Pioneer Bowl XIII: Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls prevails in tight game against Miles College Golden Bears

COLUMBUS, Georgia -- Johnson C. Smith closed its season with a 35-33 win over Miles College in Pioneer Bowl XIII Saturday at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium, but the win sure didn't come easy for the Golden Bulls.

Miles (7-5) had a chance to tie the game at 35 following a 21-yard touchdown pass from David Thomas to Antonio Pitts with two seconds remaining in regulation, but the Golden Bears' two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, allowing Johnson C. Smith (6-5) to escape with the victory.

"To finish our season with a win is really big," said Johnson C. Smith coach Steven Aycock, whose team finished with its best record since 2006 - when the Golden Bulls went 7-4 and received a bid to the Pioneer Bowl. "This is something we've been driving for since we started offseason workouts in January. The kids really believe in what we're trying to do here and the coaching staff has put these kids in situations where we can win."



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Charlotte 49ers add JCSU to football schedule

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Charlotte 49ers and Johnson C. Smith will face off in football in 2014 and 2015.

Charlotte, which launches its Division I football program in 2013, announced the addition of the Division II Golden Bulls to its schedule on Oct. 30. Both games will be played at McColl-Richardson Field on University of North Carolina-Charlotte's campus.

The 49ers and Golden Bulls will play home Sept. 6, 2014 and Sept. 19, 2015. JCSU is scheduled to play Division I Davidson in 2013 in Charlotte.

The 49ers’ 2014 schedule has ...
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Pioneer Bowl XIII: Johnson C. Smith University vs. Miles College

Pioneer Bowl Game Notes (pdf format)

PIONEER BOWL football tickets can be purchased at the JCSU Ticket Office in Biddle Hall (3rd Floor) or call 704-378-1145. Tickets can also be purchased at the game.

Columbus, GA – The Johnson C. Smith University football team has accepted the invitation to participate in the 13th Pioneer Bowl to be held Saturday, December 3rd at A.J. McClung Stadium in Columbus, Georgia at 1:00 p.m. (EST). JCSU will face Miles College from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) as the road team in this match-up.

The Pioneer Bowl is the only NCAA sanctioned bowl game involving HBCU athletic conferences and one of only three sanctioned bowl games in Division II. Started in 1997, the game features teams from the CIAA and the SIAC. Last year, Saint Augustine's College (CIAA) trumped Fort Valley State University (SIAC), 20-9.

JCSU closed out the regular season with a 31-0 victory against Livingstone College in the annual Commemorative Classic. The win moved the Golden Bulls to third in the CIAA Southern Division with 5-5 overall record and 4-3 in the conference mark.

This is the first non-losing season for Johnson C. Smith since 2006. That year, JCSU finished 7-3 in the standings and received a Pioneer Bowl bid. Unfortunately, even with the game played in Charlotte, NC, Tuskegee won the game 17-7. Until now, that has been the only bowl game appearance for the Golden Bulls.

Miles College, led by Head Coach Reginald Ruffin, finished first in the SIAC West Division with a 5-2 record in conference play. The Golden Bears won their first SIAC Championship by defeating Albany State University to finish with a 7-4 overall record.

A bowl game victory would be the icing on the cake of a reinvigorated year of JCSU football. Head coach Steven Aycock led his squad to their first winning conference record in five seasons. Aycock was elected CIAA Coach of the Week three times this season.

On the field, CIAA Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback Keahn Wallace (Homestead, FL) has led the Golden Bulls and the conference in yardage. Wallace led the CIAA in total offense, while completing more than 58 percent of his passes and throwing for 1,946 yards with 16 touchdowns. He also averaged 48.4 yards per game running the ball to go with five rushing touchdowns. Wallace averaged 264.7 yards of total offense per game, leading the category by more than 23 yards.

