2009 Games in Review. Game #2 September 10, 2009 Florida A&M 34, WSSU 10 Winston-Salem, N.C. Bowman Gray Stadium (6,313)

Transcription

1 29 Games in Review Game #1 September 5, 29 North Carolina A&T 19, 1 Bowman Gray Stadium (22,) WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Young football teams make mistakes and the relative youth of the Winston-Salem State University football team was apparent on Saturday evening at Bowman Gray Stadium as two lost fumbles and a pair of special teams miscues hurt the Rams in a 19-1 loss to arch rival North Carolina A&T in the Time Warner Cable I-4 Showdown in front of a capacity crowd. The offensive missteps coupled with a senior-laden Aggie defense held the Rams to only 9 yards of total offense in the loss as was outgained more than three to one. Mistakes. That is what hurt us tonight. We had errors tonight that hurt us and as a football team, you cant win games when you do that head coach Kermit Blount commented in post game interviews. Both the Rams and Aggies defenses stole the show in the first quarter of play as the two teams held each other scoreless through 15 minutes of play despite North Carolina A&T s glaring possession time advantage, an advantage that saw them control the ball for over 11 minutes in the quarter. The second quarter of play saw each team record 1 points as the Rams recorded a Landen Thayer 24- yard field goal and a Jarett Dunston one yard touchdown run and the Aggies tallied a Patrick Courtney 24-yard kick and a Carlton Fears two yard touchdown run as the first half of play came to a close with the score knotted at 1-1. I thought we played fairly well in the first half of play, despite our mistakes head coach Kermit Blount said. I told our young men prior to the game that the team that made the fewest mistakes would win this battle. That was true in the second half when we made our mistakes. We would hold them and then not capitalize. We forced three fumbles and didn t recover any. Those little things win games, and that showed in the second half Blount added. The Rams defense, predicted to be the strength of the team prior to the season s opening kickoff, would prove the sporting pundits correct as they forced three Aggie fumbles. However, North Carolina A&T recovered all three as the Rams were unable to capitalize on their rival s mistakes. The failure to capitalize would haunt the Rams in the second half as another Patrick Courtney field goal, this time from 25 yards, would put the Aggies ahead for good at the :54 mark of the fourth quarter. A Mike Mayhew one yard touchdown run with only 1:55 to play in the contest would put the game on ice for the Aggies as they won their second consecutive game over the Rams, increasing their all-time lead in the series to The Rams were led by Brandon McRae who rushed for 2 yards in the contest as Winston-Salem State was held to 33 yards on the ground, their lowest rushing total since making the move to Division I. In his first collegiate action, redshirt freshman quarterback Branden Williams completed four of his 13 passes for 42 yards after entering the game in relief of the injured Jarrett Dunston with just under 11 minutes to play in the third quarter. The loss drops the Rams to -1 on the season while the Aggies improve to 1- with the victory. North Carolina A&T Record: (1-) Winston-Salem State 1 1 Record: (-1) 2nd :55 NCAT - COURTNEY,Patrick 24-yd field goal, :46, NCAT 3-2nd 12:41 - THAYER,Landen 24-yd field goal, 5-1 2:2 NCAT 3-3 2nd 8:35 NCAT - FEARS,Carlton 2-yd run (Courtney kick), :55 NCAT 1-3 2nd 4:3 - DUNSTON,Jarrett 1-yd run (Thaeyer kick), :4 NCAT 1-1 4th :54 NCAT - COURTNEY,Patrick 25-yd field goal, 4-3 1:29 NCAT th 1:55 NCAT - MAYHEW,Mike 1-yd run (Courtney kick), :49 NCAT 19-1 NCAT FIRST DOWNS 16 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) 13 5 Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 35:41 24:19 Third-Down Conversions 6 of 18 2 of Fourth-Down Conversions of 1 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Rushing : McRae -35 NCAT: Fears Passing : Williams, B NCAT: Fears Receiving : Harris, J NCAT: Miles 6-42 Game #2 September 1, 29 Florida A&M 34, 1 Bowman Gray Stadium (6,313) WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Florida A&M used a pair of LeRoy Vann punt returns for touchdowns as the Rattlers were the beneficiary of stellar special teams play en route to handing the Rams of Winston-Salem State University a 34-1 defeat in front of 6,313 fans at Bowman Gray Stadium on Thursday evening in a nationally televised MEAC football grudge match. Vann s two punt returns for touchdown, his fourth and fifth career returns for a score, marked the first time in the history of the Florida A&M University football program that a Rattler player had managed that feat. The two punt returns for touchdown were part of a record-setting special teams evening for Vann who amassed 228 total return yards and a pair of touchdowns in the FAMU victory. Aside from Vann s two returns for scores the Rams and Rattlers were nearly even for the remainder of the contest as showed considerable improvement as they recorded 8 total offensive yards