Sept. 15, 2007

Final Stats

Johnson C. Smith University (1-2) faced their second Championship Subdivision team in as many weeks as they took on a tough Charleston Southern University team. The Buccaneers (1-2) recorded their first victory of the season as they downed the Golden Bulls 44-20.

Charleston Southern won the coin toss and elected to receive. Seven minutes into the first quarter, Michael Jefferson capped off a six-play, 78 yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown run. The drive took just one minute and 52 seconds.

The Bulls could not get much going in the first quarter. De'Audra Dix picked off an Eli Byrd pass, his first of the season with 4:44 remaining in the first quarter.

Senior Marco Kirven had the team's first rushing touchdown of the season with 5:54 left in the first stanza. His 10-yard run started with a spectacular 85-yard kick-off run by senior Dix.

On the last play of the half, a field goal attempt by Herbert Collins, III would be blocked by Philip Ashley and returned 68 yards for a touchdown. That touchdown would send the Buccaneers into the locker room up by a score of 24-7.

On the opening play of the third quarter, Kirven would fumble the ball giving Charleston Southern excellent field position on the JCSU 22-yard line. Michael Jefferson toted the ball seven yards into the end zone to swell the lead to 31-7. JCSU would bounce back and score twice on a 12-yard interception return by Randy Brown and on a seven yard run by Carlton Richardson to cut the lead to 31-20 with 5:39 remaining in the third quarter.

The Buccaneers then answered that score with a huge 63-yard kick-off return giving Charleston Southern great field position on the JCSU 32-yard line. Three plays later, Eli Byrd found Ryan Ard for a 24-yard touchdown reception and the score read 38-20.

Kirven becomes the first 100-yard rushing tailback in Coach McNeill's three-year tenure. He had 19 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown. Richardson completed 10-of-21 attempts for 103 yards. He also had ten carries for 42 yards and a touchdown.

Fred Williams led all JCSU defenders with 14 total tackles. Dix contributed seven tackles, one interception, and two pass break-ups in the loss.

JCSU completes their non-conference schedule with a 1-2 record. The all-important conference run begins next week with a 1:30 p.m. match-up against Saint Augustine's College. The contest will be one of the NCAA's Internet Broadband games and will be played at Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C. Saint Augustine's enters next week's contest with an 0-3 record.