The Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls hope to keep their unbeaten record intact when they clash with the Winston-Salem State Rams.
Johnson C. Smith, the last remaining undefeated team in black college football, needs a win to come one step closer to clinching its first CIAA championship appearance since 1972.
The Golden Bulls hold a 4-0 record against the CIAA, tied with Virginia Union for the best in the conference. A loss would put them a half-game behind WSSU, who are idle next weekend.
Although JCSU holds the tiebreaker over Virginia Union, a win over Winston-Salem State would shorten the Golden Bulls’ margin for error with two games remaining after this weekend.
Meanwhile, this is a win-or-go-home game for Winston-Salem State, which already has a loss against Virginia Union on its resume.
Having already lost to Virginia Union, a loss would drop WSSU’s conference record to 4-2 with just one game remaining in their season after this weekend.
Johnson C. Smith Keys to Victory
The strength of the Johnson C. Smith football team has been their defense, which leads the CIAA, allowing 11.7 points per game (12.0 points per game against conference opponents).
Despite ranking in the bottom of the conference in turnovers forced, they have had success getting the opposing offense off the field, leading in total first-downs allowed (84) and third-down defense (24.1%).
Leading the Golden Bulls’ defensive unit is linebacker duo Benari Black and Jack Smith. They are the only duo in the CIAA with at least 50 total tackles, including a CIAA-leading 79 tackles for Black.
On offense, quarterback Darius Ocean has led the charge as the number-one passer in the CIAA. He averages 243.3 passing yards per game and has scored 14 touchdowns with just one interception.
Ocean will face a tough challenge in a Winston-Salem State defense that has recorded the second-most interceptions in the CIAA (11).
His top receiver, Brevin Caldwell, is the only player in the CIAA with over 500 receiving yards (849), accounting for over half of the team’s yards through the air.
Winston-Salem State Keys to Victory
Since suffering their first conference loss to Virginia Union, the Winston-Salem State offense has been on fire, putting up back-to-back 30-point games (they had just one in their first six games).
Running back Trevon Hester’s play has been a particular highlight. He has averaged 6.7 yards per carry in his last two games, including two rushing touchdowns.
Hester has also become a presence in the passing game, recording three receptions for 45 yards in the past two games (he had two receptions for three yards in their first six games).
If the Rams want to win this game, their running back must have a big day against the number one run defense in the CIAA.
On defense, the defensive back group will need another big performance to knock off the undefeated Golden Bulls. The Rams’ secondary has accounted for eight of their 11 interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns.
They have also gotten better at defending the run, allowing 76.5 rushing yards per game in their last two contests after previously giving up three straight 100-yard rushing games.