including 129 yards passing from redshirt quarterback Branden Williams who appeared in only his second career game. Those two punt returns really got us head coach Kermit Blount commented post game. Overall we improved and got better and the score didn t indicate that. I am proud of the effort from our young men and we continue to move in a positive direction every day. The Rams, a team that tallied only 9 yards of total offense in their first game of the season, stayed even with the high powered Rattlers, a team that was picked to finish second in the ultra-competitive Mid- Eastern Athletic Conference.The Rattlers struck first as Kevin Elliott pulled in a four yard Curtis Pulley pass at the 8:22 mark of the first quarter that capped a 13-play, 4-yard drive as Florida A&M pulled out to a - lead, a lead which they would never relinquish. The Rams responded with a drive of their own but were held to a field goal as settled for only three points following a 5:3 drive that marched 8 yards in 12 plays as the Rams cut the deficit to only four points with 3:19 to play in the contest s opening quarter. would get no closer than four points for the remainder of the evening as Vann recorded the Rattlers next two scores to put the game out of reach. Vann started his evening with a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown as he took a booming Landen Thayer 49-yard punt into the Rams endzone for his first of two scores in the game. The score gave the Rattlers a -3 advantage headed into the locker room at halftime as visiting FAMU held an 11-point cushion after 3 minutes of play. Vann started the second half the same way he ended the first half as he added an 8-yard punt return for a score as he gave the Rattlers an insurmountable -3 advantage. Despite trailing by 18 points, the Rams would refuse to quit as Dominique Fitzgerald, a player who has caught a ball in 12 straight games for, pulled in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Branden Williams with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 11 points at -1. Isaac West and Max Purcell would put the game out of reach as they reeled in touchdown passes from Curtis Pulley to push FAMU s final margin of victory to 24 points at 34-1 as the Rattlers move to 2- on the season. Florida A&M 6 34 Record: (2-) Winston-Salem State 3 1 Record: (-2) 1st 8:22 FAMU - ELLIOTT,Kevin 4-yd pass from PULLEY (SCOTT kick), :38 FAMU - 1st 3:19 - THAYER,Landen 2-yd field goal, :3 FAMU - 3 2nd 9:11 FAMU - VANN,LeRoy 95-yd punt return (SCOTT kick) FAMU - 3 3rd :4 FAMU - VANN,LeRoy 8-yd punt return (SCOTT kick) FAMU - 3 3rd 2:59 - FITZGERALD 1-yd pass from WILLIAMS (THAYER kick), :41 FAMU - 1 3rd :5 FAMU - WEST 22-yd pass from PULLEY (SCOTT kick), 5-4 2:44 FAMU th 1:4 FAMU - PURCELL 3-yd pass from PULLEY (SCOTT kick failed), :23 FAMU 35-1 FAMU FIRST DOWNS 15 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards - 1- Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 28:18 31:42 Third-Down Conversions of 12 8 of 16 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 2 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Rushing : Hickman 1-6 FAMU: Pulley 1-43 Passing : Williams ---1 FAMU: Pulley Receiving : Fitzgerald FAMU: Elliott

2 Game #3 September 19, 29 Morgan State 16, 1 (ot) East Rutherford, N.J. (38th Annual N.Y. Urban League Classic) Giants Stadium (25,64) EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. The old adage says that turnabout is fair play. On Saturday at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. it didn t seem fair for the Rams of Winston-Salem State University as they fell victim to a 16-1 overtime defeat at the hands of the Morgan State University Bears in the 38th Annual New York Urban League Football Classic. Morgan State University rallied from a three-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter of play and used a 15-yard touchdown in overtime to defeat the Rams by four points as they pulled ahead 2-1 in the all-time series between the two teams. Only two short years ago it was true freshman kicker Matt Mitchell who dashed Morgan State s hope for a win in the inaugural meeting between the two teams when his kick as time expired propelled the Rams to a 19-1 victory. On Saturday at Giants Stadium the Rams would find the shoe on the other foot as Kemar Scarlett s kick would force overtime and ultimately seal s fate. The game s first half took only one hour and nine minutes to complete as the two teams combined for eight failed drives, 16 yards of total offense and only three points. Despite completing only three of passes in the game s first 3 minutes of play, the Rams would hold a narrow 3- advantage after two quarters of competition as true freshman kicker Landen Thayer s 22-yard field goal would prove to be the only points of the first half. Redshirt freshman quarterback Branden Williams earned the start under center for Winston-Salem State but was replaced by senior quarterback Jarrett Dunston with 2:2 remaining in the first quarter after completing only one of his six pass attempts. Dunston would find passing in the 15 mile per hour wind just as difficult as his