Sept. 15, 2007
Final Stats
BALTIMORE, MD - True freshman placekicker Matt Mitchell's (Belmont, NC/South Point H.S.) 24-yard field goal with less than a second remaining on the clock propelled the Winston-Salem State University Rams to a 19-17 victory over the Morgan State University Bears from Earl C. Banks Field at Hughes Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Rams won the battle on the field yet lost the war against injuries on when redshirt sophomore running back Brandon McRae (Washington, D.C./Flowers H.S.) was lost for the season with a fractured right wrist and senior running back Jed Bines (Winston-Salem, NC/Parkland H.S.) was limited to only one quarter of action when he suffered an ankle sprain.
Despite the crippling injuries the young Rams fought until the very end of contest when Mitchell, a true freshman kicker from Belmont, NC, drilled a perfect kick through the uprights to convert his 24-yard, game-winning kick.
"He [Mitchell] stepped in early in the game and hit that 38-yard kick, his first field goal attempt of the season, and that gave him confidence" head coach Kermit Blount said. "But for a true freshman to step in, in this kind of atmosphere, and hit that 24-yarder at the end to win it, that is really something special. That is exactly why we recruited this young man."
The game-winning kick proved to be the defining moment in what was a well-played and evenly matched football game for both teams.
The Rams took an early lead in the contest when Brandon McRae powered the ball into the end zone from three yards out for what would prove to be his last touchdown of the season as he capped a nine-play, 60-yard drive by giving WSSU a 7-0 lead.
Winston-Salem State added to their lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half as freshman kicker Matt Mitchell (Belmont, NC/South Point) split the uprights with a 38-yard kick, his first field goal attempt of the 2007 season.
The 10-0 lead would hold up until Morgan State University's Mario Melton capped a 16-play, 93-yard drive with a six yard touchdown run with 1:25 remaining in the first half of play.
Johnathan Skeet would easily convert the point after touchdown as the Bears closed the half by cutting the WSSU lead to only three points after two quarters of play.
The Bears struck first in the second half as Chad Simpson gained 33 of his game-high 221 rushing yards on a scoring run over left end to give the Bears a 14-10 lead with 9:33 to play in the third quarter.
The WSSU defense would give the Rams the offensive opportunity that they so sorely needed when Corey Swinnie (Hoffman, NC/Richmond Senior H.S.) forced a MSU fumble that was recovered inside the Bears' 10-yard line by Marvin Bohannon (Winston-Salem, NC/North Forsyth).
WSSU's Roderick Fluellen (Columbia, SC/Richland Northeast H.S.), a fullback thrust into the running back position by the injuries to Jed Bines and Brandon McRae, wasted no time in punching the ball into the end zone on the first play of the drive to give the Rams a 14-10 lead with little more than 10 minutes to play in the game.
Morgan State University's James Meade immediately responded with a 43-yard field goal that closed out an 11-play, 52-yard drive that ate 4:42 off of the clock and left the Rams with only 1:13 of playing time to mount a game-winning drive.
Senior quarterback Monte Purvis led the young Rams' offense down the field efficiently and quickly as he traversed 49 yards in four plays to set up Mitchell's game-winning kick.
Following a five-yard rush on a designed quarterback keeper Purvis found sophomore wide receiver Bryant Bayne (Rocky Mount, NC/Rocky Mount H.S.) on a post pattern for 42 yards that would ultimately set up the game winning kick.
"This young football team grew up tremendously today" Blount said. "These young men really stepped up today when we needed them to, even after the injuries. This is a building block for this team and this program. It is a big win over the second or third best team in the MEAC."
The win improves WSSU to 2-1 overall while Morgan State falls to 1-2 overall with the loss.
Winston-Salem State University returns to action on Saturday, September 22, 2007 when they travel to Orangeburg, SC to face the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University.
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.