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Achieving the dream of coaching

Charlotte, North Carolina -- The players call him "Coach Deanou can see DeAngelo Dean on the sideline at every Johnson C. Smith football game, making sure the team gets the right personnel into the game in third-and-long situations and conferring with other coaches like former Carolina Panther Mike Minter about the Golden Bulls’ defensive strategy.

For Coach Dean, the sideline feels like home. And every time he walks onto the field feels like a victory.

Dean, 24, has cerebral palsy - a neurological disorder that appears in infancy or early childhood and permanently affects body movement and muscle coordination. But that hasn’t stopped Dean from becoming a valued member of coach Steve Aycock’s J.C. Smith staff in 2011. Aycock was the one who took a chance on Dean to begin with, and the student assistant coach has surpassed expectations as the Division II Golden Bulls have posted one of their best seasons in years.

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Miles College to play Johnson C. Smith in Pioneer Bowl

COLUMBUS, Georgia -- The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced Tuesday that Johnson C. Smith University and Miles College have been selected to play in the Dec. 3 Pioneer Bowl.  The game will be held at A.J. McClung Stadium in Columbus, with kickoff at noon.

Miles, under first-year head coach Reginald Ruffin, finished first in the SIAC West Division with a 5-2 record. Last week the Golden Bears won the inaugural SIAC Championship Game by upsetting Albany State to finish with a 7-4 record.

The Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls, led by head coach Steve Aycock, finished third in the CIAA Southern Division with a 5-5 overall record. They were 4-3 in conference play.

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St. Aug's Falcons to host Johnson C. Smith in historic game

Raleigh, North Carolina -- For the first time in over 40 years, Saint Augustine’s College will host a home football game on its campus.

History will be made Saturday (Oct. 22) when the Falcons face Johnson C. Smith University in the first game at the George Williams Athletic Complex. The CIAA contest, starting at 2 p.m., is the centerpiece of homecoming weekend, which started Oct. 20.

The stadium features a FieldTurf playing surface in addition to a state-of-the-art scoreboard and track surface befitting the person the stadium is named after – George Williams, the school’s athletic director and iconic track and field coach.

The 2004 U.S. Olympic Head Coach, Williams has led his track and field teams to 31 NCAA Division II championships and approximately 150 CIAA titles in his 35 years as St. Aug head coach.

“It is a great thing that we can play on our own campus,” Williams said. “Our students can come out of their residence halls and see the game. Give praise to our president – Dr. [Dianne Boardley] Suber - for this. We give all those involved a big round of thanks, and hope it will be an everlasting relationship between the community, the city of Raleigh and the college.”

After playing the previous three home games in Durham, N.C., Head Football Coach Michael Costa is certainly looking forward to this moment. His Falcon teams have played at various off-campus sites in Raleigh, N.C., since football was re-instituted at St. Aug in 2002.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Costa said. “We have been waiting 10 seasons for this. We appreciate the opportunity to showcase our talents to our fans and our alumni and finally have that home field advantage.”

Football Game Notes vs. Johnson C. Smith

Johnson C. Smith basketball seeks consistency, avoiding tailspin

Head Coach Steve Joyner Sr.

Charlotte, North Carolina -- J.C. Smith's Golden Bulls want to make winning basketball more satisfying. The Bulls were inconsistent last season, losing four straight early, then going on a 10-game win streak before tailing off going into the CIAA tournament to finish 17-11.

"That's not going to cut it," junior point guard Trevin Parks said Sunday at Golden Bulls Frenzy at Brayboy Gym. "We need to win over 20 games, and I'm willing to take on the task of leading this team on and off the court to make sure my guys are doing what they need to do for us to win."

"We're aware of our season last year, what did do and what we didn't do," coach Steve Joyner said. "We want to better that this year."

Parks, a Division II All-American who averaged 21.2 points per game last season, will have experienced help as the Golden Bulls look to become a quicker, transition-oriented team. Phillip Wood, a 6-foot2 transfer from Talladega (Ala.) College, is expected to ...