predecessor, but an 18-yard completion to wide receiver Lerenzo Barr on third down and five that put the Rams on the Morgan State six yard line set up the first score as Barr broke across the middle of the field and Dunston hit his target in stride for a play that would prove to be the longest play of the first half for either team. Each team would awaken from their offensive slumber in the third quarter as both the Bears and Rams recorded touchdowns during a four minute stretch midway through the third period of play. Morgan State s Jephte Cherenfant pulled in a four-yard touchdown pass from Carlton Jackson that capped a seven-play, 45-yard drive that temporarily gave the Bears a -3 advantage at the 11: mark of the third quarter. The Rams would immediately answer as Austin Higgins took a Jarrett Dunston pass 18 yards into the endzone for the Rams go-ahead score only three minutes and nine seconds later as regained their three-point advantage at 1- following a nine-play, 85-yard drive. Much to the chagrin of the Ram fans amongst the 25,64 paid attendees the Winston-Salem State score would be their final points in the contest. Morgan State University s Kemar Scarlett s 42-yard field goal with 6:38 to play in the fourth quarter would eventually send the contest into overtime where the Bears would need only two plays to hand their third loss of the 29 season, dropping the Rams to -3 in the process. Carlton Jackson found Edwin Baptiste in the endzone from 15 yards out to give the Bears a six-point lead in overtime, and despite Scarlett s missed PAT, Morgan State would earn a victory when they held without positive yardage on four consecutive downs. Score by Quarters OT Score Winston-Salem State 3 1 Record: (-3) Morgan State Record: (1-1) 2nd 8:59 - THAYER,Landen 22-yd field goal, 9-4 3:3, MSU - 3 3rd 11: MSU - CHERENFANT 4-yd pass from JACKSON (Scarlett kick), -45 3:39 MSU - 3 3rd :59 - HIGGINS 18-yd pass from DUNSTON (THAYER kick), :9 MSU - 1 4th 6:38 MSU - SCARLETT,Kemar 42-yd field goal, :2 MSU 1-1 OT : MSU - BAPTISTE 15-yd. pass from JACKSON (SCARLETT kick fail), 2-25 : MSU 16-1 MSU FIRST DOWNS 16 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) 13 5 Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Punt Returns-Yards (-1) Kickoff Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 3:24 29:36 Third-Down Conversions 1 of 18 2 of 12 Fourth-Down Conversions of 1 2 of 2 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Game #4 September 26, 29 South Carolina State 2, 1 Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium (15,93) ORANGEBURG, S.C. - The Winston-Salem State Rams (-4) fought hard in every facet of the game, but could not find a way past the South Carolina State Bulldogs (3-, 1- MEAC), Saturday evening. The Rams found a way to slow down the defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions rushing attack, but had no answer for the Bulldogs aerial attack in the tough 2-1 loss. In an eerie similarity in all of s games this season, the Rams managed just 1 points for the fourth straight contest. We re stuck on 1 right now. We certainly had the opportunity to score three more times and when you miss out on opportunities, things like that happen, head football coach Kermit Blount said after the loss. In the other games, it s not us making penalties or a play here or not making a play there we re a young football team and we expect that. The Rams held South Carolina State to just 12 yards on the ground, but allowed 282 passing yards to the Bulldogs. Offensively, the Rams found things tough, amassing 22 yards, including 122 rushing yards in the loss. senior quarterback Jarrett Dunston led the attack with 54 yards rushing and completing 8-of-3 passes for 8 yards and a touchdown. Three wide receivers recorded two catches each with senior Omar Kizzie and freshman Lamar Whidbee recording 2 yards each. The defense made an early statement in the game holding South Carolina State to a 23-yard field goal with 6:38 left in the first quarter. The Rams were able to hold South Carolina State empty on their next five drives, but were not able to get any scores of their own. A South Carolina State 15-yard TD pass with :15 left in the first half left the Rams trailing 1- at the half. After allowing a 28-yard SCSU field goal at the 12:6 mark in the third quarter, the Rams were able to answer back and break into the scoring column when freshman kicker Landen Thayer hit a career-long 41-yard field goal at the :56 mark that cut the deficit down to 1 points However, the Rams were victims of a quick strike when South Carolina State answered back with a three-yard TD run by Ford. The SCSU scoring drive lasted just 53 seconds, highlighted by a 48-yard pass completion to set up the score. The Rams were able to reach the endzone in the fourth quarter when senior Brian Wynn caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Dunston at the 8: mark in the fourth quarter. The catch and PAT left the Rams trailing 2-1. Another SCSU score would close out the effort as a 3-yard touchdown run by Ford capped the 2-1 loss. Winston-Salem State 3 1 Record: (-4) South Carolina State Record: (3-) 1st 6:38 SCSU - ERICKSON,Blake 23-yd field goal, -69 5:18 SCSU 3-2nd :15 SCSU - YOUNG -yd pass from LONG (ERICKSON kick), 5-53 :42 SCSU 1-3rd 12:6 SCSU - ERICKSON,Blake 28-yf field goal, :49 SCSU 13-3rd :56 - THAYER,Landen 41-yd field goal, :2 SCSU rd 6:58 SCSU - FORD 3-yd run (ERICKSON kick), 3-6 :53 SCSU 2-3 4th 8: - WYNN 6-yd pass from DUNSTON (THAYER kick), :5 SCSU 2-1 4th 2:58 SCSU - FORD 3-yd run (ERICKSON kick), 9-4:54 SCSU 2-1 SCSU FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 29:45 3:15 Third-Down Conversions 4 of 16 6 of 15 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 2 of Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Rushing : Dunston -54 SCSU: Ford Passing : Dunston SCSU: Long Receiving : Whidbee 2-2- SCSU: Young Rushing : Ahola 15-6 MSU: Singletary 1-3 Passing : Dunston MSU: Jackson Receiving : Wynn 1-24 MSU: Baptiste 5-2

3 Game #5 October 3, 29 Howard, 3 Washington, D.C. Greene Stadium (2,883) WASHINGTON, D.C. Willie Carter scored the game s only touchdown and the Bison defense held up against stiff challenges from the Rams as Howard University edged Winston-Salem State, -3 in a MEAC football contest at Greene Stadium before 2,883. The first half featured a contest between the two punters, who had career days. The Rams freshman punter Landen Thayer had 1 punts that averaged almost 4 yards per attempt with many of them seeming to hang forever before coming down. Although the Bison had what would have been field position advantage, Thayer negated it with his booming punts. Howard s punter, Patrick Wolff was equally effective. Although he lacked the overall distance of Thayer s punts, he was especially effective placing the ball inside the 1-yard line 5 times, including two that landed inside the two-yard line. The second half hinged on the play of the defenses and the individual talent of Carter, who made three big catches during the game s only TD drive. The Bison went yards in eight plays with Carter capping off the drive with a 2-yard strike from Floyd Haigler (18 of 44, 193 yards). From there, Howard (2-2) appeared to take control and twice had good field position but both times they were thwarted, first by a missed field goal and then by an interception as the Rams defense once again proved to be the strength of the program. Winston-Salem State (-5) finally got on the board when they manufactured a gritty, 1-play drive. The Howard defense held, however, and forced a 43-yard field by Thayer with 8:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. Howard held on downs on the Rams next possession and forced a punt but Jeff Miller fumbled and gave the Rams excellent field position at the Howard -yard line with a little over three minutes left. But Winston-Salem State, which has lost 5 straight games in a season for the first time since 195, had a bad snap on first down that lost yards. The Rams never recovered as the Bison led by Will Croner s sack and pressure on the quarterback, held on downs and took over to run out the clock. The loss drops to -5 overall while Howard improves to 2-2 overall. The Rams will have the Oct. 1 weekend off before returning to action on Oct. 1 as they travel to Davis, Calif. To face the Aggies of UC-Davis. Winston-Salem State 3 3 Record: (-5) Howard Record: (2-2) 3rd 11:39 HOW - CARTER 2-yd pass from HAIGLER (Mendoza kick), 8-3: - HOW 4th 8:45 - THAYER,Landen 43-yd field goal, :3 3 - HOW HOW FIRST DOWNS 6 19 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 2:35 32:25 Third-Down Conversions 2 of 16 8 of Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 3 2 of 3 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Rushing : McRae HOW: Williams Passing : Dunston HOW: Haigler Receiving : Kizzie 3-2 HOW: Carter -116 overcome in the loss. Game #6 October 1, 29 UC Davis 45, Davis, Calif. Aggie Stadium (1,289) DAVIS, Calif. It was a tough night for the Winston-Salem State Rams (-6) as the team took a 45- loss to the University of California-Davis Aggies (3-3). Though the team fought hard for all four quarters of the contest, the team could not seem to get out of their own way as turnovers and a high-powered Aggie offense proved to be too much for the Rams to We gave up too much. We gave up too much too early, head coach Kermit Blount said. The three turnovers in the first half killed us. The Rams had a tough night, but fought for the entire contest. As a team, the Rams totaled 258 yards of total offense and scored a season-high points in the loss. redshirt-freshman wide receiver Lamar Whidbee led the way for the Rams with a breakout effort four catches for 45 yards. Sophomore Jean Julmiste, who made the switch to wide receiver had three catches for a team-high 48 yards. senior quarterback Jarrett Dunston had a solid night, completing 11-of-19 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. freshman defensive lineman James Pegues had a solid day with four total tackles and 2.5 sacks in the game. Across the field, the Rams allowed 312 yards of offense to the Aggies, including 22 yards passing by quarterback Greg Denham. The Rams suffered a brutal start to the game in a first half that saw lose three