Johnson C Smith has spent the past three seasons climbing out of history’s shadow. On Saturday, the Golden Bulls finally get to enjoy the view from the top of the hill.
Fresh off their first CIAA championship since 1969 and a school-record 10th win in 2025, Maurice Flowers’ Golden Bulls will host Frostburg State in the opening round of the NCAA Division II playoffs at Eddie C. McGirt Field. JCSU (10-1) entered last year’s Selection Sunday on the D2 playoff bubble and got left out. This time there was no drama. The Golden Bulls locked up the No. 2 seed in Super Region I by avenging their only loss to Virginia Union in the CIAA title game.
HBCU Gameday has spent the past three years documenting the rise of the program and recently dubbed Johnson C. Smith “the new face of HBCU Division II football”
“Johnson C. Smith spent more than five decades stuck between hope and history. Breaking that drought didn’t come from luck. It came from alumni support, community connection, culture-building, and a team that bought into something bigger than itself. Brick x Brick.” – taken from a recent HBCU Gameday story on JCSU’s CIAA championship run.
🖥️ Game Vitals – How to Watch
Frostburg State (9-2, 7-1 MEC) at Johnson C. Smith (10-1, 6-1 CIAA)
📍 Irwin Belk Complex – Charlotte, N.C.
📅 Saturday, November 22, 2025 – 1:00 p.m. ET
📺 ESPN+
👉 Last meeting: This is the first meeting
Johnson C. Smith Built For This Moment
The Golden Bulls have been one of the most balanced and explosive offenses in Division II this fall, averaging 36.0 points and 405.1 yards per game. They own wins over reigning D2 runner-up Valdosta State and CIAA power Virginia Union, and they have done it with star power at every level of the offense.
Up front, senior captain Jamari Mason, the CIAA Lineman of the Year, anchors a line that allowed the fewest sacks in the league while helping Johnson C. Smith ranks near the top of almost every offensive category. The Bulls have lost only one fumble all season, a remarkable number for a team that plays attacks downfield.
At quarterback, Kelvin Durham has been everything Flowers hoped for when he arrived from Fort Valley State. The all-CIAA signal-caller has thrown for 2,717 yards and 25 touchdowns, completing 195 of 301 passes with just eight interceptions. He averages 247.0 passing yards per game and has been a calm, steady leader of a veteran huddle.
Redshirt freshman running back Bobby Smith, the CIAA Offensive Rookie of the Year, gives JCSU a true workhorse. He has rushed for 989 yards and 9 touchdowns, topping 100 yards in each of the final three regular season games before being held to 78 by Virginia Union in the title game.
When Smith is rolling, the offense can dominate time-of-possession and rack up points. One of Smith’s marquee plays came in the next-to-last regular season game against Fayetteville State, where he dragged tacklers into the end zone for the game-winning TD in the final seconds.
On the perimeter, Brian Lane and DeAndre Proctor give Durham a dangerous one-two punch at receiver. Proctor enters with 57 receptions for 792 yards and 9 touchdowns, while Lane adds 46 catches for 676 yards and 5 scores.
Defense Wins Trophies — And Playoff Games
JCSU’s offense has drawn many of the headlines this season, but the defense has been equally impressive under Flowers’ tenure. This season, the Golden Bulls allow just 16.9 points per game and 299.1 yards per game, and they lead the nation in opponents’ fourth-down conversion percentage (17.6 percent) while ranking second on third down (24.2 percent).
Up front, Cadricus Stanley earned all-CIAA honors after posting 32 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. Linebacker Vincent Hill is the heartbeat of the unit with 75 tackles and 10.5 TFLs, constantly around the ball. In the secondary, Daryl Taybron and Elijah Wilson help lock things down. Taybron has 44 tackles and 6 pass breakups, while Wilson has 4 interceptions, 5 PBUs and 19 tackles.
