The Golden Bulls, who beat Elizabeth City State 27-6 last week in Myrtle Beach for their first win of the season, take on a pair
of Division I-AA opponents at their homecomings. First is Liberty Saturday in Lynchburg, Va., followed by Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla. Winning a CIAA game is important, but Liberty and BCC will provide a
different challenge. "We've got to realize it's not over with just one win," quarterback Desmond Brown said. "We've got to raise the intensity because Liberty nor Bethune-Cookman
are Elizabeth City. We can't settle for this (win Saturday). We've got to get back in there and work harder because these are going to be the two toughest games of the season."
Although Smith is are moving up in competition, the Bulls won't be intimidated, said safety Angel Rivera, who intercepted two passes against Elizabeth City.
"We've got our minds on Liberty," he said. "They're D-I, we're D-II; we're going down there to represent. We're not going to let them stomp on us like everybody else thinks they're going
to do. We're going down there and play like we do all the time."
The Bulls turned in their best performance of the season against ECSU, rolling up 375 yards
total offense while limiting the Vikings to 222. The difference was speed and an improved play on both lines.
"When we run and get after people, we're pretty good, but when we sit around and watch,
then we get pushed around because we're not big enough," Smith coach Tim Harkness said. "Our advantage is speed and quickness and when we don't do that, we have trouble."
The Bulls didn't have much trouble getting through Elizabeth City's defense. Smith racked up 236 yards rushing and fullbacks William Harris and Dewight Bacon scored three touchdowns
between them. Harris, who gained 53 yards on eight carries, scored on a 47-yard gallop, his longest of the season. Brown also showed his speed on a 54 yard touchdown run.
"All those guys can run and we expect them to run," Harkness said. "It's just a matter of the guys up front understanding their role because we've got guys who can run."
The offensive line made it possible. For the second straight game, they gave quarterbacks time to throw and opened holes for runners. As they improve, so has Smith's chances of winning.
"I really give credit to the line," Harris said. "They've really stepped it up the last couple of games and did a lot of great blocking for us. The holes are just there, all we have to do is run.
They make our job easy."
"Our offensive line had only one real bad game this year, and that was the first game," Brown
said. "We haven't had many sacks in the last couple of games. It took time with a new coach and a lot of stuff going on, (but) we've got to pull through."
After starting 0-3, Harkness put more emphasis on executing
the fundamentals, especially on offense. Last week, it all came together.
"It's just a matter of the guys coming together and believing," Harkness said. "I didn't think it would take three games, but I
guess it was an underestimation of the level of inexperience and jelling as a team."
Although Smith isn't expected to be a factor in the CIAA, Brown believes the Bulls can become one. Their immediate
focus is on Liberty, but the long-range goal hasn't changed.
"I still think we can win the conference and I'm sure a lot of
people on the team feel that," he said. "But if we don't get everybody thinking that we'll struggle the rest of the season".
