JC Smith football stops Shaw, still unbeaten. Charlotte HBCU on best start in 55 years

Johnson C. Smith football is off to its best start in more than a half-century.

Junior quarterback Darius Ocean, a recent local star at Hough High School in Cornelius, threw for 265 yards in the Golden Bulls’ 21-14 victory over Shaw University on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Bulls found success both through the air and on the ground, while their defense was stout and held off a late push from the Bears.

J.C. Smith (7-0, 4-0 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) is undefeated through seven games for the first time since the 1969 season. The program reached eight victories three times over a six-year stretch — but hasn’t recorded another eight-win campaign since 1975.

Saturday’s game came during the Golden Bulls’ annual homecoming weekend, which brought thousands of alumni to the historically Black university’s campus near uptown Charlotte.

“I can’t remember seeing the whole stadium full like that,” J.C. Smith head coach Maurice Flowers said in the postgame news conference. “Our athletic director got extra bleachers (on the track by the end zone), and you have those almost full. You look on top up there, going around the fence, I haven’t seen a crowd like that witness a JCSU football game.

“And it’s a credit to so many who have worked so hard. Administration, coaching staff and our players put so much into it. I know they wanted a better performance today, and this is going to help us get better. We love that our alumni, fans, the city of Charlotte are gonna enjoy this one.”

JC Smith limited Shaw’s potent offense and capitalized

Shaw (4-3, 2-2 CIAA) found the end zone on its opening series and then added another touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Redshirt senior quarterback Christian Peters — a Charlotte native who was a standout at Butler High School in Matthews — connected with receiver Ah’shaan Belcher on an 8-yard touchdown pass that gave the Bears an early lead. He finished 16 of 25 on pass atempts for 217 yards in a losing effort.

J.C. Smith got on the board as the first quarter ended, with Ocean tossing a 23-yard touchdown to sophomore wideout Blake McCullough. The game remained knotted at 7-7 until the Golden Bulls’ first drive of the second half, which culminated in a short touchdown pass to running back Avante George, who caught his first receiving score of the season.

The Golden Bulls’ final score came during the fourth quarter, with Ocean finding former Ardrey Kell star wide receiver Brevin Caldwell for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

“It all goes back to the hours that nobody sees during the summer when Ocean came,” Caldwell said. “It’s that chemistry that we’ve gotta build behind closed doors. It starts when nobody else can see, and I feel like it’s been getting better week by week.”

The Bears worked downfield late and rushed in a touchdown, trimming the deficit to 21-14. They got the ball back during the final minutes and moved into plus territory — before J.C. Smith’s defense stopped them on fourth down.

Ocean connected on 24 of 32 passes for 265 yards, along with a 16-yard rush on the ground. Caldwell was his top target on Saturday, totaling 182 yards on 15 catches.

Notable

▪ Johnson C. Smith has been ranked among the top Division-II schools in the country, currently No. 20 nationally in the AFCA Division-II coaches’ poll.

▪ The Golden Bulls defeated Shaw for the second time in the past six years. The Bears still lead the CIAA rivals’ all-time series with 11 victories, while Johnson C. Smith has now won six, including a 22-18 win at home in 2022.

▪ Shaw University, the private HBCU in Raleigh, lost for the second straight week after the Bears also totaled 14 points in a 20-point loss to Winston-Salem State.

Up next?

Johnson C. Smith looks to secure its first eight-win season since 1975 next week as it travels to Winston-Salem State. The Golden Bulls and Rams are set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium.