Nov. 21, 2009

Final Stats

NORFOLK, Va. - The Winston-Salem State University football teams' bid to close the 2009 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 10 from the Norfolk State 46-yard line was intercepted, preserving a 28-21 Spartans' win and ending WSSU's season at 1-10 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 WSSU as he completed six of his 17 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 7-0 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, 80-yard drive with a nine yard scoring run only 3:53 later as the Rams knotted the score at 7-7.

Following DeAngelo Branche's 10-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 WSSU 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 WSSU defensive score of the season, to tie the game at 14-14 headed into the locker room at halftime.

Following a first half that saw five total turnovers between the two teams, NSU 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 21-all, NSU 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 WSSU came up just short as NSU earned their fourth consecutive victory over the Rams.

The loss closes out the Rams' 2009 season with a 1-10 overall record while the Spartans end the season at 7-4.

The game also marked the final game of WSSU head coach Kermit Blount's 17-season coaching tenure at WSSU. Blount finishes with a WSSU coaching record of 91-87-3.

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 WSSURams.com.