Rams upend Shaw in final minutes

The Rams beat Shaw University's Bears 28-24, but  were nearly upset  during the  penalty-plagued CIAA matchup Nov. 2 at Bowman Gray Stadium .

          The Rams have not been playing close games during their eight-game winning streak, and Head Coach Connell Maynor said that a close game like this could help his team moving forward.

            "It's important to be in a few tight games and make plays when the game is on the line," he said.

            The game was much closer than it should have been. The Rams outgained the Bears 342 to 238 in total offense, and the turnover battle was even.

            The leader of the offense for WSSU was Rudy Johnson. He completed 23 of 32 passes for 208 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for 94 yards, leading the team.

            "Everything didn't go our way," he said.

            "We faced a lot of adversity. I take this as a learning experience because it brought us closer together as a team. We had our good plays and our bad plays, but we tightened up and got the win. This game shows that in the long run, we're ready for competition."

            Johnson was impressed with Chase Powell, who caught seven passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner.

            "For a freshman, with the pressure that we put on him, he's handling it well," he said.

            "He's a big playmaker."

            Shaw was penalized 16 times for 172 yards, and WSSU was flagged 15 times for 151 yards. The players were on-edge all game, and the division rivalry between the Rams and the Bears was evident throughout the day.

            "We don't usually have games like this [heavy penalties]," Coach Maynor said.

            "That team [Shaw] wasn't very disciplined, and when you have undisciplined teams, you can't respond," he said.

"You can't retaliate, and we retaliated today and did some stupid stuff instead of just playing football. We can't do that. We can't let somebody else influence what we do."

            Although the game wasn't as clean or easy as he would have liked, Maynor said he was pleased with his team's heart.

            "Our guys showed great resiliency," he said.

            "They [Shaw] came back, made a run in the fourth quarter and took the lead. We threw a pick-six [interception for touchdown] to give them the lead, but the offense came back and executed down the stretch. It took a lot of intestinal fortitude for our guys to not give up or point fingers, keep their heads up and go out and make plays."

            WSSU hasn't had many close games during their eight-game winning streak, and Maynor said that a close game like this could help his team moving forward.

            "It's important to be in a few tight games and make plays when the game is on the line," he said.

            "The defense got a big stop to get us the ball back, and everybody played well in the final moments. They [the offense] knew that if they would have messed up right there, the game would've been over. That's what you call pressure, and the guys stepped up.

We did what we do."

Game Recap

            More 3,000 spectators watched the two teams trade punts on the first few possessions of the game. An interception by junior defensive lineman Alfy Hill gave the Rams great field position with 10 minutes left in the first quarter.

            The sloppy and unclean tone of the game was set on this drive, when Shaw sophomore defensive lineman Derrick Herring kicked a WSSU player in the helmet; Herring was ejected.

            Several plays later,  junior quarterback Rudy Johnson connected with sophomore wide receiver Graham Love for a 12-yard score. Freshman kicker William Johnson, who replaced healthy junior kicker Alejandro Suarez, made the extra point. The Rams led 7-0 with 7:50 left in the opening frame.

            The WSSU defense did its part on the ensuing drive for the Bears. Aided by junior defensive lineman Casey Davenport's sack of Shaw junior quarterback Trevius Folston, the Rams forced the Bears to go three-and-out.

            Rams took just four plays to score. On fourth down and short, Rudy Johnson threw for his second touchdown of the day, a 36-yarder to freshman wide receiver Chase Powell.

WSSU had a14-0 lead with 4:14 left in the first.

            WSSU's offense sputtered on its next two possessions after its two quick touchdowns. A fumble recovery and an interception by Shaw on back-to-back WSSU drives put the Rams defense in a bind.

            The unit responded and got the ball back to the offense quickly following the two turnovers. After sophomore defensive lineman Michael Bloomfield sacked Folston and forced a fumble, the Rams took over on offense and were able to return to the end zone. Rudy Johnson capped off an 11-play, 48-yard drive with his third touchdown pass.

       The 4-yard completion to freshman wide receiver Eric Williams gave the Rams a 21-0 lead with 7:28 left in the second quarter.

            Shaw (5-4, 3-3 CIAA) scored for the first time in the game on its next possession. Folston and senior wide receiver David Jordan connected on a 36-yard touchdown pass. The Rams had a 21-7 advantage with 6:38 to go in the first half.

            WSSU (8-1, 6-0 CIAA) responded on its next drive, ate up a lot of clock and looked to have gotten a field goal from William Johnson. The field goal, which he successfully made, would have been his first, but a penalty for roughing the kicker was called on Shaw.

      Coach Maynor accepted the penalty, which took the three points off the board and set up the Rams with a first and goal. However, time ran out before WSSU could score. At the half, the Rams were still leading 21-7.

            On Shaw's opening possession of the second half, the Rams defense forced Shaw's 
Bears into their third turnover, an interception by sophomore free safety Everett Proctor. But the Rams were unable to capitalize as their offense went three-and-out and was forced to punt for the first time.

            On the Bears next possession, sophomore starting free safety Danny Bunn was ejected after committing his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. A subsequent offside penalty and personal foul on senior defensive lineman Donnie Owens moved Shaw into the red zone. Fortunately for WSSU, the rest of the defense stepped up after the penalties. Casey Davenport's second sack of the game forced the Bears to settle for a field goal. The 27-yard kick by junior kicker Andres Magallon made the score 21-10 with 5:07 remaining in the third quarter.  

            The Rams were forced to punt for the second straight time on their next drive, which gave the ball back to Shaw with 3:24 to go in the third. The Bears drive lasted into the fourth quarter, and a pass interference penalty on Proctor set up Folston's second touchdown pass of the game to Jordan. The touchdown brought Shaw within four points, 21-17 with11:57 left in fourth.

            On the Rams next possession, Shaw's senior defensive back Darnell Evans intercepted Rudy Johnson for the second time in the game and returned it 75 yards for a score. The play marked 14 unanswered points for the Bears and gave them their first lead of the game, 24-21 with 8:18 left.

            WSSU's offense  was  unable to score  on the following drive and went three-and-out for the second time. Shaw got the ball back with 6:05 remaining, couldn't score, but was able to run some clock before punting the ball to the Rams with 3:24 to go.

            WSSU took over at its own 19 in an unfamiliar position, trailing late in a CIAA game. The offense moved the ball quickly, helped out by a facemask penalty called on Shaw, and ended up with a fourth down and four at the Bears 31-yard line with 1:47 to go.

            Rudy Johnson completed a seven-yard pass to Powell to keep the drive, and the game, alive. Two plays later on third down and four, Powell caught another pass from Rudy Johnson, then danced and plowed his way into the end zone for a 22-yard score. The Rams had gone 81 yards on nine plays in 2:20 and taken a 28-24 lead with 0:59remaining.

            The Bears got the ball back and tried to counter, but time ran out and the Rams escaped with the nail-biting win.

             The Rams can clinch another CIAA regular-season title with a win against Fayetteville State in their final home game at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 9.