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JCSU victorious on homecoming 26-19 over Virginia Union

Charlotte, North Carolina – The Johnson C. Smith University football team defeated Virginia Union University 26-19 on Saturday afternoon inside the Irwin Belk Complex during their homecoming contest. JCSU improves to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the CIAA; while the Panthers drop to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

The Golden Bulls continue to make new history this season. Head coach Steven Aycock has already picked up four wins just seven games into the year. JCSU had not produced a plus three-win season since 2006; they finished 7-4 in the standings. That season was also marked the last time Johnson C. Smith had been 3-1 in the CIAA.

Aycock earns his first career victory against Virginia Union and their head coach Michael Bailey in his third season (1-2). This is also the first homecoming win for Aycock. Johnson C. Smith is 3-0 at home this year.

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Johnson C. Smith vs. Virginia Union

Freshman Wallace leads Golden Bulls

Charlotte, North Carolina -- Keahn Wallace isn't wasting time making a difference for J.C. Smith football.

The Golden Bulls' quarterback leads the CIAA in passing yards (1,426) and total offense (1,752) and is on pace to break the school's season passing mark of 2,129 yards set last year by Harding High graduate Ryan Carter. The Golden Bulls (3-3), who play Virginia Union at 1 p.m. today at McGirt Field, have already eclipsed last year's two-win campaign.

"I couldn't have done it without my (offensive) line and defense giving me opportunities and (tailback) Dedrick Anderson coming out of the backfield helped me a lot," said Wallace, a freshman from Homestead, Fla. "Without them and the receivers, none of this would be possible."

The freshman debuted with a bang, completing 16-of-25 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns in the Golden Bulls' 64-27 win against West Virginia State.



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Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls ends skid against Shaw Bears

DURHAM, North Carolina -- Before Saturday, the last time a Johnson C. Smith football team had beaten CIAA rival Shaw was 1978. But in his first game against the Bears, Smith freshman quarterback Keahn Wallace played a leading role in snapping the streak.

Wallace passed for 179 yards, three touchdowns and rushed for a late score to seal the Golden Bulls' 36-27 win at Durham County Memorial Stadium.

J.C. Smith improved to 3-3 and 2-1 in the CIAA. Shaw, which beat Livingstone 54-0 last week for its only win this season, is 1-5, 1-2.

The Golden Bulls, who never trailed, outgained Shaw 367-257 in total offense. Smith running back Dedric Anderson carried much of the load, rushing for 119 yards on 16 carries and scoring two touchdowns, one on a 10-yard pass.

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At midseason, JCSU football shows potential

Charlotte, NC -- Johnson C. Smith football hasn’t been this close to respectable since the 2006 squad went 7-3. But the Golden Bulls still need some work to get there.

JCSU, 2-3 going into Saturday’s CIAA game at Shaw, is statistically better in nearly every category compared to the 2010 squad that went 2-8. The Golden Bulls average 26 points and 386.8 offensive yards per game with freshman quarterback Keahn Wallace leading the attack. The special teams have shown drastic improvement, especially with returner B.J. Trimble scoring on a punt and kick in the first five games.

Defensively, JCSU still a work in progress. The Golden Bulls have improved from last year’s 39.5 points allowed per game to 27, but give up a whopping 453.2 yards per outing. That’ll need to change over the second half of the season if JCSU is to creep closer to a break-even record for the first time under head coach Steve Aycock.




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Winston Salem State Rams holds off Johnson C. Smith Bulls

WINSTON SALEM, NC - Winston-Salem State, riding high after three straight lopsided victories, was brought back to earth Saturday by pesky Johnson C. Smith. Nonetheless, the Rams stayed unbeaten, winning 28-10 in front of more than 20,000 at Bowman Gray Stadium and surviving what coach Connell Maynor called a week of distractions.

