CHARLOTTE, NC – Fayetteville State found itself in another fourth-quarter battle Saturday afternoon, rallying to take a one-point lead with just over seven minutes remaining before Johnson C. Smith answered with a late touchdown to hand the Broncos a 20-14 setback at the Irwin Belk Complex.
The loss moved Fayetteville State to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while Johnson C. Smith improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in conference action. The Golden Bulls finished with 379 yards of total offense, including 215 on the ground, while the Broncos generated 252 yards and committed no turnovers.
Dismukes led the Broncos offensively, completing 11 of 16 passes for 114 yards without an interception and rushing nine times for a team-high 58 yards and a touchdown. Southern led Fayetteville State with 38 receiving yards on two catches, while
Unique Kelly caught a team-high four passes for 45 yards. Vinson added 43 rushing yards and 19 receiving yards. Marshall finished with 13 yards on four carries and scored Fayetteville State's first touchdown.
Defensively,
Jatavien Taylor led the Broncos with nine tackles, including six solo stops.
Kadynce Watson followed with eight tackles and a tackle for loss, while
Terrell Ford and
Ryan Debow recorded seven tackles apiece.
Amari Best contributed three pass breakups as Fayetteville State held Johnson C. Smith without a passing touchdown.
Fayetteville State struck first with a methodical 15-play, 72-yard drive that carried from late in the first quarter into the second.
Noah Marshall finished the possession with a 2-yard touchdown run, and
John Hernandez-Vargas added the extra point to give the Broncos a 7-0 advantage with 14:38 remaining in the half.
Johnson C. Smith responded later in the quarter. Kamarro Edmonds broke loose for a 29-yard gain before finishing the six-play, 53-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7. Alexis Rosario-Beltran then connected on a 31-yard field goal as time expired to send the Golden Bulls into halftime with a 10-7 advantage.
The Broncos received an immediate opportunity to change the game at the start of the third quarter when
Jason Melton II recovered a fumble on the second-half kickoff at the Johnson C. Smith 17-yard line. Fayetteville State was unable to turn the takeaway into points, however, as a holding penalty pushed the offense backward before a 42-yard field-goal attempt missed.
Fayetteville State's defense kept the Broncos within striking distance. Johnson C. Smith put together a 16-play, 76-yard drive that consumed more than nine minutes across the third and fourth quarters, but the Broncos kept the Golden Bulls out of the end zone and forced them to settle for Rosario-Beltran's 32-yard field goal. That pushed the margin to 13-7 with 11:55 remaining.
With the game hanging in the balance,
Jamir Dismukes and the Broncos responded.
Starting from their own 25, Fayetteville State marched 75 yards in eight plays. Dismukes connected with
Lorenzo Southern for 17 yards on third-and-nine and later found
Braylon Vinson for a 23-yard gain to move the Broncos into Golden Bulls territory. On third-and-six from the 30, Dismukes broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run, and the extra point gave Fayetteville State a 14-13 lead with 7:04 remaining.
Johnson C. Smith answered with the decisive possession of the afternoon. The Golden Bulls went 75 yards in 12 plays and consumed 6:15 off the clock. Facing fourth-and-four at the Fayetteville State 36, quarterback Damien Mazil connected with Brian Lane for a 24-yard completion to extend the drive. Edmonds eventually scored from six yards out with 49 seconds remaining, putting Johnson C. Smith back in front, 20-14.
Fayetteville State moved to its own 46 on its final possession, highlighted by a 21-yard completion from Dismukes to Southern, but the comeback attempt ended when time expired following a sack.
The Golden Bulls leaned heavily on their running game, with Fabian Duncan carrying 31 times for a game-high 157 rushing yards while adding 49 receiving yards. Edmonds rushed for 55 yards and both Johnson C. Smith touchdowns. Mazil completed 9 of 18 passes for 164 yards, while Lane hauled in six catches for a game-high 108 receiving yards. Defensively, Vincent Hill paced Johnson C. Smith with 11 tackles, while Jamaris Stevens finished with seven.
Penalties proved costly for Fayetteville State in a game decided by six points. The Broncos were flagged 10 times for 101 yards, while Johnson C. Smith finished with eight penalties for 56 yards. The Golden Bulls also controlled possession for 33:22 and converted all four of their red-zone opportunities into points.
Fayetteville State will return home next week looking to rebound when the Broncos host Virginia Union at Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
