DURHAM, NC -- Shaw pulled off an impressive comeback Saturday afternoon, highlighted by a 51-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Blake to Navarreo Rorie, to erase a 10-0 halftime deficit in a 21-10 Homecoming Day win over Johnson C. Smith at Durham County Stadium.
The Bears improved to 2-4 on the year and 2-2 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), while the Golden Bulls fell to 4-2 and 3-1 in the first Southern Division matchup of the season.
Blake led Shaw's passing attack with 188 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns and one interception.
Jatoine Fields led all Bears' rushers with 59 yards and one touchdown in the contest. Trey Thorpe added 32 yards on the ground.
Rorie reeled in two catches for 57 yards and one score. Ah'shaan Belcher hauled in three balls for 52 yards and one touchdown.
Elijah Adams showed out for the Shaw defense, collecting eight tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one interception, and one recovered fumble. Saevion Gibbs added five tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and two sacks and Brian Patterson had five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and one recovered fumble in the win.
The Bears won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing five turnovers while coughing the ball up three times. Shaw turned those takeaways into seven points - a one-yard game-clinching touchdown run by Fields off a 36-yard interception return by Adams in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Shaw did an impressive job neutralizing the Johnson C. Smith offensive attack, holding the Golden Bulls to 184 total yards. The Bears kept Johnson C. Smith under 150 yards on both the ground and through the air, allowing 67 passing and 117 rushing yards. The Bears badgered the Johnson C. Smith passing attack all game long, racking up five sacks and two interceptions.
How It Happened
Johnson C. Smith took a 10-0 halftime lead, but Shaw scored with 6:02 remaining in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 10-7. Blake hit Belcher for a 32-yard touchdown on fourth down to put the Bears' on the scoreboard.
The Bears then took the lead on Rorie's 51-yard touchdown, also on fourth down, making the score 14-10.
Shaw kept Johnson C. Smith off the scoreboard and increased its lead to 21-10 with 4:48 left in the fourth quarter on Fields' touchdown run.
Game Notes
» Shaw outgained Johnson C. Smith 253-184, including a 191-67 advantage through the air.
» Shaw won the turnover battle 5-3 after intercepting two passes and recovering three fumbles.
» Shaw tallied 14 points in the fourth quarter, accounting for 66.7% of its total score.
» Shaw converted 3 of 16 third downs while Johnson C. Smith was successful on 3 of 12.
» Adams led the Bears with eight tackles.
» Shaw went 2-for-2 on fourth down, converting 100 percent of its attempts. Both plays went for touchdowns.
» The Bears racked up nine tackles for loss and added five sacks.
» Shaw won the time of possession battle 31:46 to 28:14.
» India Pulphus was 3-for-3 on extra point attempts. She is 4-for-4 on the season.
» The Bears ended the game on a high note, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half to close out the contest.
» Roberts Adams led the Golden Bulls passing attack, completing eight of 24 attempts for 67 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.
» Tim Newman led the Johnson C. Smith rushing attack with 51 yards.
Up Next
The Bears complete a three-game homestand next Saturday, Oct. 14, against Winston-Salem State in a contest scheduled to be televised by HBCU GO on TheGrio Network. Game time is 1 p.m. at Durham County Stadium.