"All the distractions with homecoming, the CP3 All-Star Game and the dances and everything else," Maynor said. "Everything is going on, and it's hard to stay focused."

The Rams, ranked No. 21 in Division II, averaged 50 points in their first four games, but the Bulls' defense was effective in harassing quarterback Kameron Smith.

Running back Nic Cooper was the workhorse again for the Rams (5-0, 4-0 CIAA) with 203 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 28 carries. The Rams finished with 401 yards of offense, but they also made three turnovers that kept giving the Bulls (2-3, 1-1) new life.



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Maynor says Winston Salem Rams locked in

Winston Salem, NC - Hardly anything has gone wrong for unbeaten Winston-Salem State this season.
Well, actually, there was one play in last week's 56-20 win over Fayetteville State that didn't work. Punter Landen Thayer just missed Patrick Terry on a fake punt when the Broncos sent 11 defenders and tried for a block.

But that's about the only miscue the Rams have had in building a 4-0 record (3-0 CIAA) and climbing to No. 21 in the Division II coaches' poll. They'll play again at 1:30 today, taking on Johnson C. Smith (2-2, 1-0) at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Coach Connell Maynor has been pleased with the balance of his offense, and the Rams are averaging a CIAA-best 50 points a game.

The Golden Bulls, losers of 10 straight to the Rams, will try to spoil homecoming in a game expected to draw about 20,000.

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JCSU Golden Bulls show a little gloss

Charlotte, NC - It's no secret that the Johnson C. Smith football program has had trouble gaining traction. Coach Steve Aycock is intent on giving his team solid footing. The Golden Bulls (2-2, 1-0 CIAA) will be homecoming opponents again when they play the undefeated Winston-Salem State Rams at 1:30 Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Aycock and his team won't shy away from the challenge.

"We are used to being homecoming bait," said Aycock, a former Golden Bulls assistant now in his third season as the head coach. "Next week, we are Shaw's homecoming game, so it's nothing new to us."

What is new is that the Bulls are starting to turn the corner. They already have two victories, matching their win total of last season (2-8). They were 3-7 in 2009, Aycock's first season.


JCSU vs. Davidson half-time performance.

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Points a rarity for Johnson C. Smith University

Charlotte, NC - Points are scarce at Johnson C. Smith. After lighting up opponents for 99 points in their first two games, the Golden Bulls offense has produced 14 in the last pair. JCSU (2-2, 1-0 CIAA) split those games – a 14-7 win against Virginia State and 35-7 loss at Davidson.

I'm concerned, but I know schematically the coaches do a great job on game planning what we have to do to take advantage of another defense," JCSU coach Steve Aycock said. "We've just got to go back to square one and get the basics."

The Bulls are having trouble moving the ball, especially via the pass. Freshman quarterback Keahn Wallace has thrown for 359 yards and two scores in the last two weeks compared to 337 and four touchdowns against West Virginia State and 325 and three against Brevard. Very little went right against Davidson, with Wallace hitting 11-of-29 passes for ...

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Mecklenburg neighbors JCSU, Davidson renew football series

Charlotte, NC - It’s never too late to grow a rivalry.

Davidson and Johnson C. Smith, Mecklenburg County’s only collegiate football programs – at least until Charlotte’s arrival in 2013 – play Saturday at Davidson’s Richardson Field. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. The series, tied at a game each, has been dormant since 1990 when Davidson won 17-7 at home. The Golden Bulls won 18-15 at Memorial Stadium the previous season.

“We got the ball with 32 seconds left and had to drive 70 yards for a touchdown,” said JCSU offensive coordinator Maurice Flowers, who tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to David Washington on the final play of Smith’s win. “We had a couple of big plays and it came down to … 3 seconds left and we had to go to the end zone.

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JCSU pulls out a 14-7 win over Virginia State with defense

Charlotte, NC - The Johnson C. Smith University football team stayed on course and prevailed for a 14-7 victory against Virginia State University on Saturday afternoon inside the Irwin Belk Complex. JCSU improves to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the CIAA after their first conference contest of the season.

