Freshman William Trimble scored the only JCSU touchdown of the game off a 88 yard kick return
Box Score vs. Winston-Salem St
Winston-Salem, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University football team suffered a 28-10 loss against Winston-Salem State University on Saturday afternoon inside a filled to capacity Bowman Gray Stadium. JCSU moves to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the CIAA, while the Rams improve to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference.
Despite facing the 21st ranked team in the country (AFCA poll), JCSU appeared to match up well with the Rams. Winston-Salem is the lone unbeaten team in the CIAA and the Southern Division, averaging 50 points per game. The Golden Bulls' defense forced three turnovers and held WSSU to just one touchdown per quarter.
Winston-Salem produced 401 yards of total offense (255 rushing, 146 passing); mostly with battering ram Nicholas Cooper. Cooper netted 203 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns. Rams' QB Kameron Smith passed for 146 yards completing 19-of-34 attempts with a touchdown and an interception.
Senior defensive back
Darius Johnson (Atlanta, GA) made his presence felt during the Rams' homecoming contest. Johnson caught the only interception and recorded six tackles (five solo). Linebackers Perrin Carr (Brandywine, MD) and
Michael Coats (Greenwood, SC) each recovered a fumble to get the WSSU offense off the field.
Freshman quarterback
Keahn Wallace (Homestead, FL) made a lot of plays with his arm and his feet to move JCSU in scoring range. Unfortunately, Wallace threw two interceptions and was sacked three times. One of his interceptions was returned 70 yards for a touchdown by WSSU's Malcolm Rowe. JCSU trailed 14-3 in the third quarter when the Rowe interception took place.
Down 21-3 with a little under 12 minutes remaining in the third, the Golden Bulls chances were bleak. On the kickoff after the INT return, freshman receiver
William Trimble (Fayetteville, GA) sprinted 88 yards to the house. The touchdown return by Trimble shifted momentum in the stadium and drew the Golden Bulls closer to a comeback (21-10).
J.C. Smith did not score an offensive TD in this game. In fact, the return by Trimble was the only Golden Bulls' touchdown of the afternoon.
Wallace concluded the day passing for 226 yards off 25-of-52 passes completed. He also had a team-high 20 yards on the ground on 17 attempts. Senior receiver
Rico Poole (Atlanta, GA) was the top target with 103 yards and eight catches.
Johnson C. Smith will attempt to reverse their two-game skid next weekend against divisional foe Shaw University. Both teams are 1-1 in the South. The Golden Bulls will play their third consecutive road game and show up as the homecoming opponent yet again. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. inside Durham County Memorial Stadium.
