Nov. 3, 2007
Final Stats |
Notes
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Peter Gaertner's 37-yard field goal with no time on the clock lifted the 13th-ranked Delaware State University Hornets past the Rams of Winston-Salem State University by the score of 23-20 on Saturday afternoon at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC as WSSU fell to 5-4 overall on the season.
The Rams opened the game with an 11-play, 64-yard scoring drive that used four minutes and 36 seconds of time as Winston-Salem State stunned the 13th-ranked Hornets by jumping out to an early 6-0 lead.
WSSU senior quarterback Monte Purvis blazed around left end and easily scored from four yards out as he recorded his team-leading eighth touchdown of the season as the Rams scored the first points of the game for the fifth time this season.
A pair of Peter Gaertner field goals tied the contest at 6-6 at the 14:13 mark of the second quarter as the Rams' defense continued to keep the MEAC-leading Hornets from cracking the end zone.
All-MEAC wide receiver Shaheer McBride gave the Hornets their first lead of the game only three minutes later when he reeled in a Vashon Winton 18 yard touchdown pass as Delaware State took a 12-6 lead headed into the locker room at halftime.
With a near capacity crowd on hand, the Rams used the momentum of Homecoming 2007 as they came out of the locker room and wasted no time in reclaiming the lead as a Jed Bines three-yard touchdown helped WSSU to a 13-12 advantage.
Turning in a timely performance, the WSSU defense recorded its first defensive score of the season 55 seconds later as senior defensive end William Hayes broke through the DSU offensive front to record a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a six-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
The score, the Rams first defensive score since November 18, 2006, also marked the first time this season that the Hornets had given up a turnover that was returned for a score.
Holding an eight-point advantage with only one quarter to play, the Rams looked to be in control of the contest, despite committing four turnovers in the game.
However, the WSSU offense would falter in the fourth quarter and Delaware State, a team that has come back from three fourth-quarter deficits in 2007, used excellent special teams and an opportunistic offense to spoil the Rams' plans for a victorious Homecoming.
"We had chances to put this one away, and every time we would get close to doing that, we would shoot ourselves in the foot. A costly penalty or missed opportunity did us in. We played hard, but we failed to close this one out when we should have" WSSU head football coach Kermit Blount said in post game interviews.
"We are a young football team and we are still learning. That was evident today when we couldn't close it out, and when you play a team the caliber of Delaware State, that inability to put the game out of reach comes back to get you" Blount said.
The Hornets used a Chris Strother one-yard touchdown rush and a Vashon Winton two-point conversion to tie the game and followed it up with Gaertner's 37-yard field goal to earn the game victory as time expired.
The Hornets traversed 58 yards of real estate in a drive that spanned eight plays and 58 yards to set up Gaertner's game winner.
The loss drops the Rams to 5-4 overall while the Hornets improve to 8-1 overall. The Rams return to action next weekend at 1:30 pm as they play host to North Carolina Central at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Hornets play host to Norfolk State University in Dover, DE at noon next Saturday in a contest that could decide the MEAC Champion.
For additional information on WSSU football, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com.