This ball game started off as a stalemate with both teams feeling each other out. William Rudd received a lot of playing time in the first half for Virginia State. Fortunately for JCSU, Mr. Rudd is the Virginia State punter. Rudd came out to punt on three of the first four Trojans offensive drives. On the first drive, Rudd had a 39 yard field goal attempt blocked.

The first quarter ended without a score for either team. JCSU finally put together a nine play, 81-yard scoring drive in the second quarter. After driving the team to the VSU seven; freshman quarterback Keahn Wallace (Homestead, FL) connected with sophomore receiver Avius Capers (Charlotte, NC) on a fade route to the left for the touchdown.



Capers' touchdown would be the only score of the first half.

Photo Gallery

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JCSU looks for defensive improvement vs. Virginia State

Charlotte, NC - Johnson C. Smith scores in bunches – and so do Golden Bulls opponents. The Golden Bulls, who play CIAA North foe Virginia State Saturday at McGirt Field, have outscored 99-65 in the first two games, but are 1-1 after a 38-35 overtime loss last week against Brevard. For the second straight week, JCSU allowed more than 400 yards but that liability has been offset by an offense that’s averaging better than 536.5 per game.

“I’m extremely proud of those guys because they didn’t give up,” Golden Bulls head coach Steve Aycock said. “The one thing I take from this is our kids have got to learn how to close. “We could’ve put them away in the fourth quarter and nailed the coffin shut and got out of there with a victory.”

The Golden Bulls’ main concern from the start has been defense, which was overhauled after allowing an average of 405 yards and 39 points a game last year. They’re still struggling at 452 per contest, and opponents are averaging 229.5 per game on the ground.

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JCSU bust open season with 64-27 win over West Virginia State

Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University football ignited with a 64-27 season opener win against West Virginia State University on Saturday afternoon inside the Irwin Belk Complex. J.C. Smith is 1-0 for the first time since their 24-0 season opening win over Edward Waters in 2007; prior to the coaching leadership from Steven Aycock.

Believe it or not, this game started off a little shaky for the Golden Bulls. With just two plays, the Yellow Jackets had put a touchdown on the scoreboard. After a rush for no gain, Ricky Phillips connected with Ervin Kent for a 74 yard touchdown reception for a 7-0 WVSU lead. It would be the last time Johnson C. Smith trailed in the game.

The Golden Bulls did not flinch after the opposition's score; they calmly put together a drive down the field with three first downs. This drive was led and capped off by freshman quarterback Keahn Wallace (Homestead, FL) with a seven yard TD pass to sophomore receiver Avius Capers (Charlotte, NC). Senior defensive tackle Rashad Dukes (Charlotte, NC) put in some work with two tackles on a three and out on the next WVSU possession.

Yet another freshman came up big, this time receiver William (B.J.) Trimble (Fayetteville, GA) returned a punt 70 yards to the house for a 14-7 JCSU advantage. West Virginia State managed to produce another score on the following drive off a 25 yard touchdown rush from LeFloyd Phillip.



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Capers to be Smith's top returning threat

Charlotte, N.C. - Avius Capers can't go unnoticed much longer.

As a freshman receiver at Johnson C. Smith, he was virtually unknown from Independence High, one of North Carolina's top football programs. As a sophomore, Capers is the top returning threat on an offense that led the CIAA in passing in 2010. No one - except Capers perhaps - expected it.

"I don't like to talk about it," he said. "I like to show by example so they can see for themselves."

Capers worked his way up the depth chart last year, going from fourth receiver to starter with the Golden Bulls during a 2-8 campaign. He caught 21 passes for 313 yards and two scores, trailing only Jeremy Franklin, the school's all-time receiving leader. His best effort was a four-catch, 119-yard game against Livingstone in the season finale that included a season-long 75-yard touchdown.

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