The Golden Bulls haven’t generated many fumble recoveries — only four opponent fumbles recovered — but they have been sound, disciplined and physical on every level. In tight games, kicker Lukasz Smolen gives Flowers and the Bulls another edge. The London native has been 8-for-9 on field goals, 5-for-5 from 40 to 49 yards with a long of 48, and 46-for-48 on PATs. He has already been named NC Football News special teams player of the week twice and handles all the team’s kicking chores.
Scouting Frostburg State
Frostburg State, from Maryland, will arrive in Charlotte with a 9-2 record and a share of the Mountain East Conference championship, earning the league’s automatic bid thanks to a head-to-head win over Charleston (WV). It is the Bobcats’ first NCAA postseason appearance since moving to Division II, and they bring a defense that can cause real problems.
Frostburg allows just 19.9 points per game and 302.5 yards per game, and ranks fourth nationally in passing yards allowed (152.7 per game) and second in team passing efficiency defense. That sets up a strength-on-strength showdown against Durham, Smith and JCSU’s potent pass game.
Offensively, the Bobcats average 32.6 points and 398.1 yards, leaning on a physical run game and timely passing. RB Owen Doyle was a first-team all-MEC selection after rushing for 885 yards and 12 touchdowns, running behind an offensive line anchored by all-conference picks Doug Pruim II and Nick Blankenship. Versatile fullback Max Heineman is mostly a blocker but has chipped in with two receiving touchdowns.
On the outside, JeVonn Gilyard has emerged as a go-to target with 30 catches for 605 yards and 5 touchdowns. Defensively, first-team all-MEC end Rainer Halveland leads the front with 52 tackles, 8 TFLs and 5 sacks, while linebackers Carter Mazalewski and Jaylen Boyd have combined for 78 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks and 2 interceptions. Defensive back Wylan Harich adds two interceptions, seven pass breakups and a blocked kick on the back end.
Tale Of The Table: Evenly Matched On Paper
Statistically, these teams look like mirror images:
- Points per game: JCSU 36.0, Frostburg 32.6
- Points allowed: JCSU 16.9, Frostburg 19.9
- Total offense: JCSU 405.1, Frostburg 398.1
- Total defense: JCSU 299.1, Frostburg 302.5
- Time of possession: JCSU 33:44, Frostburg 33:08
JCSU has a slight edge in offensive explosiveness and rush defense. Frostburg counters with elite pass defense and plenty of playoff hunger.
Category Frostburg State Johnson C. Smith Points Per Game 32.6 36 Points Allowed 19.9 16.9 Rushing Yds/Game 174.7 151.2 Passing Yds/Game 223.4 253.9 Total Offense 398.1 405.1 Rush Defense 149.7 115.3 Pass Defense 152.7 183.8 Total Defense 302.5 299.1 Penalty Yds/Game 80.45 73.5 Time of Possession 33:08 33:44:00 Fumbles-Lost 10-6 6-1 Forced Fumbles-Recovered 11-7 11-4 Passes Had Intercepted 10 10 Passes Intercepted 13 12 Red Zone Att/Scores 36-55 35-43 Red Zone Defense/Scores 28-37 18-25
What To Expect & Prediction
This feels like a classic November playoff game between two teams that mirror each other: physical offensive lines, confident quarterbacks and defenses that rarely break. For Johnson C Smith, it’s also another chance to show why the program has become the new standard-bearer for HBCU D2 football.
If the Golden Bulls protect the ball, stay ahead of the chains and continue their third- and fourth-down dominance, they will give a packed Irwin Belk Complex every chance to celebrate one more history-making Saturday. Establishing Bobby Smith in the run game could be important as Frostburg’s pass ‘D’ is legit. The Bulls have a proven kicker if the game comes down to that.
Our pick: Bobby Smith bulls his way for two touchdowns, including the fourth-quarter clincher, and the Golden Bulls move on for a third match-up with Virginia Union in round two. Johnson C. Smith 23, Frostburg State 20.