fumbles, each of which resulted in UC-Davis scores. Making matters worse for the Rams, the team was handcuffed with just 9 yards of total offense while allowing 256 yards to the Aggies. A highligh of the evening for the Rams was senior wide receiver Jonathan Kinzer making one of the biggest plays of the season. Dunston connected with senior wide receiver Omar Kizzie, who fumbled the ball at the one-yard line. It was Kinzer who plucked the ball out of the air and landed in the endzone for the score. The ensuing PAT kick would leave the Rams trailing 45- with 12: left to play. The points marked a season-high for the Rams and left the team with the 45- loss. The loss marked the Rams sixth straight defeat to start the season, something that has not faced since starting the 195 season -9 overall. returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 24 as they travel to Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla. to play their fifth of five straight road games. Winston-Salem State Record: (-6) UC Davis Record: (3-3) 1st 8:46 UCD - CARTER -yd pass from DENHAM (KELLY kick), :5 - UCD 1st 8:32 UCD - TROMBETTA 18-yd pass from DENHAM (KELLY kick), 1-18 : - UCD 2nd :55 UCD - KELLY 44-yd field goal, :11 - UCD 1 2nd 6:49 UCD - REESE 1-yd run (KELLY kick), 11-6:19 - UCD 24 2nd 6:32 UCD - SOBOTKA 34-yd fumble recovery (KELLY kick) - UCD 31 2nd 4:49 UCD - ROGERS 25-yd pass from DENHAM (KELLY kick), :12 - UCD 38 3rd 2:1 - BARR 31-yd pass from DUNSTON (THAYER kick), 1-31 :6 - UCD 38 3rd 2:4 UCD - GRAY 81-yd kickoff return (KELLY kick) - UCD 45 4th 12: - KINZER 1-yd pass from DUNSTON (THAYER kick), :5 - UCD 45 UC Davis FIRST DOWNS 16 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 29:4 3:56 Third-Down Conversions 4 of 13 3 of 1 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 1 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Rushing : Munford -46 UCD: Nicolis -34 Passing : Dunston UCD: Denham Receiving : Whidbee 4-45 UCD: Carter

4 Game # October 24, 29 16, Bethune-Cookman 1 Daytona Beach, Fla. Municipal Stadium (,95) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. The drought is over for Winston-Salem State University as a Cedrick Hickman 12-yard touchdown run earned the Rams their first victory of the season and their first win since Nov. 8 of 28 as downed the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University 16-1 on Saturday evening in Daytona Beach, Florida. Following a scoreless first quarter of play, the Wildcats would crack into the scoring column first as Androse Bell capped a 19-play, 8-yard scoring drive that took an astounding 11:25 off the clock with a one-yard touchdown run at the 3:29 mark of the second quarter. The Rams would waste no time in answering the Wildcat score as Kevin Dorsey recovered a Bethune- Cookman fumble at the 12-yard line, setting the table for quarterback Jarrett Dunston and the offense. Two plays later the Rams would score their first points of the contest as Dunston found wide receiver Dominique Fitzgerald in the endzone for a 12-yard touchdown pass to close the deficit to only one point. A failed Landen Thayer point after try would see the Rams trail the Wildcats -6 heading into the locker room at halftime. Bethune-Cookman would answer on their first drive of the second half as Kory Kowalski s 31-yard field goal would put the finishing touches on an 11-play, 5-yard drive that increased the Wildcats lead to four points at 1-6. Despite the four-point deficit, the Rams defense would prove to be the game-changer as they held the Wildcats scoreless for the remainder of the contest, providing with an opportunity to win the contest. Offensive Coordinator Alan Hall s offense would not squander the opportunity as the much-maligned offense, led by senior quarterback Jarrett Dunston and bruising power runner Cedrick Hickman scored twice in the final 9:15 of the contest to earn a 16-1 come-from-behind victory over the Wildcats for s first win of the season. Hickman started the comeback as he powered over left end from 12 yards out to put ahead for good as he capped a five play, 86-yard drive that took 2:48 off the clock when he rumbled into the endzone at the 9:15 mark of the fourth quarter. The 12-yard scoring run was part of a career-high nine-carry, 9-yard rushing performance from the sophomore transfer from North Carolina State University. Not to be outdone, freshman kicker Landen Thayer added to his lead as the Rams leading scorer with a 36-yard field goal with 5:29 to play in the contest that put the game on ice for. The Rams defense, a unit that set the table for the offensive unit to win the contest would again help to earn the victory in the game s waning moments as they tuned aside Bethune-Cookman s bid for a comeback in the final five minutes of the contest. An Alex Chandler tackle on B-CU s Androse Bell saved the game for the Rams as Chandler stopped Bell at the one yard line on fourth and goal from the three as Chandler forced a turnover on downs, preserving the victory. Winston-Salem State Record: (1-6) Bethune-Cookman 3 1 Record: (2-5) 2nd 3:29 BCU - BELL,Androse 1-yd run (KOWALSKI kick), :25 - BCU 2nd 1:1 - FITZGERALD 12-yd pass from DUNSTON (THAYER fail), 2-12 : BCU 3rd 8:44 BCU - KOWALSKI, Kory 31-yd. field goal, :1 6 - BCU 1 4th 9:15 - HICKMAN 12-yd run (THAYER kick), : BCU 1 4th 5:29 - THAYER 36-yd. field goal, : BCU 1 BCU FIRST DOWNS 12 1 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 2:54 39:6 Third-Down Conversions of 9 of 18 Fourth-Down Conversions of 1 of 2 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Rushing : Hickman BCU: Bell Passing : Dunston BCU: Johnson Receiving : Fitzgerald BCU: Reams Game #8 October 31, 29 Hampton 16, 13 (ot) Bowman Gray Stadium (,32) WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. The Hampton Pirates erased a 1-point deficit in the final 5:23 of the fourth quarter and used a Steve Robinson 11-yard touchdown run in overtime to steal a overtime victory away from the Rams in Winston-Salem State University s Homecoming on Saturday afternoon at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Rams jumped out to a - lead at the 5:5 mark of the first quarter as running back Cedrick Hickman muscled his way into the endzone from three yards out to give the Rams the early advantage. Hickman s touchdown is all that the stingy Rams defense would need in the game s first 3 minutes of play as they held the Pirates to only 88 yards of total offense en route to a seven point halftime lead, only their second lead of the season at intermission. Winston-Salem State increased their lead to 1 points with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter as Landen Thayer s 33-yard field goal gave the Rams a 1- lead with only 1:35 to play in the game. s defense, a unit that would rank 33rd in the nation in total defense continued to stymie the Pirates during the first two-thirds of the final quarter of play before Hampton sophomore quarterback and Syracuse University transfer David Legree led the Pirates to a come-from-behind march that would send the game to overtime. Legree capped a five-play, 8-yard scoring drive with a -yard touchdown pass to Isiah Thomas with only 5:23 remaining in the contest as he accounted for 56 of the drive s 8 yards via both the run and the pass. Their quarterback really rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter and put them back into the game head coach Kermit Blount commented in postgame interviews. His play in the fourth quarter was really one of the determining factors in the game. I made sure to find him after the game and commend him on his play Blount added. Legree continued to impress on Hampton s final drive of regulation as he ran for 52 yards and passed for 16 more as he set up Jordan Stovall s 3-yard field goal that capped a -play, 68-yard scoring drive that forced overtime. The overtime period saw Landen Thayer record the longest field goal of his career as he drilled a 46-yarder on fourth and as the Rams moved ahead 13-1 prior to the Pirates possession. Fourth quarter hero David Legree would need only to hand the ball off in Hampton s half of the overtime session as the Pirates ran the same play four consecutive times with Steve Robinson and LaMarcus Coker alternating runs over left end. Robinson s 11-yard scoring run would prove to be the game winner as he followed a key block and burst through a seam into the endzone as Hampton handed their third consecutive Homecoming day defeat. We didn t make plays when we had a chance to. Down the stretch we didn t bow up on defense and make stops Kermit Blount said. We made a few boneheaded plays and the play in the fourth quarter hurt us. Our defense spent a long time on the field in the fourth quarter and got tired and it was evident down the stretch and in overtime he added. Score by Quarters OT Score Hampton Record: (4-4) Winston-Salem State Record: (1-) 1st 5:5 - HICKMAN,Cedrick 3-yd run (THAYER kick), 2-3 :52 HAM - 3rd 2:35 - THAYER 33-yd field goal, :12 HAM - 1 4th 5:23 HAM - THOMAS -yd pass from LEGREE (STOVALL kick), 5-8 1:32 HAM - 1 4th :11 HAM - STOVALL 3-yd. field goal, -68 2:48 HAM 1-1 OT : - THAYER 46-yd. field goal, 4- : HAM 1-13 OT : HAM - ROBINSON 11-yd. run, 4-25 : HAM HAM FIRST DOWNS 12 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 29:34 3:26 Third-Down Conversions 5 of 15 3 of Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 2 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Rushing : Hickman HAM: Coker Passing : Dunston HAM: Legree Receiving : Kizzie HAM: Thomas

