WINSTON-SALEM – Johnson C. Smith continued its recent control of the rivalry Saturday, defeating Winston-Salem State 31-6 at Bowman-Gray Stadium.
The Golden Bulls scored in each of the final three quarters and pulled away with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to earn their fourth straight win over the Rams.
The victory also marked another turn in a series that had been controlled by Winston-Salem State for more than a decade. WSSU had won each meeting from 2010 through 2022, with the exception of 2020, when the teams did not play. Johnson C. Smith has now won the last four meetings.
The Golden Bulls improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Winston-Salem State fell to 0-3 and 0-1.
Neither team found the end zone during a scoreless first quarter, but Johnson C. Smith controlled much of the action on the ground. The Golden Bulls finished with 257 rushing yards on 41 attempts, averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
Fabian Duncan led the way with 164 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Kamarro Edmonds added 72 yards on 10 attempts, giving Johnson C. Smith a consistent running game throughout the afternoon.
The Golden Bulls finally broke through early in the second quarter.
After driving 55 yards on 14 plays, Johnson C. Smith settled for a 15-yard field goal from Alexis Rosario-Beltran with 13:49 remaining in the half. The kick gave the Golden Bulls a 3-0 lead.
Winston-Salem State struggled to generate offense and was unable to answer.
The Rams had one of their better opportunities later in the second quarter when Johnson C. Smith's Fabian Duncan fumbled at the Winston-Salem State 18-yard line. Sofiyan Oumarou recovered for the Rams, but WSSU managed only three plays before punting.
Johnson C. Smith took advantage of another opportunity on its next possession.
Starting at the Winston-Salem State 47-yard line, the Golden Bulls moved into scoring position behind Duncan's running. A 31-yard touchdown pass from Damien Mazil to Brian Lane with 3:44 left in the second quarter extended the lead to 10-0.
Lane finished with two receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns. His second catch produced the biggest play of the afternoon.
Winston-Salem State entered halftime trailing 10-0, and the Rams continued to have trouble moving the ball after the break.
WSSU managed only 191 total yards for the game, including 103 rushing yards and 88 passing yards. The Rams completed 12 of 24 passes and threw one interception.
Johnson C. Smith added to its lead in the third quarter.
After a Winston-Salem State drive ended with an interception by Jamaris Stevens, the Golden Bulls needed only two plays to reach the end zone. Duncan broke loose for a 14-yard touchdown run with 4:11 remaining in the quarter, putting Johnson C. Smith ahead 17-0.
Stevens made one of the key defensive plays of the game when he intercepted Winston-Salem State quarterback Deiondre Goldston and returned the ball 57 yards to the Rams' 33-yard line.
The Golden Bulls could not turn that possession into points, but their defense continued to limit Winston-Salem State's opportunities.
Johnson C. Smith entered the fourth quarter with a 17-0 advantage and quickly made it a four-score game.
With 11:59 remaining, Mazil connected with Lane for a 70-yard touchdown. The play took just one snap and pushed the Golden Bulls' lead to 24-0.
Mazil completed 12 of 27 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception. Johnson C. Smith finished with 468 yards of total offense, compared with 191 for Winston-Salem State.
The Rams finally broke through on their next possession.
Winston-Salem State put together its longest scoring drive of the game, moving 89 yards on 14 plays. Jayvion Danzy finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:30 remaining.
Danzy was the Rams' leading rusher, carrying 16 times for 63 yards and the touchdown. Winston-Salem State's offense, however, could not produce another score after cutting the deficit to 24-6.
Johnson C. Smith answered with another long scoring drive.
The Golden Bulls took over at the Winston-Salem State 50-yard line following the onside kickoff and moved 50 yards in six plays. Parker McQuarrie completed a 17-yard pass to Reggie Brigman to help set up the final score.
Christian Rutledge then finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run with 2:45 remaining. Rosario-Beltran added the extra point to make it 31-6.
Johnson C. Smith finished with 24 first downs and averaged 6.7 yards per play. The Golden Bulls also held a significant advantage in rushing production, gaining 257 yards compared with 103 for Winston-Salem State.
The Rams did hold a slight advantage in time of possession, 31:54 to 28:06, but Johnson C. Smith made more of its offensive opportunities. The Golden Bulls converted six of 12 third downs and scored three touchdowns and one field goal in five trips to the red zone.
For Winston-Salem State, the loss extends a difficult start to the season. The Rams are now 0-3 after opening the CIAA season against Johnson C. Smith, while the Golden Bulls move further into conference play with momentum and another win in one of the state's longstanding HBCU rivalries.
More importantly for Johnson C. Smith, Saturday's result extends a streak that has changed the recent direction of the series.
Winston-Salem State had owned the rivalry throughout the 2010s and into the early 2020s, winning every meeting from 2010 through 2022 except for the canceled 2020 matchup. Johnson C. Smith has now answered with four consecutive victories.
The latest one was never particularly close after halftime. The Golden Bulls used their running game, two touchdown connections between Mazil and Lane, and a defense that created turnovers to build a 31-0 lead before Winston-Salem State finally got on the scoreboard.
Johnson C. Smith now has another win to add to its recent run in the series, while Winston-Salem State will look to regroup at 0-3.
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