A Different Ballgame

When a team defeats its arch-rival for the first time in 15 years, there is a tendency amongst fans to live off the buzz of that victory until the next time the two teams play, even more so when the underdog notches a convincing 41-14 win.

Winston-Salem State head coach Kermit Blount is making sure that neither he, nor his players and coaches, fall prey to that sort of thinking when they take the field against North Carolina A&T on Saturday.

"When you look at last year's game, you've got to throw it out the window because it means absolutely nothing at all at this point," said Blount. "What we did last year is totally out of the picture and it's all about how we're gonna prepare for what we are gonna do this year."

Blount went on to say that although the Rams won last year and will host the game this year, the team feels no extra pressure.

"It's no pressure, we just need to go out and play well. We have a veteran leader on offense and hopefully our veteran leaders on defense will set the tone for us."

Defense was the Rams' calling card last season as they allowed a respectable 17.5 points per game. Third-year defensive coordinator Mike Ketchum said that the strength of his unit will be their versatility.

Demetrius Rivers, who finished third on the team in tackles last season, has been moved from strong safety to cornerback. Cornerback Deron Middleton, who last year tied for the team lead with three interceptions has been moved to the free safety position.

"Instead of having two corners, we actually feel pretty comfortable with about five of them. If we need to get in a nickel situation, we move four corners in the ball game and actually Deron has played some strong safety for us and that gives you more speed and versatility. We do have a pretty good chunk of versatility."

Ketchum said that the Rams defensive gameplan will be the same against A&T as it is every week.

"We want to stop the running game, make them pass and try to pressure the quarterback," said Ketchum. "If you allow the opponent to run, they can mix it up on you and make it very difficult to defend." Senior quarterback Monte Purvis says that the players are looking forward and focused on the task at hand.

"One thing that we talked about in camp was that last year was last year," said Purvis. "Right now we are just eager to play a different color."