5 Game #9 November, 29 Delaware State 24, Bowman Gray Stadium (4,19) WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Despite rallying from a 1-point halftime deficit and holding Delaware State scoreless in the game s final 3 minutes of play, the Rams of Winston-Salem State could not overcome the Hornets on Saturday afternoon at Bowman Gray Stadium as DSU handed a 24- defeat to drop the Rams to 1-8 on the season. To say the first 3 minutes of play started inauspiciously for the Rams would prove to be an understatement as Winston-Salem State turned the ball over on five of their seven first-half possessions, a series of events which saw the Hornets capitalize with quick points. The Hornets broke a scoreless deadlock with a Riley Flickinger 26-yard field goal at the 6:24 mark of the first quarter and would waste no time adding to an early 3- lead with a Jerome Strums -yard fumble recovery for a touchdown only 32 seconds later as DSU jumped out to a 1- advantage. Just over four minutes later the Rams would record their first points of the contest as sophomore wide receiver Dominique Fitzgerald caught the first of his two touchdowns of the game as he hauled in a seven yard touchdown pass from reserve quarterback Brandon Williams to cut s deficit to 1-. DSU would break the contest open in the second quarter as the Hornets scored a pair of touchdowns in the games second 15 minutes of play as Jaashawn Jones and Anthony Glaud each punched into the Rams endzone to give the Hornets what would seem to be an insurmountable lead at 24- headed into the locker room at halftime. To s credit the Rams would not die in the second half as Jarrett Dunston found Dominique Fitzgerald from six yards out and found Omar Kizzie from 16-yards out as Winston-Salem State mounted a serious comeback attempt. However, a missed field goal that hit the right upright and a difficult roughing the kicker penalty that gave the Hornets a new set of downs late in the contest would prove to be the proverbial nail in s coffin as the Hornets hung on for their third victory of the season. We keep giving them away head coach Kermit Blount said in postgame interviews. We turn the ball over five times in the first half and that s the story right there. You can t win football games like that, Blount added. The loss, s sixth straight at home and their 1th loss in their last 11 home games, drops the Rams to 1-8 overall while the Hornets improve to 3-6 on the season with the victory. Winston-Salem State returns to action on Nov. at 1: p.m. as they welcome the Eagles of North Carolina Central University to Bowman Gray Stadium for the final home game of the 29 season. We just did not play well in the first half. We are going to line back down on Monday and get back to work and get ready for another one. We are going to keep positive and motivated and line down and get ready for another football game. Kermit Blount commented. Nothing is coming easy for us right now. But that is why we continue to play the games. Blount said. Delaware State 1 24 Record: (3-6) Winston-Salem State Record: (1-8) 1st 6:24 DSU - FLICKINGER 26-yd field goal, -19 3:3 DSU 3-1st 5:52 DSU - STRUMS -yd fumble return (FLICKINGER kick) DSU 1-1st 1:32 - FITZGERALD -yd pass from WILLIAMS (THAYER kick), 8-5 4:13 DSU 1-2nd :18 DSU - JONES 6-yd. run (FLICKINGER kick), 6-3 2:11 DSU 1-2nd 8:26 DSU - GLAUD 1-yd run (FLICKINGER kick), 3-2 1:22 DSU 24-3rd :29 - FITZGERALD 6-yd pass from DUNSTON (THAYER kick), :11 DSU 24-4th 5:24 - FITZGERALD 16-yd pass from DUNSTON(THAYER kick), 2-34 :33 DSU 24 - DSU FIRST DOWNS 16 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 33:45 26:15 Third-Down Conversions of 15 5 of 11 Fourth-Down Conversions of 1 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Rushing : Dunston DSU: Jones Passing : Dunston DSU: Glaud Receiving : Kizzie DSU: Charles Game #1 November, 29 North Carolina Central 18, 1 Bowman Gray Stadium (11,232) WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. The Winston-Salem State Rams (1-9) came up short in a battle of tough defensive teams, Saturday, taking an 18-1 loss to the rival North Carolina Central Eagles (3-). Though the Rams played tough for all four quarters, key injuries proved costly in the emotional loss. Both teams struggled to find offense combining for 28 points and 416 yards of total offense in the game, but the Rams couldn t seem to get the plays that counted in the loss. The Rams struggles started early as the team committed three first half turnovers, including a fumble and an interception that led to a pair of Eagle touchdowns. As a team, the Rams managed 191 yards of offense, but did see some strong play by running back John Harris who led the rushing attack with 12 carries for 1 yards. The Rams were forced into using a trio of quarterbacks as senior Jarrett Dunston suffered a concussion in the first quarter while redshirtfreshman Branden Williams was sidelined by an ankle injury. Though Williams made an effort to return to the game, the Rams were forced to insert redshirtsophomore Jean Julmiste, who made the switch from quarterback to wide receiver earlier this season. Williams had the best day of the three, connecting on 8-of-24 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. The Rams defense kept the team in the game for all four quarters as the unit held North Carolina Central to 225 yards of offense and four turnovers. defensive lineman Joshua Newkirk led the way for the Rams with seven total tackles. Defensive back Cameron Demps had the sole interception of the day for the Rams. Both teams struggled in the game s early going with the teams trading punts and fumbles for much of the first quarter. The Rams were able to strike first, however, when freshman kicker Landen Thayer nailed a 3-yard field goal to put the Rams ahead 3- with 2:2 left in the first quarter. The second quarter turned out to be a busy one for both teams