Dedrick Anderson had 149 yards of total offense and a rushing touchdown in the 34-31 loss to West VA State
Box Score Institute, WV – The Johnson C. Smith University football team dropped their 2012 season opener 34-31 to West Virginia State University on Saturday afternoon on Lakin Field. JCSU moves to 0-1 in the standings, while the Yellow Jackets start the year off at 1-0.
The Golden Bulls trailed early in the contest after allowing WVSU to score on their opening possession. West Virginia State put together a nine play, 70-yard drive capped by a seven yard touchdown run by LeFloyd Phillip. On the ensuing possession for JCSU, the Golden Bulls failed to put points on the board despite a 13 play drive.
Junior place kicker
Alfred Ntiamoah (Los Angeles, CA) had a 29-yard field goal sail wide left. Following the missed FG attempt, the defense forced a three and out to regain possession for JCSU offense. The Golden Bulls drove 58 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. Senior tailback
Dedrick Anderson (Winston-Salem, NC) muscled his way into the end zone off a two yard carry on 4th and goal.
WVSU responded with a quick pass to Ervin Kent, which he took 73 yards for a score. JCSU trailed 14-7 with 1:11 remaining in the first quarter. Sophomore quarterback
Keahn Wallace (Homestead, FL) bobbled away a snap on the next drive and the Yellow Jackets recovered the fumble inside the JCSU 15 yard line. A 12 yard pass to Deraughn Brown put WVSU in the end zone for the second time in less than 20 seconds.
JCSU went into the second quarter trailing 21-7. Junior linebacker
Darius Wallace (Sumter, SC) sparked a turnaround in the game with a blocked punt. Wallace broke free towards the punter for a huge block, which was recovered and returned 38 yards for a touchdown by junior linebacker
Spencer Shine (Charleston, SC).
A second recovery led to a touchdown for the Golden Bulls prior to halftime. This time after a seven play offensive drive, junior running back
Denzel Hartley (Lithonia, GA) fumbled in the end zone off a four yard run. Junior tight end
Jimmy Drye, Jr. (Concord, NC) was alert enough to recover the fumble for the score. The game was knotted up 21-21 at the half.
In the third quarter, the Golden Bulls grabbed their first and only lead of the contest. WVSU quarterback Ricky Phillips lost the handle on a snap in the shotgun formation inside his own 10 yard line. JCSU forced a safety and snatched a 23-21 advantage with 12:17 on the clock.
The Yellow Jackets eventually recaptured the lead with a touchdown at the 2:31 mark of the third quarter. The score remained 28-23 in favor of WVSU going into the fourth. Things really began to look grim for JCSU after another touchdown by West Virginia State with 8:24 left to play.
However, the Golden Bulls quickly responded with a three play touchdown drive of their own. Wallace connected with junior receiver
Terrell Hutchison (Chester, SC) for a 16 yard TD pass with 7:09 on the clock. A two-point conversion attempt was successful with a pass from Wallace to Drye over the middle. JCSU drew within one possession (34-31) with the score.
Johnson C. Smith regained one final offensive possession in the last 90 seconds of the contest. On a second and three from the WVSU 45 yard line, Wallace was sacked for a loss of 10 to make it third and long. The Golden Bulls failed to convert and WVSU sealed the season opening win.
Anderson had 149 yards of total offense for JCSU. He rushed for 72 yards off 17 carries with one TD and caught four passes for 77 yards. Hutchison caught six passes for 83 yards and a score. Wallace passed for 267 yards, completing 22 of 37 attempts with one TD and one interception.
Junior defensive back
Damion Miles (Beaufort, SC) and senior linebacker
Michael Coats (Greenwood, SC) each had a team-high eight tackles. However,
Darius Wallace was the defensive standout with six tackles including a sack and a blocked punt. Wallace also performed punting duties. He had seven punts with a long of 55 yards and two punts inside the 20 (one that was downed at the two yard line).
The Golden Bulls must quickly erase the disappointment of this loss and prepare for their next opponent. JCSU will face Tuskegee University on Saturday, September 8th in the Inner City Classic held in Atlanta, GA. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside Lakewood Stadium.
