HOMECOMING WIN

The defense was the catalyst behind No.16 Winston-Salem State's second homecoming win in a row as they defeated Johnson C. Smith, 28- 10 on Oct. 1. The WSSU Rams 5- 0 (5-0), forced three turnovers  making it difficult for the JCSU Golden Bulls 2-3 (1-1), to move the football on the ground.

The Golden Bulls ran the ball 31 times for 62 yards. "Our defense has played well all season," said Connell Maynor, head coach. "Today it was just easier to recognize. " Malcolm Rowe, a senior defensive back from Fayetteville, led the Ram defense with seven tackles and two interceptions.  One interception, the play of the game, returned for a touchdown, put the Rams ahead 21-3 in the third quarter. "On the return for the touchdown, all I could think was I have to do better than my first interception," Rowe said. "My shoe came off on the first one so I had to make this one count. You don't get too many chances to run back picks." Maynor praised his team's defense.  "Since we didn't score a lot, people really got to see how good these guys are." The Rams' first score came in the first quarter with a play action pass from quarterback Kameron Smith to fullback Cedric Hickman for two yards. After Smith's lone touchdown pass, he struggled the remainder of the game. He was sacked four times and threw one interception. He passed 34 times completing 19  for 146 yards.

The Rams offense wasn't completely shut down. They had great success running the ball. Running back Nicholas Cooper continued his quest to 2,000 yards and finished with 203 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. "We wanted to attack with power and we did that," Cooper said. "The fullback was springing me for big rushes all  game."  Cooper has 808 yards and nine touchdowns for the season. The victory gives Maynor his second win over JCSU and his second homecoming win as head coach. The Rams' next opponent is the Saint Augustine's Falcons. The Falcons served up the Rams' first loss last season.

The Rams will be looking to  avenge that in Durham Oct. 8. "The next game is always the most important one," Rowe said. "We just have to come out and handle our business. "