with NCCU striking first with a 24- yard field goal and a five-yard touchdown run that left the Rams with a 9-3 deficit. It was a fumble that sparked the Eagle touchdown. Undaunted, the Rams would bounce back, however, when Williams connected with junior wide receiver Omar Kizzie for an 11-yard touchdown. The ensuing Thayer PAT kick left the Rams with their first lead of the game, 1-9 with 3:2 left in the second quarter. The turnover bug would strike the Rams once again, when a interception would set up an Eagle touchdown in the final minute of the half and left the Rams trailing, 15-1 at the half. After a see-saw battle in the first half, both teams would turn up their defensive efforts as an NCCU third quarter turned out to be the sole score of the half for either team. It was early in the fourth quarter that Williams suffered an ankle injury that temporarily sidelined him. Though he would battle through the pain and return to the field, he was unable to continue and the Rams ended the day with Julmiste returning under center. North Carolina Central Record: (3-) Winston-Salem State 3 1 Record: (1-9) 1st 2:2 - THAYER 3-yd field goal, 4-(-4) 1: NCCU 2nd 13:19 NCCU - CARDELLE 24-yd field goal, : NCCU 3 2nd 12:6 NCCU - SHANKLE 5-yd run (CARDELLE kick fail), 4-3 : NCCU 9 2nd 3:2 - KIZZIE 11-yd. pass from Williams (THAYER kick), 4-1, 2: NCCU 9 2nd :55 NCCU - AZEEZ 4-yd. pass from JOHNSON (CARDELLE kick fail), 1-4 :4 1 - NCCU 15 4th 6:3 NCCU - CARDELLE 26-yd. field goal, 11-6: NCCU 18 NCCU FIRST DOWNS 12 9 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards (-3) Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 31:26 28:34 Third-Down Conversions 4 of 2 of 16 Fourth-Down Conversions of 1 1 of 3 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Rushing : Harris 12-1 NCCU: Shankle -8-1 Passing : Williams NCCU: Johnson Receiving : Kizzie NCCU: Irvine

6 Game #11 November, 29 Norfolk State 28, Norfolk,Va. William Dick Price Stadium (6,53) NORFOLK, Va. The Winston-Salem State University football teams bid to close the 29 season with a victory came up just short on Saturday afternoon at William Dick Price Stadium in Norfolk, Va. when Jean Julmiste s pass on third and 1 from the Norfolk State 46-yard line was intercepted, preserving a 28- Spartans win and ending s season at 1-1 overall. Julmiste, a quarterback turned wide receiver who was forced back into action under center due to injuries to the Rams top two quarterbacks Jarrett Dunston and Branden Williams, performed capably for as he completed six of his 1 attempts with one touchdown pass as he guided the Rams offense to 223 total yards. The Spartans started the scoring as they took a Julmiste interception 58 yards for a touchdown to jump out to an early - lead at the 9:55 mark of the first quarter. The Rams would waste no time answering the Spartans challenge as Omar Kizzie scored the first of his two touchdowns on the day when he capped a seven-play, 8-yard drive with a nine yard scoring run only 3:53 later as the Rams knotted the score at -. Following DeAngelo Branche s 1-yard touchdown run, his first of two scoring runs on the afternoon, with only one second remaining in the first quarter of play, the Rams would again find themselves in the unenviable position of trailing the Spartans, one of only two teams that has not defeated since leaving the CIAA five years ago. Trailing by a touchdown late in the second quarter the Rams defense would get in on the act as Joshua Newkirk picked off a Dennis Brown pass and took it 51 yards for a score, a touchdown that marked the first defensive score of the season, to tie the game at - headed into the locker room at halftime. Following a first half that saw five total turnovers between the two teams, took the lead on the second rushing TD of the game by DeAngelo Branche in the third quarter. After Omar Kizzie used a 12-yard touchdown catch to tie the game at -all, took the lead for good on wide receiver Chris Bell s 13th touchdown catch of the year with 1:26 remaining in the period. Despite trailing by seven points, the Rams would refuse to quit as they would mount three drives in the fourth quarter of play in an attempt to tie the contest. However, the first drive ended with a missed field goal and the final two drives of the game ended with turnovers as came up just short as earned their fourth consecutive victory over the Rams. The loss closes out the Rams 29 season with a 1-1 overall record while the Spartans end the season at -4. Score by Quarters Winston-Salem State Norfolk State Score 28 Record: (1-1) Record: (-4) 1st 9:55 - WHITEHEAD 58-yd interception return (CASTELLAT kick) 1st 6:2 - KIZZIE 9-yd run (THAYER kick), -8 3:43 1st :1 - BRANCHE 1-yd run (CASTELLAT kick), -1 5:53 2nd 4:36 - NEWKIRK 61-yd. interception return (THAYER kick) 3rd :13 - BRANCHE 19-yd run (CASTELLAT kick), 2-29 :35 3rd :44 - KIZZIE 12-yd pass from JULMISTE (THAYER kick), :5 3rd 1:26 - BELL 6-yd pass from BROWN (CASTELLAT kick), 4-8 2:1 FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards :36 4 of 11 of Rushing : Harris 8-69 Passing : Julmiste Receiving : Kizzie :24 4 of 12 2 of : Branche : Brown : Bell