Fayetteville State disrupted Johnson C. Smith’s perfect season. Shaw finished its season on a winning note, while Elizabeth City State suffered its biggest defeat of the season.
These highlights mark the penultimate week of CIAA regular season action. Here are scores and recaps:
Scoreboard
- Bowie State 48, Elizabeth City State 6
- Fayetteville State 27, Johnson C. Smith 0
- Shaw 24, Livingstone 17
- Virginia Union 91 (!!), Bluefield State 0
- Virginia State 55, Lincoln (PA) 0
- Winston-Salem State bye
Fayetteville State derails Golden Bulls’ undefeated season
Fayetteville State has been the standard-bearer among North Carolina teams in the CIAA the past six seasons. While the Broncos will miss their first league title game since 2016, they certainly aren’t going away quietly.
Coach Richard Hayes’ troops, who have made defense a calling card during their recent run of success, put the first dent in Johnson C. Smith’s record — in convincing fashion.
The Broncos picked off JCSU quarterback Darius Ocean twice, returning one for a touchdown. They bottled up the run game, holding the Golden Bulls to just 30 yards on 22 attempts. They held firm when Johnson C. Smith advanced into the red zone, turning away both drives without giving up a point.
FSU (4-4, 3-3) snapped a two-game losing skid and ended Johnson C. Smith’s eight-game winning streak. The Bulls drop to 8-1, 5-1 CIAA.
Kameron King (7 yards) and DJ Alston Jr. (10 yards) scored touchdowns in the opening half to give Fayetteville State a 14-0 edge. The lead grew to 21-0 after a Joe Owens Jr. 1-yard plunge late in the third.
Julius Cobbs 53-yard interception return for a score with 1:55 left put an exclamation mark on FSU’s best win of the season. Solomon Barnes had the other interception, picking off Ocean in the end zone in the third quarter.
The loss doesn’t necessarily derail JCSU’s CIAA championship hopes. Virginia Union now sits in the driver’s seat, but the Bulls hold a tiebreaker edge over Virginia State if both teams finish tied in the standings. The top two teams in the standings advance to the title game in Salem, Va. in two weeks.
Shaw Rallies To Win Battle of the Bears
Shaw erased an early 14-0 deficit to claim a 24-17 homecoming victory over Livingstone at Durham County Memorial Stadium. The Bears, who conclude their regular season 6-4 overall and 4-3 in CIAA play, surged ahead in the second quarter, scoring 21 points to flip the script on the Blue Bears, who dropped to 5-4 and 3-3.
Shaw got on the board with a touchdown pass from Christian Peters to Ah’shaan Belcher early in the second quarter. The Bears’ defense held Livingstone scoreless while Shaw capitalized with two more touchdowns, including a second Peters touchdown pass to Kyree McLean, to take a 21-14 halftime lead.
Shaw added a Benjamin Turner field goal in the second half to extend the lead to 24-14 before Livingstone managed a final field goal, closing the gap to 24-17.
Saevion Gibbs, Noah Gibson and Amon Tinsley each had interceptions in the win.Brian Peterson recorded three tackles for loss. The other Bears points came on a rushing TD by Jatoine Fields.
JyMikaah Wells scored both Livingstone touchdowns, one on the ground and one on a pass from De’Angelo Alston. Jason Zapata added a field goal for the Blue Bears.
Bowie runs wild, defeats Elizabeth City State
Micah Robinson rushed for 171 yards and four touchdowns, and Bowie State pulled away early. Elizabeth City State had been one of the more stout defenses in the CIAA this season but allowed 262 yards on the ground and 437 total.
The Vikings managed just 165 total yards. Their touchdown came on a Maximus Jones 18-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
Elizabeth City State dropped to 2-7 overall, 0-6 in CIAA play. Saturday marked the sixth straight defeat for the Vikes, who finish the season at Bluefield State next season.
Three Stars Of The Day
Joe Owens Jr. (Fayetteville State): Directed an efficient Broncos offense, passing for 233 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another score. He completed 24-of-32 passes, with one interception.
Taevion Cox (Fayetteville State): Spearheaded the Broncos defense, providing 2.5 tackles for loss and five total stops.
Christian Peters (Shaw): Threw two touchdown passes in the Bears’ victory over Livingstone on homecoming.
By The Numbers
0 – Points scored by Johnson C. Smith in Saturday’s loss to Fayetteville State. The Golden Bulls hadn’t scored fewer than 21 points in a game this season. Three CIAA teams were shutout on Saturday, Bluefield State and Lincoln included.
0 – The number of North Carolina college football teams who are undefeated after week 10. Johnson C. Smith had been the last unbeaten.
2015 – The last time Johnson C. Smith has beaten Fayetteville State in football. FSU’s streak has now reached nine in a row.
6-4 – Final Shaw Bears win-loss record, matching the team’s mark in 2021 and 2019. Shaw last won more than six games in 2009 when the team finished 8-2.
12 – Tackles-for-loss by Livingstone’s defense at Shaw. Osmanis Aguilera and Kobe Pringle each had three TFLs, each recorded a sack and each forced a fumble. Kevin Larkins Jr. and Chancellor Bryant both picked off Shaw passes.
Looking Ahead:
Johnson C. Smith will travel to Livingstone to renew the oldest HBCU football series, dating back to the 1800s. The Bulls must win to hold on to CIAA title hopes … Winston-Salem State will vie for its seventh win against visiting Fayetteville State… Elizabeth City State will try to close the season on a positive note at Bluefield State … Shaw’s season is complete.
