For the second straight year, Johnson C. Smith and Virginia Union will meet in Durham with the CIAA title on the line.
Similar to last year, Virginia Union holds a superior 9-1 overall record with the defending champs entering 8-2.
Virginia Union went into that matchup looking to complete its second three-peat in school history.
Their bid was denied by an efficient opposing passing attack, ending in a 45-21 victory for Johnson C. Smith.
The win snapped a 56-year championship drought for the Golden Bulls.
Now, the Panthers will play the role of spoiler, aiming to prevent a championship repeat for the Golden Bulls.
Battle of the Rushing Attacks
Normally, it’s Virginia Union that overwhelms teams with its aggressive rushing attack. However, the tables have turned, with Johnson C. Smith’s ground game being the class of the CIAA.
The Golden Bulls lead the conference with an average of 220.3 rushing yards per game (18th in Division II). This effort has been led by Fabian Duncan, who has put the offense on his back in his first year with the team.
Duncan’s 1,564 rushing yards rank fourth in the country, including a CIAA-high 13 touchdowns.
The Allen transfer has rushed for over 130 yards in all but one game, scoring at least two touchdowns in four of those games.
That being said, Virginia Union’s run game is still dangerous, having found a groove in the back half of the regular season.
Since Travon Tensley went down with an injury, senior Ramon Brown has filled in nicely as the Panthers’ starting running back.
Brown combined for 261 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the team’s final two games, averaging over five yards per carry.
However, with little experience as a starter, one might question how he performs under the brightest lights.
The Passing Game is the Decider
As great as both teams are in the run game, the better team passing the ball could be the decider.
This was the separation in last year’s contest, with Kelvin Durham having a historic performance for the Golden Bulls.
Durham filled up the stat sheet with 285 passing yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, RJ Rosales had two interceptions, one of which JCSU turned into a touchdown.
This year, Damien Mazil will be taking the command under center for the Golden Bulls. Mazil has been strong for JCSU, completing 59% of his passes, throwing 17 touchdowns to just three interceptions.
This includes three games with at least 250 passing yards, combining for 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in those contests.
On the other side, RJ Rosales has done a great job of taking care of the ball for the Panthers. He has completed 68% of his passes, throwing 17 touchdowns with just one interception.
Rosales has completed at least 55% of his passes in all but two games this season.
The side that helps keep the defense honest the best could be the one that ends up walking away with the championship trophy in hand.
Defensive Stalemate
Both Virginia Union and Johnson C. Smith boast elite defensive units that are top five in the country in points allowed.
The Panthers’ 11.2 points allowed per game is third in Division II, and they also lead all teams in total defense (224.1).
Despite ranking last in the CIAA in turnover forced, VUU more than makes up for that in other departments.
They led the conference in first downs allowed (14.0), third downs (25.4%), fourth downs (33.3%), and sacks (40).
In contrast, Johnson C. Smith is not too far behind its opponent in many of these categories.
The Golden Bulls have the best red-zone defense in the CIAA, allowing scores on fewer than 61% of possessions.
They also have one of the stronger secondaries, forcing nine interceptions (second in CIAA) and allowing just 47.2% completions (second in CIAA).
More importantly, JCSU has allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns in the CIAA (9).
X Factor Players
Offense
Brian Lane WR, Johnson C. Smith
RJ Rosales QB, Virginia Union
Defense
Jamaris Stevens LB, Johnson C. Smith
Elijah Candia DL, Virginia Union
Flex
Reginald Daniel WR, Johnson C. Smith
Zyaire Tart WR, Virginia Union
