{"id":154616,"date":"2025-11-17T16:10:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T21:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/?p=154616"},"modified":"2025-11-17T16:32:58","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T21:32:58","slug":"jcsu-football-hosts-d2-playoff-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/2025\/11\/17\/jcsu-football-hosts-d2-playoff-game\/","title":{"rendered":"A Year After Heartbreak, JCSU Football Rises as Playoff Host"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) walked into Selection Sunday with two things: a CIAA championship trophy in hand and a powerful memory in its heart. A year ago, the Golden Bulls sat in this same room as the NCAA Division II playoff bracket filled up without them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That moment became the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5usX_wRiSH8&amp;list=PLf2l922yqAyUVM_sGOFTJB7ukTFvwLazN&amp;index=23\\\">gut-punch finale<\/a> of Brick x Brick with JCSU Football: Season Two, showing a team crushed by back-to-back losses and a postseason dream slipping away. They had lost games, lost control of their fate, and lost their shot at history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But they <a href=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/2025\/11\/15\/jcsu-football-claims-first-ciaa-title-in-55-years\/\">never lost their belief<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brick x Brick with JCSU Football | SzN II Finale | HBCUGameDay.com\" width=\"1240\" height=\"698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5usX_wRiSH8?list=PLf2l922yqAyUVM_sGOFTJB7ukTFvwLazN\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This time, the room looked different. Hats from the 2025 CIAA Championship clung to their heads like they had them on for 24 hours straight. The Brick x Brick cameras captured smiles instead of silence. And the room exploded when their name was announced as the two-seed in the newly formed Super Region 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They didn\u2019t erupt because they were simply happy to get in. They erupted because hearing their name announced as the 10-1 CIAA champions and a top team in all of Division II football was an audible affirmation that their &#8216;Brrick x Brick&#8217; rebuild was a success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Maurice Flowers made that point immediately. \u201cWe\u2019re not just happy to be here. This is what we earned as a No. 2 seed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Selection Sunday in Charlotte with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JCSUFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JCSUFootball<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gcwKkGANIw\">pic.twitter.com\/gcwKkGANIw<\/a><\/p>&mdash; HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HBCUGameday\/status\/1990195800136135113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 16, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-celebration-with-purpose\"><strong>A Celebration With Purpose<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The reaction wasn\u2019t about arrival. It was about validation. The Golden Bulls earned the CIAA\u2019s automatic bid, the No. 2 seed, and a home playoff game at &#8220;The Cut&#8221;, the nickname for the Irwin Belk Complex, a stadium with one of the best skyline views in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flowers quickly shifted from celebration to perspective. He pointed back to the earliest days of the rebuild. He shouted out the \u201cday one\u201d players \u2014 the ones &#8216;Brick x Brick&#8217; fans have watched grow for three seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen we first got here, there were two guys that were here from day one\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He reminded the team that Defensive Lineman Steny Joseph joined the program when it was 1\u20139. Joseph could have walked away after last year\u2019s heartbreak. Instead, he told Flowers, \u201cCoach, I\u2019m not going out like that. I\u2019m coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those stories shaped the foundation of the program. They also shaped the &#8216;Brick x Brick&#8217; series, where quiet freshmen have grown into vocal leaders over the course of three seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flowers pointed to that evolution. \u201cLast year, when we sat in this room and didn\u2019t hear our name called\u2026 It\u2019s about growth, man. And we really aren\u2019t done yet.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-champion-returns-tom-baldwin-s-you-got-one-moment\"><strong>A Champion Returns: Tom Baldwin\u2019s \u201cYou Got One\u201d Moment<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, the legends stepped forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom Baldwin, a member of the historic 1969 CIAA Championship team, walked to the front of the room. He lifted his hand and pointed to his championship ring \u2014 just like he did in &#8216;Brick x Brick&#8217; Season Two after JCSU started 6\u20130.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back then, he looked at the team and told them, \u201cYour turn.\u201d This time, he smiled, tapped the ring again, and said, \u201cYou got one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brick x Brick SzN II | JCSU vs VA State | Get Perfect | HBCUGameDay.com\" width=\"1240\" height=\"698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_wdgdwX4f70?list=PLf2l922yqAyUVM_sGOFTJB7ukTFvwLazN\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Baldwin went on to discuss what this season meant to the JCSU community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI saw folks I hadn\u2019t seen since I graduated in 1971\u2026 You won\u2019t wait another 56 years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also delivered one of the night\u2019s best metaphors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow do you purify gold? You put it over fire, you skim off the impurities, you keep going until you can see your reflection. That\u2019s what you are \u2014 pure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The message hit home. This CIAA championship team had been forged the same way \u2014 through pressure, fire, and perseverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-9-16 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Legacy, Pride, History \u2014 JCSU Football Is Ready for D2 Playoffs | HBCUGameDay.com\" width=\"563\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EBc8onYU2cw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sheriff-garry-mcfadden-you-ve-woken-up-generations\"><strong>Sheriff Garry McFadden: \u201cYou\u2019ve Woken Up Generations\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Next came Mecklenburg County Sheriff and proud JCSU alum Garry McFadden. His voice boomed before he even reached the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou all don\u2019t even know what you did. You have woken up generations.