A Division II football team on the rise in the CIAA will get to play one more game.
Johnson C. Smith football (7-3) will participate in the inaugural Florida Beach Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 13 in Fort Lauderdale. The Golden Bulls will face Fort Valley State from the SIAC in the HBCU showcase game, which will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium.
“We are honored to take part in this historic event,” JCSU head coach Maurice Flowers said in a statement after the announcement. “It’s a testament to the hard work, dedication, and resilience of our athletes. We are ready to bring our A-game to Fort Lauderdale.”
Here are seven things to know about the upcoming game and its participants:
* Bowl organizers looked at teams from the CIAA and SIAC who had won at least six games this season. Johnson C. Smith got the nod over Fayetteville State (8-3, CIAA runners-up) and Virginia State (8-2, CIAA Northern runners-up) for the CIAA’s spot.
“There’s some other causes that goes into it for us, like traveling and picking the right teams to make sure it’s a competitive game,” Florida Beach Bowl CEO Victor Robinson said, as quoted by the Charlotte Post. “We just want a good matchup, two good teams to come down here so we can get this Florida Beach Bowl going so people can see the work we’re putting out here is to not only benefit the student athletes but also the universities and to bring funds in and bring more visibility in different parts of the country.”
* Johnson C. Smith has enjoyed its best football season in nearly two decades, winning seven games and staying in contention for the CIAA Southern Division title until the final weeks. Flowers, in his second year as the head coach, saw his team make a five-win improvement from year one, including beating rivals like Winston-Salem State (for the first time in 21 tries) and Livingstone.
“Personally, it just really feels like a sense of accomplishment like we’ve done something,” Flowers told the Charlotte Post. “And to know that the plans that we put in place and the culture that we’ve created it’s taking shape, and this really is moving toward where we wanted it from the beginning.”
* Flowers has coached at both Johnson C. Smith and Fort Valley State. He was the FVSU head coach before returning to his alma mater to coach the Golden Bulls last season.
* This will be the seventh time a Johnson C. Smith team has appeared in a post-season bowl game. The Golden Bulls played in the now-defunct Pioneer Bowl in 2011 (beating Miles 35-33) and 2006 (falling to Tuskegee 17-7). The school played in four bowl games in the 1940s: the Flower Bowl (1942), Cotton-Tobacco Bowl (1946), Pecan Bowl (1946) and Iodine Bowl (1949).
The Bulls are 4-2 all-time in bowl games.
* Fort Valley State, located in Fort Valley, Ga., also finished 7-3 this season. Running back Brandon Marshall (893 rushing yards, 171 receiving yards, nine total touchdowns) earned SIAC Newcomer of the Year honors.
Quarterback Kelvin Durham played in eight games this season, throwing for 1,665 yards and 15 touchdowns (against eight interceptions). Fort Valley State defensive backs have been ball hawks, intercepting 17 passes, nearly two per game.
* Johnson C. Smith had four players make the all-CIAA team, announced this past weekend. Benari Black was a first-team linebacker, while Jack Smith earned second-team at that position. Dick Cureton was a second-team punt returner. Tynan Tucker made the all-rookie team.
*For more information on the Florida Beach Bowl or to purchase tickets, visit the official Web site HERE.
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