By Herb White
Correspondent

J.C. Smith's defense was unforgiving at homecoming.

Golden Bull #14 Danzel Hartley catches the ball over Virginia Union #6 Brian Smith for the touchdown. Today Johnson C. Smith played Virginia Union at the Irwin Belk Complex for their homecoming. T.Ortega Gaines - ogaines@charlotteobserver.com

Three takeaways translated into 14 points and a game-saving stop in the Golden Bulls' 26-19 win against CIAA rival Virginia Union at McGirt Field on Saturday.

It was J.C. Smith's first homecoming victory in three seasons.

No defensive play was bigger than outside linebacker Quinton Toomer's 45-yard fumble return for a TD to push the Bulls to a 26-12 third-quarter lead.

"We were trying to get pressure on the quarterback," Toomer said. "We caught them in the middle of a trick play, some type of reverse and the handoff got screwed up. I was right there in the middle of it and scooped it up to get my team back on top with a stop we needed."

J.C. Smith (4-3, 3-1), which hasn't been above .500 after seven games since 2006, got another in the fourth quarter when defensive tackle Rashad Dukes, a Berry Academy graduate, stripped Panthers quarterback Cheston Hickman and recovered the fumble at the Golden Bulls' 28 with 5 minutes left.

"That's the sign of a good defense," J.C. Smith coach Steve Aycock said. "We're not doing anything special. They most definitely made plays. They bent a little bit, they were put in bad situations and they won."

J.C. Smith's offense, which watched from the sideline for most of the second half as Virginia Union (4-4, 2-3) maintained possession, clinched the win with a clock-draining drive dominated by the running of quarterback Keahn Wallace and tailback Denzel Hartley. Wallace converted a crucial third down with less than 2 minutes remaining by running behind left guard Corey Demmings, the offensive line's lone senior starter.

"The last run we had, (Demmings) said 'run the ball behind me coach,' and that's what we did," Wallace said. "Without the (offensive) line and the team, we couldn't have pulled this off. The only thing the seniors wanted this week was to get a homecoming win."

Said Demmings: "We're becoming a good team. With a big team, you learn how to overcome adversity. You already know when you get the ball with five minutes left, we've got to drive the ball and hold on to it."

J.C. Smith required only two plays to go in front: Wallace's 58-yard strike to Rico Poole and Daniel Taylor's 21-yard catch on a deflected pass for a 6-0 advantage. Matthew Jeffries added a 7-yard touchdown on a fade pattern for a 13-0 lead, but Virginia Union closed the deficit to six on Chris Smith's 2-yard run with 11:39 left in the second.

The Golden Bulls' defense imposed its will in the second half when free safety Chris Sams' interception return set up Wallace's 1-yard plunge for a 19-7 advantage. Smith came up big again in the third, stoning the Panthers with a goal-line stand to kill a potential game-tying drive on the first possession of the half, followed by Toomer's scoop and score.

"I'm just excited for these guys," Aycock said. "This is something we put together Monday through Thursday. We put the hay in the barn on Friday and we expect to win on Saturday."

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