JC Smith football knocks off Winston-Salem State in big home win
Johnson C. Smith football won in dominant fashion Saturday.
Senior quarterback Kelvin Durham threw for three touchdowns, rushed for two and accounted more than 350 yards in the Golden Bulls’ 52-27 win Saturday against Winston-Salem State at Irwin Belk Complex.
JC Smith (7-1, 4-1 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) is set to play Fayetteville State, which remains unbeaten in conference play, this upcoming weekend. The Golden Bulls, who won their fourth consecutive game, scored at least 50 points for the third time this season.
“Building connection later in the season, that's one of our strengths,” said senior wide receiver Deandre “Biggie” Proctor, who caught a pair of touchdown passes and recorded 156 receiving yards on 10 catches. “Everybody pulls together at the end. We just come closer and try not to overthink the future. Just take it play-by-play, game-by-game, drive-by-drive.”
Golden Bulls strike early
Durham rushed for a 5-yard touchdown on JC Smith’s first possession.
Winston-Salem State freshman running back Timothy Ruff II broke away for 65 yards to set his offense up at the 4-yard line, but the Golden Bulls held strong, pushing them back and holding kicker Gilberto Lorenzana, a North Meck graduate, to a 22-yard field goal.
The Golden Bulls drove downfield early in the second quarter, and Durham rushed home for another touchdown.
A pass interference penalty negated an interception that would've put the Rams in strong field position, and JC Smith continued marching. Durham tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass toward the corner to Proctor, giving the Golden Bulls a 21-3 advantage.
Senior running back Noah Marshall recorded a 63-yard burst on Winston-Salem State’s first play from scrimmage, setting it up on the 22. JC Smith kept it out of the end zone, and Lorenzana kicked a 24-yard field goal.
Bobby Smith, the Golden Bulls’ redshirt freshman running back, capped a strong drive with a touchdown during the final seconds of the first half, giving them a 28-6 lead at the intermission.
Rams answer, but no stopping JC Smith
Durham threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman receiver Brian Lane during the third quarter for JC Smith's fifth score.
Senior tight end Maliek Carter hauled in a 52-yard grab early in the fourth quarter that brought the Golden Bulls inside the 5. Freshman kicker Lukasz Smolen, who comes to Charlotte from London, drilled a 21-yard field goal.
Quarterback Daylin Lee connected with fellow Shelby native Ja’Hari Mitchell for a 44-yard touchdown. The Rams successfully attempted the two-point conversion.
Winston-Salem State recovered the onside kick, giving it possession near midfield. Lee led them downfield once again, punching it in from short before Lorenzana added the extra point to make it 38-21.
Durham guided the Golden Bulls downfield throughout the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Smith’s second touchdown of the day, from 11 yards out, gave JC Smith a 45-21 lead.
“It definitely feels good, but what feels better is we haven’t played our best game on offense yet,” Durham said. “Just looking forward to a better game coming in soon.”
Lee and Mitchell linked once again, with a 46-yard pass preceding a 27-yard touchdown strike. The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
Inside the final 51 seconds of regulation, Durham flung a pass to Proctor, who hustled all the way into the end zone to complete the 60-yard touchdown pass.
Notable
- JC Smith wins its third consecutive game against Winston-Salem State, the Charlotte school’s longest win streak in the rivalry’s history.
- The Golden Bulls improve to 4-1 in CIAA play, third in the conference behind Virginia Union and Fayetteville State, which hosts JC Smith next game.
- JC Smith strengthens its NCAA Division II Super Region 2 at-large bid case as a one-loss team heading into the final two weeks.
They said it
“The game that we lost against Fayetteville State, we were shut out 27-0, and we wore the exact uniforms (Saturday),” JC Smith head coach Maurice Flowers said. “Because our young men, our leadership council, they were saying ‘all blue, all blue,’ I said ‘I don't want to wear that all blue.’ And they said, ‘Coach: New team; new season.’ I left them alone. That’s the mindset of these guys.
“They really care and love for each other because they have fun together. And I’m just proud of them that they that they can see their hard work paying off, and we’re looking forward to still being alive.”
What’s next for JC Smith?
The Golden Bulls travel to Fayetteville State at 1 p.m. Saturday before finishing their regular season Nov. 8 against Livingstone at Irwin Belk Complex.
This story was originally published October 25, 2025 at 6:34 PM.
