Rams overwhelm Bowie State Bulldogs, 56-21

 Winston-Salem State (4-1, 2-0 CIAA) got on the board first when junior quarterback Rudy Johnson completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Eric Wolfe with 3:02 left in the opening quarter.  Sophomore kicker Alejandro Suarez missed the extra point, so the Rams led 6-0.

            Bowie State (0-2, 0-1 CIAA) responded on its ensuing drive. The Bulldogs ran right through the Rams defense, and redshirt junior running back Trevon Bennett finished it off with a 2-yard run for a touchdown. The extra point gave the Bulldogs a 7-6 lead with 12:06 left in the second quarter.

            No one expected the Rams to trail at any point against Bowie State; not only because of the talent differential between the two teams, but also because WSSU has not trailed any opponent in a CIAA regular season since 2011.

            The Rams, not used to trailing in CIAA games, obviously did not like the feeling and bounced back quickly. On WSSU's next drive after the Bowie State touchdown, Johnson led his team down the field and scored on a 2-yard run. The Rams led 13-7 with8:01 left in the half, and never looked back.

            After regaining the lead, the Rams piled on the points and scored seven unanswered touchdowns. Johnson accounted for six of WSSU's eight total touchdowns, passing for four and rushing for two. The other two Ram touchdowns came courtesy of junior running back Maurice Lewis.

            Head Coach Connell Maynor was please with the way his team responded to Bowie State's run-heavy game plan.

            "They tried to slow the game down and run the ball," he said.

            "Once we were able to score on three of our first four possessions and get up by two touchdowns, we got them out of their running game and made them the throw the ball a little bit more," Maynor said.

         "The guys came out and played well today."

            The Rams offense racked up a season-high 690 yards of total offense, and the defense held the Bulldogs to just 252 yards.

       Johnson passed for a career-high 390 yards in just over two and a half quarters before former starter, redshirt junior Anthony Carrothers and junior DeShean Townsend were tapped to play quarterback.  

             Johnson also led the team in rushing with 80 yards on seven carries. He said he was satisfied with his team's performance and that he and teammates are beginning to hit their stride now that he has had several games as starting quarterback.

            "We still have some mistakes to work on just like every other team, but if we get those straightened out, we'll be unstoppable," he said.

            Coach Maynor benched Carrothers for Johnson in the second week of the season and said he is satisfied with his decision.

            "The quarterback is the leader of the team," he said.

            "He's [Rudy Johnson] doing a good job of playing quarterback right now in the running game and the passing game. He's making good decisions with the football, and that's what we expect out of our quarterback."

            Johnson's favorite target was Wolfe, who finished the game with six receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown.

            The Rams forced two turnovers; a fumble recovery by sophomore defensive back Everett Proctor and an interception by junior defensive back Larry Hearne.

                   Junior offensive lineman Daven Gray talked about the importance of the tone set by the defense and the effect it had on the offense.

            "We believe in our defense," he said.

            "We feed off of them and always expect for them to get the ball back to us quickly. A good offense is nothing without a good defense to back it up. They played great today. The entire team did."

            Coach Maynor  is enjoying his team's four-game winning streak and is ready to see more as the Rams move on to the next game; the homecoming contest against Johnson C. Smith on Oct. 13.

            "We've played well the last couple of weeks," he said.

            "We've got to continue to take it one game at a time, one quarter at a time, and one play at a time. The defense is flying around and hitting people, and the offense is executing. We still have a lot to work on, though. So now we'll go back to the drawing board and get ready for Johnson C. Smith."