RAMS ROLL TO 10TH STRAIGHT IN A ROUT
 
November 6, 2011

PEMBROKE, NC-What a difference a week makes. One week after rushing for 16 yards and turning in their worst offensive effort of the year in a seven point win over Shaw, #7 Winston-Salem State (10-0, 7-0 CIAA) bounced back with perhaps their finest performance of the season in a 34-7 demolition of UNC-Pembroke yesterday at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. Tailback Nicholas Cooper ran for 146 of WSSU’s 278 rushing yards as the Rams used a relentless ground attack to wear down the Braves (7-3).
 
UNC-Pembroke, led by 2,600 yard passer Luke Charles, came into the game averaging over 500 yards of offense and almost 40 points a game. WSSU Coach Connell Maynor took a unique approach to neutralizing UNC-P’s high-powered offense. Instead of putting the pressure on his defense to stop the Braves for four quarters, Maynor played to the Rams’ strength and used his offense to play a classic game of keep away from Charles and the Braves. The Rams ran the ball on 60 of their 87 offensive plays and dominated time of possession 42:03-17:57; effectively keeping the Braves’ potent offense on the sideline as helpless bystanders.
 
UNC-Pembroke scored the first points of the game late in the first quarter when Charles capped a 12-play, 91-yard drive with a 5-yard pass to Jamelle Banks and the Braves took a 7-0 lead into the second quarter. But from that point on it was all Winston-Salem State. Maurice Lewis scored on an 11-yard run; Cooper capped a back-breaking 18-play drive with a short touchdown run, and Tevyn Brantley caught a 10-yard touchdown from Kameron Smith as the Rams outscored the Braves 20-0 in the second quarter to start the rout.  Smith would toss touchdown passes to Jerry Chandler and Brandon Akinbiyi in the third quarter for the game’s final margin as the Rams completed their first undefeated regular season since 1978.
 
WSSU finished the game with 435 yards of offense while holding the Braves to 262, just about half of their season’s average. Smith was an efficient 20 of 27 for 157 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams also got a big offensive boost from Lewis, who finished with 17 carries for 90 yards.  Next Saturday, the Rams travel to Durham to take on Northern Division champion Elizabeth City State in the CIAA Championship game. Game time is 1:00 pm at Durham County Stadium. (Televised on Bounce TV)
 
 
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