Sept. 13, 2008

Final Stats

The Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls fought back from a 28-10 deficit late in the third quarter to defeat the Tigers of Edward Waters College 37-31 in overtime. The team displayed poise, discipline and a willingness to work together en route to the team's first victory of the 2008 season.

JCSU could not get anything going offensively in the first half. The Tigers were first to hit the scoreboard early in the second quarter with a 18-yard strike from freshman Mike McKinzie to Trenttonio Stewart. JCSU moved the ball down the field on their next drive, but was only able to muster up a 36-yard field goal from Julius Wright (Fort Worth, Texas). Not to be undone by the Golden Bulls, Edward Waters' Maurice Young took the kick-off 90 yards for a touchdown. Young was also on the receiving end of a 15-yard pass from McKinzie to swell the score to 21-3 in favor of the Tigers.

"I am so proud of these guys", said head coach Daryl C. McNeill, Sr. "The team never gave up. We have been fighting against each other all year. We finally found a way to fight together."

No one really knows what Coach McNeill said to the team at halftime but the Golden Bulls looked like a totally different team during the second stanza. JCSU opened the second half with a 93-yard pass from Carlton Richardson (Columbia, S.C.) to Jeremy Franklin (Casselberry, Fla.) to cut the lead to 21-10. Both teams couldn't find the end zone on consecutive drives until Stewart toted the ball 77 yards down the field for a touchdown with 4:57 remaining.

The fourth quarter was all JCSU. The Bulls scored on three consecutive drives to take the lead 31-28 with six minutes remaining in regulation. McNeill showed his offensive coordination experience by running all kinds of trick plays. With just 1:49 left on the clock, Edward Waters took the ball. On third-and-nine, a crucial defensive holding penalty gave EWC new life and a fresh set of downs on the JCSU 14-yard line. Three incomplete passes later and with the clock reading eight seconds, EWC connected on a 31-yard field goal to knot the score at 31-all. The overtime session was headed this way.

JCSU won the toss and elected to go on defense first. On third and goal, Kamau Leitner's pass fell incomplete and it was time for a field goal again. This time, Nadens Madeus' attempt hit the upright and was no-good. JCSU would use the running game and get the victory on a one-yard quarterback keeper by none other than Carlton Richardson.

The tandem duo of Richardson and Franklin were frankly amazing tonight. Richardson completed 20 of 32 passes for a career high 339 yards and two touchdowns. Franklin, had 10 catches for a career high 237 yards and three touchdowns. His longest was a 93-yard strike from Richardson.

Defensively, the freshman linebackers made a name for themselves tonight as Quinton Toomer (Atlanta, Ga.) and Darius Johnson (Atlanta, Ga.) led the attack. Toomer had nine total tackles (4 solo, 5 assisted) while Johnson had eight total tackles (6 solo, 2 assisted.

JCSU will travel to Salem, Virginia to take on the defending eastern division champion Panthers of Virginia Union University as part of the Western Virginia Education Classic. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Salem.