Johnson C. Smith 13, Saint Paul's 7

September 30, 2006

LAWRENCEVILLE, VA – Johnson C. Smith University (4-1, 2-1 CIAA) used a stellar defensive attack to hold on for a 13-7 victory over the host Tigers of St. Paul’s College (2-3, 1-1 CIAA). The victory improves the Golden Bulls' record to 4-1 and 2-1 in the CIAA putting them in second place in the CIAA Western Division.

This marks the best start by a JCSU team since 1982 and the first time since 1998 that the Golden Bulls have been above .500 in the CIAA. “I thought our kids played well, the defensive unit did an outstanding job,” commented head coach Daryl C. McNeill. “Offensively we have got to do a better job in the red zone. Overall we were not mentally ready to play today, but happy to be 4-1 at this point.”

JCSU drew blood first on a 46-yard field goal by kicker Drew Vezina with 10:38 remaining in the first quarter. Sophomore quarterback Carlton Richardson found Marquis Belton for a four-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to put JCSU up 10-0 going into the intermission.

The third quarter saw Vezina convert a 23-yard field goal attempt giving JCSU the 13-0 advantage. The shut-out thinking Bulls unfortunately had an excessive celebration after a DJ Haynesworth sack late in the fourth quarter swinging the momentum to the Tigers. On the next series, quarterback Michael Garrison completed a 38-yard pass to Justin Calloway giving SPC great field position at the JCSU 15-yard line. Six plays and a defensive pass interference call later, Michael Garrison carried the ball into the end zone ending the Golden Bull’s thoughts of a shut-out with 45 seconds remaining in regulation.

On the ensuing kick-off, Donja’ Goodson downed the SPC attempt for the on-side kick and all JCSU had to do was take a knee a couple times and preserve their undefeated record away from home.

Richardson completed 11 of 20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. Yannick Murray had his best game of the season with 23 carries for 98 yards while Belton had 6 receptions for 96 yards and a score.

Defensively, Ed Wilson led all defenders with 15 tackles (4 solo, 11 assisted), one for a loss of four yards. Jerrell Goodwin contributed 9 tackles while senior Omar Bizzell had 8, including 1.5 for a loss of two yards. The defense held SPC to just 198 yards of total offense.

Remarking on the defensive showing of the day, team captain Ed Wilson said: “We came to play the entire four quarters. We were challenged last week but we came out and played 60 minutes of football, resulting in us winning the game.”

Wilson looks to help his team extend their win streak to three games when they begin divisional play on Saturday, October 7, 2006. The gold and blue will take on Livingstone College at 6:00 pm in Salisbury, NC.