SC State 43, Winston-Salem State 17

September 27, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Will Ford’s 117 yards rushing and Octavius Darby’s 108 yards receiving sealed the fate of the Winston-Salem State University Rams on Saturday evening at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. as WSSU fell to the South Carolina State University Bulldogs by the score of 43-17.

The loss relegates the Rams to unfamiliar territory at 0-4 overall. Winston-Salem State University hasn’t started a season with four consecutive losses since 1975, a year in which a first class stamp was only 10 cents, a year in which President Ford escaped two assassination attempts in the span of 17 days, and a year in which current WSSU head football coach Kermit Blount was a senior in high school.

The Rams played the Bulldogs, a team pundits have picked to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football crown, tough for the entire first quarter of play as WSSU trailed SCSU 7-3 after 16 minutes.

The second quarter of play would see the Bulldogs increase their lead as a fumble recovery for a touchdown, a 79-yard touchdown catch, a short two yard scoring run and a 32-yard field goal earned South Carolina State a 31-10 halftime advantage.

The Bulldogs stifling defense would account for 14 of their 31 first-half points as SCSU recorded a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception return for a score en route to holding the potent WSSU rushing attack to 17 yards on 21 carries during the first 30 minutes of play.

Second half action would continue in favor of the Bulldogs as WSSU would continue to have difficulties moving the ball on the ground.

WSSU would hold SCSU to only two scores in the second half as WSSU’s lone score came courtesy of a Jarrett Dunston three-yard touchdown run with 11:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Despite the ground-game difficulties, WSSU senior wide receiver Bryant Bayne would provide highlights for Ram fans as he recorded the Rams’ first 100-yard receiving game of the season as he collected his first career 100-yard receiving game en route to pulling in 10 catches for 105 yards in the loss.

Bayne’s 105 yard receiving game marks the first time WSSU has had a 100 yard receiver since Michael Scarbrough tallied 107 yards receiving in WSSU’s 24-21 overtime loss at Howard on Sept. 29, 2007 when Michael Sa

The loss drops the Rams to 0-4 overall while the Bulldogs improve to 3-2 on the season with the victory. The win marks South Carolina State University’s third straight win over the Rams with WSSU’s last win over the Bulldogs coming in 2000.

WSSU returns to action on Oct. 4 at 6:00 p.m. as they play host to the Bison of Howard at Bowman Gray Stadium in the final game of the Rams’ four-game home stand.