Saint Augustine's averaged 261 yards of passing offense; the Golden Bulls' defense held SAC to 188 yards passing in a tough 34-15 road loss. Michael Coats (#54) had nine tackles and an interception with a return of 36 yards.
Box Score vs. Saint Augustine's
Raleigh, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University football team lost to Saint Augustine's College 34-15 on Saturday afternoon in the first ever contest played in the George Williams Athletic Complex. JCSU moves to 4-4 in the overall standings and 3-2 in the CIAA; while the Falcons improve to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the conference. J.C. Smith still possesses a share of second place in the Southern Division.
The Golden Bulls were a little slow to get in motion in the first half. Senior place kicker
Julius Wright (Fort Worth, TX) had the special teams' highlight with a 45 yard field goal conversion. The kick from Wright came at the 4:52 mark of the second quarter and brought JCSU within one possession (10-3).
Defense held the Falcons to just 133 yards of total offense (23 yards rushing) in the first two quarters. Junior linebacker
Michael Coats (Greenwood, SC) protected team territory with an interception inside the 20 and returned to midfield. The Golden Bulls were 4-of-9 on third conversions and 1-of-2 on fourth down in the first half. Johnson C. Smith faced a 13-3 deficit going into the locker room at the half.
Saint Augustine's managed to produce an eight-play, 64 yard scoring drive at the start of the third. However, JCSU immediately responded on their next offensive series. Sophomore running back
Denzel Hartley (Lithonia, GA) capped the drive with a 12 yard touchdown dash. The point after try failed, so Johnson C. Smith trailed 20-9 with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Johnson C. Smith forced the Falcons to punt, but turned the ball over with an interception. J.C. Smith could not defend the short field advantage (31 yards) and Saint Augustine's scored a touchdown. Heading into the fourth quarter, JCSU would need to comeback from down 27-9.
Both teams earned another touchdown in the fourth. Deonte Toliver broke through the JCSU defensive wall for a 57 yard touchdown run. The Golden Bulls tallied their final points with a two yard touchdown toss from Wallace to junior receiver
Matthew Jeffries (Gainesville, GA). Jeffries has made a touchdown catch in the last three ball games.
At the conclusion of the contest, JCSU accounts for 364 yards of offense and hold the Falcons to 332 yards. However, Saint Augustine's gets a 34-15 victory in their new facility.
Hartley finished with a game-high 96 yards rushing and one touchdown. He also had four receptions for 42 yards receiving. Freshman running back
Freddie Jones (Goldsboro, NC) flashed in for 44 yards off five carries. Wallace completed 19 of his 34 pass attempts for 195 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Junior defensive back
Lance Harris (Richmond, CA) and Coats each collected nine tackles. Junior defensive end
Derrick Johnson II (Charlotte, NC) was held without at least half a sack for the first time all season. Johnson entered this contest fourth in NCAA Division II with 9.5 sacks.
The major setbacks for the Golden Bulls were three turnovers and 12 penalties for a loss of 122 yards.
Johnson C. Smith will look to remain unbeaten at home in their next contest. JCSU will square off with Fayetteville State University on Saturday, October 29th at 4:00 p.m. inside the Irwin Belk Complex. Both teams will be 3-2 in the conference entering the match-up.
