ETTRICK, VA - Johnson C. Smith University improved to 5-1 (2-1 CIAA) on the season with a strong road win over Virginia State (2-3, 0-2 CIAA), pulling away in the third quarter to secure a 31-20 victory on a sunny afternoon at Rogers Stadium.

The Golden Bulls jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter behind a 47-yard field goal from Lukasz Smolen and a three-yard touchdown pass from Kelvin Durham to Reginald Daniel. Durham was sharp throughout, finishing with 251 passing yards and four touchdown passes.

Virginia State answered in the second quarter, narrowing the gap to 10-7 with a five-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Rahsaan Matthews Jr.,
JCSU extended its lead again on a 12-yard TD pass to Brian Lane, but Virginia State responded quickly with a 44-yard strike from Matthews Jr. to Jaylen Pretlow, trimming the deficit to 17-14 at halftime.

The Golden Bulls dominated the third quarter, scoring twice in quick succession. Durham connected with Daniel again, this time for a 42-yard touchdown, then found Isaiah Perry on a 41-yard bomb just three minutes later. Those two scoring drives gave JCSU a commanding 31-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Virginia State managed to cut the deficit with another touchdown pass from Matthews Jr. to Pretlow—this time from 16 yards out—but the missed extra point left the score at 31-20. The Trojans failed to score again as JCSU's defense held firm in the final minutes.

Next up, Johnson C. Smith will be off next week.