Oct. 30, 2010

Final Stats

DURHAM, NC - Junior linebacker Alton Keaton's look after the game said it all after the Rams took a heartbreaking 31-27 loss to the Shaw Bears at Durham County Memorial Stadium, Saturday afternoon. Like Keaton, the Winston-Salem State Rams (8-2, 5-2 CIAA) gave everything they had in the tough loss, but the effort wasn't enough as a late miscue proved costly and dealt a severe blow to the Rams' chances at a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championship game berth.

There was no lack of effort for the Rams as the team dominated the first three quarters of the game, building a 27-17 lead in the third quarter, but the Rams allowed a pair of fourth quarter Shaw touchdowns to take the loss. It was at the 2:39 mark when WSSU sophomore quarterback Kameron Smith's pass was intercepted by Shaw sophomore defensive lineman Stanley Porter and set up the final Shaw touchdown nearly 40 seconds later.

The loss was no reflection of the Rams' efforts as the team put up impressive statistics in nearly every category. The Rams' used a punishing rushing attack to lead the effort with 289 yards rushing in the game. WSSU junior Nicholas Cooper led the way with 174 yards rushing a pair of touchdowns. With the effort, Cooper became the first WSSU running back to post at least 1,000 rushing yards since 2004 when former Rams Jed Bines and Martin Hicks both rushed for over 1,000 yards. Smith was also impressive with 109 yards rushing and a touchdown.

The Rams looked impressive in the early going with 24 first half points. The team got things going early when Smith rushed for a 55-yard touchdown on a quarterback draw the surprised nearly everyone in the stadium. With the PAT kick by sophomore Landen Thayer, the Rams jumped ahead 7-0 at the 10:42 mark. Cooper added another long scoring run, going 24 yards to put the team ahead 14-0 with 8:04 left in the first quarter. The Bears managed to respond, however, with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run to cut into the Rams' lead 14-7 with 2:51 left in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, both teams managed 10 second quarter points each. The Rams struck first when Thayer connected on a 33-yard field goal to push the WSSU lead to double digits, 17-7 with 12:06 left in the second quarter. After another Shaw touchdown made the WSSU lead, 17-14, Cooper would reach the endzone for the second time of the day with a 48-yard touchdown run at the 2:14 mark to keep the Rams in front, 24-14. The score proved to costly, however, as WSSU senior offensive lineman Travis Taylor suffered an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the game. With Taylor out, the WSSU offense struggled mightily and opened the door for the Bears. After a 47-yard Shaw field goal, the Rams were able to take a 24-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The second half turned out to be a struggle for the Rams as the managed just three second half points, a 26-yard Thayer field goal with 6:02 left in the third quarter. With the Rams' offense struggling, the WSSU defense did all that it could to hold off the aggressive Bears. The unit did well, but allowed a pair of late touchdowns, an 11-yard TD pass and a game-winning five-yard touchdown run that was came after the Smith late interception. The interception turned out to be the only WSSU turnover of the game.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 8-2 for the season and 5-2 in the CIAA. The loss effectively ends the WSSU chances of reaching the CIAA Championship game, but an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs remains a possibility. For more information on Rams football, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2909 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.