Nov. 2, 2008

Final Stats

Charlotte, N.C. – November 1, 2008 - Johnson C. Smith University (3-7, 2-5CIAA) were defeated by the Bears of Shaw University, 62-35 in the regular season finale played at the Irwin Belk Complex in Charlotte, NC. Senior quarterback Carlton Richardson (Columbia, S.C.) accomplished yet another feat and etched his name in the record books forever. Richardson was limited to just 30 minutes of play after suffering an injury in the first half. However, those 30 minutes were enough to push him past Elroy Duncan for the all-time passing yardage record. Richardson ends his career with 5,433 passing yards and 29 touchdowns.

The first quarter was all Shaw Bears scoring 21 unanswered points early in the first quarter off of two JCSU turnovers.  Finally, in the second quarter, some offense was ignited. On a third and 20 situation and what appeared to be a punt, JCSU head coach Daryl C. McNeill, Sr. called for the fake punt, confusing the Bears. Robert Isaac (Chicago, Ill.) completed a pass to Quinton Toomer (Atlanta, Ga.) for 27 yards and the first down. Richardson would find his favorite target Jeremy Franklin (Casselberry, Fla.) in the back of the end zone for the Bulls’ first score of the day. Julius Wright (Fort Worth, Tex.) would convert the point after touchdown and the score would read 21-7 in favor of the Bears.

After a 26-yard field goal from Caleb Reid, both teams went three and out. On JCSU’s next drive, Monte Coleman blocked punt by Wright which the Bears (7-3, 5-1 CIAA) quickly turned into six points. Reid hit the PAT and just like that the score swelled to 31-7. Richardson would pick up big yardage on a run, but the run would be negated by a fumble which was recovered by Louis Herring. The defense held the Bears and forced them to punt. JCSU would score on their next two possessions with Richardson finding two different receivers in the end zone. Tight end Markus Gray (Newberry, S.C.) caught the first score for 60 yards and Joshua Battle (Fitzgerald, Ga.) the other for 28 yards and before the Bears knew it, the score was 31-21. The toss to Battle gave Richardson the necessary yardage he needed to become the school’s all-time leading passer in school history.

With no time remaining on the clock and the ball appearing to be out of field goal range, Lincoln Shepherd connected on a 56-yarder to give the Bears the 34-21 advantage at the intermission.

The reigning defensive player of the year Louis Ellis recovered a fumble by Kevin Hall (Milton, Fla.) to start the third quarter. Like any good team, the Bears quickly turned that into seven points. JCSU’s back-up quarterback Ryan Carter (Charlotte, N.C.) would answer that with a touchdown run from eight yards out, the first of his career. Carter came in to replace Richardson who was injured early in the first half but played through the pain. On the ensuing kickoff, Robert Brown saw the breakdown in the JCSU special teams and took the ball 97 yards for the score increasing the lead to 48-28. Carter would find Franklin for a 47-yard completion to the Shaw 3-yard line. The two would connect again for three yards and the eventual score, cutting the lead to 48-35.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Richardson returned to the field attempting to gain just 20 yards to have a 2,000 yard season. Unfortunately, the injury didn’t allow him to dodge defenders the way he normally would and he threw an interception in which the Bears turned into seven points. Shaw would score on their next drive and as the saying goes: the rest is history.

Senior linebacker Billy Graham (Burlington, N.C.), had the best game of his career as he recorded 20 tackles (6 solo, 14 assisted) two and a half tackles for a loss of eight yards. Andre Saxon (Greenwood, S.C.) was the other double digit defender with 11 tackles.

Offensively, Richardson completed14 of 27 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Franklin had seven receptions for 101 yards and two scores.

For the Bears, Aaron Ellison had 12 carries for 175 yards and two scores while quarterback Travis Robinson completed 13 of 32 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Liddon Levine led the Bears defensive attack with 10 total tackles. Louis Ellis had a solid day with 6 total tackles, 1.5 sacks for a loss of 11 yards, two tackles for a loss of 11 yards, one fumble recovery and three quarterback hurries.

The win gives the Bears their second consecutive trip to the championship game. They will square off against the Vikings of Elizabeth City State University on November 8, 2008 at 1 p.m. at the Durham County Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

Notes of interest:

• Carlton Richardson ends his career completing 419-855 passes for 5,433 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also has 828 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns giving him a grand total of 6,261 total offensive yards. He finishes 6^th all time in CIAA history in total offense and 9^th all time in passing. He is JCSU’s all-time leader in passing and total offense.
• Billy Graham’s 20 tackles set a new Irwin Belk Complex record previously held by Omar Bizzell (18).
• Jeremy Franklin broke the record for most yards in pass receptions (984) previously held by Craig Brown (933). Franklin came just 16 yards shy of being JCSU’s first 1,000 yard receiver in school history.
• Despite the loss, JCSU had the best offensive output of any CIAA team against the number one defense in the CIAA and 25th in the nation, scoring 35 points. The closest would be Saint Augustine's who scored 27 points in the Bears' only conference blemish.
• All 11 of JCSU’s seniors will receive their undergraduate degrees within a year with Richardson completing requirements in December.