, the Virginia Union showdown, the celebration, Selection Sunday, and the program’s first NCAA Division II playoff appearance.
Its two episodes, “Chasing History” and “Making History,” preserve the breakthrough. Season 5 follows the title defense, with another CIAA championship opportunity secured and a possible playoff return still ahead.
“Still Not Done Yet” has been the team’s motto throughout the 2026 season. It also stands as the working title for the 2026 championship event, connecting the breakthrough viewers can watch now with the title defense our cameras are following.
The added word carries the weight of everything that has changed. JCSU has its championship. Returning to Durham gives the Golden Bulls a chance to build on it.
Nothing beyond Durham has been decided. That uncertainty is part of what we have documented from the beginning.
Before JCSU and Virginia Union write their next chapter, viewers can revisit how they reached the last one. Watch all four released seasons of Brick x Brick with JCSU Football, including the two-part Not Done Yet championship event, free with ads on Tubi.
The Golden Bulls are headed back. Our cameras are going with them.