The Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls are back to their winning ways, going on the road to claim a 31-20 win over the Virginia State Trojans.
Johnson C. Smith claims its second straight win after suffering its first loss of the year against Virginia Union.
They improve to 2-1 against the CIAA with the win (5-1 overall), entering a tie with Livingstone for third place in the conference standings.
Meanwhile, Virginia State has dropped its first two conference contests, something they have not done since 2012.
Golden Bulls quarterback Kelvin Durham finished with 251 passing yards, completing 62% of his passes, and scoring four touchdowns to one interception.
In his last two games, Durham is averaging 274 passing yards on 71% completions, scoring four touchdowns in each contest.
The former Fort Valley State standout connected with three different receivers for a touchdown, including two to Reginald Daniel who finished with three receptions for 59 yards.
Virginia State quarterback Rahsaan Matthews posted 259 passing yards and two touchdowns, both scores being completed to Jaylen Pretlow, who had eight receptions for 99 yards.
With Johnson C. Smith leading 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, this game got going in the back half of the second, as both teams combined for three touchdowns in the final six minutes of the period.
This run was culminated by a 44-yard touchdown connection from Matthews to Pretlow to trim the Trojans’ deficit to 17-14 at halftime.
Beginning the second half, with momentum firmly in its favor, Virginia State 61 yards down field for a chance to tie the game on a 30-yard field goal. However, they would come up empty as the attempt was blocked by Quavaris Crouch.
This shifted the momentum back in favor of the Golden Bulls, as they followed this up with touchdowns on their next two offensive possessions to extend their lead to 34-14.
While Virginia State would score another touchdown as the fourth quarter began, they could not overcome JCSU’s third quarter explosion, with its final two offensive drives ending in a fourth-down stop and an interception.
After an idle week, Johnson C. Smith will return to the football field on October 18, traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina for a date with the Shaw Bears.
