Aug. 28, 2010

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HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Connell Maynor head coaching era at Winston-Salem State University opened with a bang on Saturday evening at A.J. Simeon Stadium as the Rams offense turned in their largest scoring output since 2003 en route to a 47-13 victory over visiting Virginia Union University.

With a sea of red over 8,000 fans strong, the Rams returned to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) with a convincing performance that saw them easily defeat a Virginia Union University team that finished tied for first in 2009 and missed a conference title game berth by virtue of a coin-flip tiebreaker.

The Rams mounted an early offensive onslaught that saw the Rams score on five of their six first-half possessions as WSSU posted three touchdowns and a pair of field goals en route to tallying 27 points, more first-half points than Winston-Salem State scored in any game in 2009.

Landen Thayer's pair of field goals and three Rams' touchdowns earned WSSU a lead that would never be in jeopardy as Winston-Salem State opened their season with a victory for the first time since the 2007 season.

The Rams' offensive attack continued in the third quarter as Tevin Brantley pulled in a pass from quarterback Octavious Hawkins for a 47-yard score and Nic Cooper rushed for his second touchdown of the game on WSSU's first two possessions of the second half, pushing WSSU's lead to an insurmountable 40-0.

“I'm just happy for the guys.  They've been working hard for the last month,” WSSU head coach Connell Maynor said.  “This is how that hard work pays off.  I've won titles, I've won championships.  This is for the fellas and for my coaches and most importantly for the people who support us,” Maynor added.

Maynor, the Rams' first-year head coach looked anything like a rookie as he orchestrated a nearly even mix of running and passing plays that led to six touchdowns (four rushing, two passing) and two field goals as WSSU recorded 393 yards of total offense.

The Rams defense, not to be outdone by their offensive counterparts held VUU to 278 yards of total offense, forced four fumbles, all of which the Rams recovered and did not allow the Panthers to score until late in the third quarter.

“I told our guys that we had to take care of the football and we did,” Maynor said.  “We didn't have a turnover and our defense had four takeaways and put us in position to score all night long.  That was the difference for us,” he added.

The win improves the Rams to 1-0 on the season and drops Virginia Union to 0-1 on the year.  WSSU will look to move to 2-0 overall when they return to action on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 6:00 p.m. as they travel to Greensboro, N.C. to face the Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University in the I-40 Showdown.

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.