Late TD gives Winston-Salem State a victory over J.C. Smith

Winston-Salem State aced its final – and biggest – test against J.C. Smith.

Kerrion Moore’s 1-yard plunge with 3 minutes, 17 seconds left pushed the Rams to a 15-14 victory against the Golden Bulls on Sunday in a CIAA game at McGirt Field, their 16th straight in the series. The deciding drive – 18 plays covering 85 yards – included three third-down conversions to keep the possession alive.

“I was very confident. I never lose confidence in the team,” said Winston-Salem State quarterback Rod Tinsley, an Olympic High graduate who completed 12 of 28 passes for 144 yards. “I knew we could do it if we put it together and that’s all we asked for.”

The Golden Bulls (1-5, 1-2) gave Winston-Salem State (4-2, 3-0) all they could handle. J.C. Smith overcame a 9-0 deficit with two long scoring passes by Harold Herbin, who connected with Rod Carter on a 63-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter, followed by a 38-yard strike to Gabriel Yuille on the next possession. The defense, which limited the Rams to three Will Johnson field goals, couldn’t muster a stop down the stretch.

“I think our offense kind of relaxed after the second touchdown,” said J.C. Smith coach Kermit Blount. “That’s when we needed some first downs to give our defense some rest. We kept our defense on the field a little too long in the fourth period and it ended up hurting us on the last drive.”

Winston-Salem State outgained J.C. Smith 449 yards to 288, with the Rams’ ground attack accounting for 305. The Golden Bulls’ defense, however, managed to force Winston-Salem into five field goal attempts to remain in contention.

Three who mattered

Te’Vaughn Hurse: The Rams running back rushed for a career-best 199 yards on 21 carries, including an 80-yard gallop.

Carlo Thomas: J.C. Smith safety intercepted his fifth pass of the season, giving him 17 in 15 games as a Golden Bull.

Will Johnson: Winston-Salem State kicker connected on 3-of-5 field goals, including a career-best 49-yarder.

Worth mentioning

▪ Winston-Salem State hasn’t lost to J.C. Smith since a 14-6 defeat in 1996.

▪ Golden Bulls coach Blount is 0-2 against the Rams, his former team.

▪ Winston-Salem State is the lone unbeaten team in the CIAA South.

This story was originally published October 9, 2016 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Late TD gives Winston-Salem State a victory over J.C. Smith."