FAYETTEVILLE, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (5-4, 4-2 CIAA) closed the 2018 regular season in dominating fashion when the team took a 51-21 win over the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division champion Fayetteville State Broncos (6-2, 5-1 CIAA), Saturday afternoon at Luther "Nick" Geralds Stadium on the campus of Fayetteville State University.

The Rams controlled nearly every aspect of the game to claim the win. The team combined an offensive breakout performance with some clutch defense in the victory. The Rams tallied a season-high 51 points with 489 yards of total offense. WSSU freshman quarterback Dominique Graves continued his great freshman season, completing 15-of-20 passes for 238 passes and two touchdowns. WSSU senior running back Kerrion Moore had another great performance with 20 carries for 76 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Senior wide receiver William Walton caught two passes for 102 yards and a touchdown while fellow senior Jaylan Barbour added five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Rams turned in a tremendous performance as well. The team played some clutch defense as well when they held Fayetteville State to just 21 points in spite of allowing 411 yards. Junior defensive back Daijon Carson led the WSSU defensive effort with eight total tackles (six solo). Sophomore defensive back Deiontae Jones added seven total tackles (five solo) while junior free safety Daryus Skinner added to his already impressive resume with six total tackles (two solo) with two interceptions in the game.

The Rams dominated the game from the very beginning with a great first quarter of play. After a Skinner interception ended the Broncos' opening drive of the game, the Rams went on an 11-play 80-yard drive that was capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Graves with 6:37 left in the first quarter. After Skinner's second interception of the game, the Rams once again struck when Graves connected with Walton for an 80-yard touchdown pass that left the Rams on top, 13-0 after the PAT kick from freshman Riley Robbins with 5:24 left in the first quarter.

Things settled down for both teams in the second quarter, but the Rams kept going. After allowing a Fayetteville State touchdown, the Rams answered when Graves throw a two-yard touchdown pass to Barbour. The Robbins PAT kick left the Rams on top, 20-7. Moore would get the first of his three touchdowns with a one-yard touchdown run. The PAT kick left the Rams on top, 27-7 with 3:30 left in the first half. The Rams defense allowed one more Fayetteville State touchdown before the team took their 27-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Rams kept things going in the second half. The team scored 10 unanswered points in the third quarter when Robbins hit a 33-yard field goal to put the team ahead, 30-14 with 2:12 left in the quarter. The WSSU defense kicked things up a notch when the team recorded a sack and a fumble that was recovered at the FSU three-yard line and the Rams capitalized with a three-yard Moore touchdown run. After the PAT kick, the Rams stood ahead 37-14 with 00:47 left in the third quarter.

The WSSU domination carried into the fourth quarter. After recovering another Bronco fumble, the Rams struck again with a two-yard touchdown run from Moore. The PAT kick left the Rams on top, 44-14 with 14:40 left to play. After allowing another Bronco touchdown, the Rams scored late once again when junior running back Roosevelt Appleton had a one-yard touchdown run that sealed the scoring the game and the Rams' 51-21 win.

The win caps the 2018 season for the Rams and will serve as a strong springboard into preparation for the 2019 season. For more information on Rams football, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on  to www.WSSURams.com.