The JCSU coaching staff will be striving to make improvements during the off-season
Raleigh, NC - In the final game of the season, JCSU had their worst loss of the year against Shaw University 50-0 Saturday evening in CIAA divisional football action at Millbrook High Stadium. The Golden Bulls end the season at 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the conference; Shaw finishes at 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the CIAA.
The Bears put points on the scoreboard early off special teams with a blocked punt. On the second offensive series, the Golden Bulls found themselves deep in their own territory due to a holding penalty. Junior
Julius Wright (Fort Worth, TX) had his punt blocked in the end zone by De'Andre Okonji, who also recovered the ball for a touchdown.
J.C. Smith struggled with penalties and their offense all game. The team was penalized 10 times for a loss of 95 yards and only gained 217 total yards on offense off 59 plays. Shaw exploded in the second quarter, scoring three touchdowns off passes from Travis Robinson to go into halftime with a 28-0 lead.
In the third, Aaron Ellison broke loose for a 34 yard touchdown run. Later in the quarter the Bears picked up a safety to go up 36-0. Tyrone Craig caught two scoring receptions in the fourth, one from Robinson and the other from Marcus Brooks.
Junior quarterback
Ryan Carter (Charlotte, NC) got the start, but freshman Marvin Payne, Jr. (West Palm Beach, FL) took most of the snaps. Carter finished with two completions off five attempts for five yards with one interception. Payne completed 15 of 25 passes for 130 yards and led the team in rushing with 23 yards.
Junior receiver
Jeremy Franklin (Casselberry, NC) had a team-high seven catches for 35 yards with his longest reception going for 25. Junior receiver
Joshua Battle (Fitzgerald, GA) finished with 48 yards receiving off four catches. Freshman linebacker
Michael Coats (Greenwood, NC) led the team with nine tackles (7 solo) and sophomore linebacker
Phillip Devore (Brooklyn, NY) recovered the only fumble of the game and had seven tackles.
The Golden Bulls end the season at 3-7 for the third consecutive year. First year head coach
Steven Aycock remains optimistic despite the disappointing finish. "It's about progression, obviously we wanted more wins this year, but building a program takes a little time," says Aycock. "I understand it's about results and my coaching staff and I are steadfast at implementing our system and improving the team."
The CIAA Championship with be played in Durham County Stadium on Saturday, November 7th. Fayetteville State University will represent the Western Division in the championship game. The conference will host a three-way tiebreaker on Sunday at the CIAA Office at 1:00pm.
The tiebreaker became necessary when Elizabeth City State defeated Virginia Union, 21-13 and Virginia State upset Bowie State, 14-12. All teams have a 5-2 record in the conference's Eastern Division and are 2-1 versus the common opponents of Lincoln, St. Paul's and Virginia State.
