Two weeks ago, Johnson C. Smith was the toast of HBCU football, owning an 8-0 record and receiving shoutouts on ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast.
Since then, it feels someone pulled the rug out from underneath them.
Johnson C. Smith lost for the second week in a row Saturday, falling to its oldest HBCU rival Livingstone College 15-10 in Salisbury. The defeat drops JCSU out of contention for the CIAA championship game and likely will end its D2 playoff aspirations as well.
Yes, this will still go down as one of the best seasons in Golden Bulls history. Johnson C. Smith had never started 8-0 in football before. The Bulls had never been in the D2 national rankings before.
But there will always be a what-if attached to the 2024 campaign because of how things have gone since the calendar flipped to November.
The Golden Bulls, seeking the school’s first conference title in football since 1969, couldn’t muster a point a week ago in a 27-0 loss to Fayetteville State, then got stuffed again at underdog Livingstone this week.
The CIAA championship game next Saturday in Salem, Va. now will be an all-Virginia affair after looking for awhile like it would be a JCSU coronation.
Virginia State earned its place in the title tilt by upsetting Virginia Union 35-31, forcing next Saturday’s rematch. The two squads will share the regular season crown with 6-1 CIAA marks. JCSU finishes 5-2 in the league, though it beat both of the Virginia teams.
The final weekend of the CIAA regular season was chaotic all around. Few saw Virginia Union losing to its instate rival, especially after last week’s 91-0 triumph over Bluefield State.
Winston-Salem State went to double overtime with Fayetteville State before prevailing 37-31. Elizabeth City State reached a high score for the season enroute to a 27-21 victory at Bluefield State.
CIAA Scoreboard | Nov. 9
- Livingstone 15, Johnson C. Smith 10
- Winston-Salem State 37, Fayetteville State 31
- Elizabeth City State 27, Bluefield State 21
- Virginia State 35, Virginia Union 31
- Bowie State 45, Lincoln 7
- Shaw – season complete
Third OT game of season nets seventh win for WSSU
Winston-Salem State is no stranger to extra football this season. The Rams lost to North Carolina A&T in overtime, then beat Ohio Dominican in OT the following week. Fayetteville State inflicted a third overtime game on WSSU on Saturday with a 37-yard John Hernandez-Vargas field goal with six seconds left. That made the score 24-24 on a tense homecoming at Bowman Gray Stadium.
In the first extra period, the teams traded touchdowns. Daylin Lee rushed for a four-yard score for Winston-Salem State, while Joe Owens Jr. completed a 19-yard scoring pass to Mali Harris-Strayhor for Fayetteville State. Both teams hit their PATs.
In the second overtime, FSU opened the door by missing a 33-yard field goal. Lee ended it, connecting with Kaleb Washington on a 20-yard scoring strike three plays later. Game over. Homecoming joy preserved.
Lee finished with 199 passing yards and three touchdowns. Owens went for 318 yards and two scores.
Winston-Salem, at 7-3 and 5-2 in the CIAA, may still get D2 playoff consideration, depending on how next Saturday’s games go around the region. One of the Rams’ losses was to an team (North Carolina A&T) and won’t be considered. The Rams lost to Johnson C. Smith a few weeks ago but do have a 15-14 win over Virginia State in their back pocket.
Fayetteville State, which has played in the last six CIAA title games, finishes its season 4-5, 3-4 against conference foes.
Vikings avoid CIAA basement
Elizabeth City State hadn’t scored 21 points in a game this season. The Vikes got that in the second quarter on Saturday, pushing ahead of Bluefield State to stay.
Zechariah Adams-Duckson erupted for 171 yards rushing for ECSU. Chase Williams threw a touchdown pass to Shai Wheeler.
Na’Sir Douglas led the Vikings’ defense with 10 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Bryce Djossou picked off two passes.
Elizabeth City State snapped a six-game losing skid and concludes the 2024 campaign with a 3-7 mark, 1-6 against CIAA opponents. Bluefield State went winless in the conference at 0-7.
CIAA Standings | Final Regular Season
| School | Conf. | Conf Pct. | Overall | Pct. | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia State | 6-1 | .857 | 7-3 | .700 | W5 |
| Virginia Union | 6-1 | .857 | 7-3 | .700 | L1 |
| Johnson C. Smith | 5-2 | .714 | 8-2 | .800 | L2 |
| Winston-Salem State | 5-2 | .714 | 7-3 | .700 | W1 |
| Livingstone | 4-3 | .571 | 6-4 | .600 | W1 |
| Shaw | 4-3 | .571 | 6-4 | .600 | W2 |
| Fayetteville State | 3-4 | .429 | 4-5 | .444 | L1 |
| Bowie State | 3-4 | .429 | 4-6 | .400 | W2 |
| Lincoln (PA) | 2-5 | .286 | 2-8 | .200 | L2 |
| Elizabeth City State | 1-6 | .143 | 3-7 | .300 | W1 |
| Bluefield State | 0-7 | .000 | 1-9 | .100 | L8 |