\u201d  He described alumni caravanning to Durham, families returning after years away, and Charlotte lifting its head with pride again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then he guaranteed that the city would stand behind them for the playoffs: \u201cWhen it comes to The Cut \u2014 we\u2019ll be there to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-president-valerie-kinloch-you-are-the-prize\"><strong>President Valerie Kinloch: \u201cYou Are the Prize\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, President \u2014 and alum \u2014 Valerie Kinloch addressed the team. If you watch &#8216;Brick x Brick&#8217;, you know her face well. She appears throughout the series, offering sideline encouragement and speaking directly to the players after games. Kinloch hasn\u2019t missed a single matchup this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She told them why. \u201cIt\u2019s because I see myself in all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She shared stories of long-lost alumni returning. She discussed how the team helped rebuild campus pride. Then she offered one of the most powerful messages of the night. \u201cWhatever you do in the world, I want you to know that you are a prize.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-tiled-gallery aligncenter is-style-rectangular\"><div class=\"\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__gallery\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:66.71475%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"154625\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/2025\/11\/17\/jcsu-football-hosts-d2-playoff-game\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-6.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"4240,2832\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" 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full-screen\"srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-6.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-6.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-6.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1200&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-6.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1500&#038;ssl=1 1500w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-6.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1800&#038;ssl=1 1800w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-6.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=2000&#038;ssl=1 2000w\" alt=\"JCSU CIAA Playoffs\" data-height=\"2832\" data-id=\"154625\" data-link=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/?attachment_id=154625\" 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full-screen\"srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-1.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-1.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-1.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1200&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-1.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1500&#038;ssl=1 1500w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-1.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1800&#038;ssl=1 1800w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-1.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=2000&#038;ssl=1 2000w\" alt=\"JCSU CIAA Playoffs\" data-height=\"2832\" data-id=\"154629\" data-link=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/?attachment_id=154629\" data-url=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-1.jpg?w=1024\" data-width=\"4240\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jcsu-ciaa-champ-1.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-brick-x-brick-from-documented-pain-to-documented-progress\"><strong>Brick x Brick: From Documented Pain to Documented Progress<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything in the room \u2014 every cheer, every message, every emotion \u2014 is now part of the next chapter of Brick x Brick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year\u2019s scene, the silent heartbreak of not hearing their name called, became a bookmark in JCSU program history. This year\u2019s scene ensures that moment is a footnote, not a forward. These Selection Sunday moments will be featured in a future episode centered on JCSU football&#8217;s first-ever home playoff game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8216;Brick x Brick&#8217; will remain in production throughout the Golden Bulls\u2019 2025 postseason run, as the documentary series continues to capture one of the most inspiring HBCU football turnarounds of all time, in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The heartbreak. The rebuild. The belief. And now the payoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-road-ahead-frostburg-state-comes-to-the-cut\"><strong>The Road Ahead: Frostburg State Comes to The Cut<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>JCSU now prepares to host Frostburg State in Round One of the DII Playoffs. Flowers made it clear they won\u2019t look too far ahead. \u201cOne day at a time. One opponent at a time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then he reinforced their identity. \u201cWe\u2019re undefeated at home. And someone\u2019s got to come down to The Cut.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Home-field advantage has become part of JCSU\u2019s personality. The Cut is loud, proud, and packed with energy \u2014 and now it will host playoff football for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-new-face-of-hbcu-dii-football\"><strong>The New Face of HBCU DII Football<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson C. Smith spent more than five decades stuck between hope and history. Breaking that drought didn\u2019t come from luck. It came from alumni support, community connection, culture-building, and a team that bought into something bigger than itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brick x Brick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brick x Brick with JCSU Football\" width=\"1240\" height=\"698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/videoseries?list=PLf2l922yqAyUVM_sGOFTJB7ukTFvwLazN\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From pain to progress, JCSU football turns last season\u2019s disappointment into a No. 2 seed and a D2 playoff home game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":154630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_ml_titleColor":"#000000","_ml_titleFont":"Roboto","_ml_titleFontSize":1.136,"_ml_titleFontWeight":"400","_ml_titleLineHeight":1.3,"_ml_metaColor":"#708090","_ml_metaFont":"Montserrat","_ml_metaFontSize":0.6785,"_ml_metaFontWeight":"400","_ml_metaLineHeight":0.92,"_ml_bodyColor":"#a9a9a9","_ml_bodyFont":"Open Sans","_ml_bodyFontSize":0.85,"_ml_bodyFontWeight":"400","_ml_bodyLineHeight":1.2,"_ml_wooPriceColor":"#666","_ml_wooPriceFont":"Open Sans","_ml_wooPriceFontSize":0.9,"_ml_wooPriceFontWeight":"400","_ml_wooPriceLineHeight":1.27,"_ml_headingColor":"#000","_ml_headingFont":"Merriweather","_ml_headingFontSize":2.02,"_ml_headingFontWeight":"700","_ml_headingLineHeight":1.47,"_mlglobal_userfontcolors":{"headingColorUser":[],"titleColorUser":[],"metaColorUser":[],"bodyColorUser":[],"wooPriceColorUser":[]},"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[573627540,573627535,573627895],"tags":[1809557,573627544,12441192,573628973],"class_list":["post-154616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ciaa","category-football","category-johnson-c-smith","tag-ciaa","tag-featured","tag-jcsu","tag-johnson-c-smith-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.4 (Yoast SEO v24.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Year After Heartbreak, JCSU Football Rises as Playoff Host - HBCU Gameday<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"JCSU football earns a No. 2 seed in the D2 playoffs after winning the CIAA title as the &#039;Brick x Brick&#039; 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