Box Score DURHAM, NC – The Shaw University football team fought through adversity and was able to secure an 11-8 victory over Johnson C. Smith University on Oct. 22 at Durham County Memorial Stadium. The victory snaps a nine home game losing skid for the Bears, in addition to a seven-game losing mark for the 2016 season.
Shaw improves to 1-7 overall, 1-4 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference (CIAA) and 1-2 within the Southern Division. JCSU drops to 1-7 overall, 1-4 in the CIAA and 0-3 in the division.
The contest had the Bears leading statistically with a total offense of 227 yards and captured 19 first downs compared the Golden Bulls 130 total offense and six first downs. Shaw scored in the opening quarter after freshman kicker Beni Kinsemi (Charlotte, NC) kicked a 37 yard field goal to give the Bears a 3-0 lead at the 7:09 mark.
In the second quarter, JCSU's Harold Herbin connected with Randy Wiley for a four yard touchdown with 1:45 left in the first half. The Golden Bulls completed a two-point conversion after a missed tackle from the Bears defense allowed Desmond Taylor to find Brandon Howard for a score – giving the Golden Bulls its first lead of the contest at 8-3.
Both teams struggled in the third stanza but in the fourth quarter, Shaw would produce a game-winning scamper on a fourth and goal when sophomore running back Uriah Bethea (Upper Marlboro, MD) scored a two-yard touchdown with 6:02 remaining. The Bears concluded the drive with a two-point conversion after junior quarterback Darron Downing (Portsmouth, VA) found junior tight end De'Shawn Marshall (Lawrenceville, GA) in the end zone for the win.
Bethea finished the contest with 17 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown. Freshman quarterback Timothy Abbott (Washington, D.C.) completed 10-of-23 passes for 95 yards, while sophomore Raymond Green, Jr. (Durham, NC) had three receptions for 43 yards.
Senior defensive lineman Dominique Hannibal (Chesapeake, VA) tallied seven tackles and two sacks. Senior linebacker Keelan Jones (Kansas City, MO), freshman linebacker Devon Hunt (Rockingham, NC) and freshman defensive back Rashad Mosley (Bessemer, AL) all accounted for five tackles apiece. Jones also grabbed two sacks and one pass breakup.
Shaw will return to action next Saturday, Oct. 29th against Winston-Salem State University for homecoming and senior day. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
