Rams hammer Falcons, win 26-6

As he watched his team stand on the field at Bowman Gray Stadium with their helmets held in the air, Rams head coach Kermit Blount could not help but crack a smile.

On a day where his offense struggled for much of the game, his defense came up huge, forcing four turnovers and scoring a touchdown to defeat the St. Augustine Falcons 26-6 on Saturday Nov, 4.

"We shut the field down and made it a short field," said Blount, who tied Thomas "Tank" Conrad on the all-time wins chart at WSSU with his 81st victory. On the third play of the game, Duane Smith's pass was intercepted by Rams linebacker Thadeus Griffin and returned 30-yards for a touchdown. On their next possession, backed up in their own end zone, the Falcons hiked the ball over Smith's head, resulting in a safety, and giving the Rams a 9-0 lead before the offense even stepped on the field.

Once again backed into deep in their own territory, the Falcons handed over the ball. Linebacker Juan Corders ripped the ball loose from receiver Eric McLauglin, and defensive end William Hayes recovered. However, the Rams were not able to capitalize on the turnover as Chad Oakley missed his first field-goal of the season.

The problems continued to mount for the Falcons. After going three-and-out, punter Robert Boone was taken down in the backfield, once again giving the Rams excellent field position. This time however, the Rams managed to put it into the end zone as Monte Purvis found senior Stan Wright for a five-yard touchdown, and the extra point gave the Rams a 16-0 lead. Just before the half, the Falcons finally caught a break. Orville Pass III's fumble on the punt return gave the Falcons the ball on their own 47. Two plays later, Smith hit McLaughlin for a 58-yard touchdown pass. The Falcons failed two point attempt made the score 16-6 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Falcons once again gave the Rams excellent field position, after another bad snap on the punt gave the Rams the ball deep in Falcon territory. This time the Rams were able to muster out a field goal, giving them a 19-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

Just when it seemed that St. Augustine was poised to get back into the game, they once again shot themselves in the foot. WSSU cornerback Deron Middleton, who had two interceptions against St. Aug last year, picked off Smith's pass in the end zone to stop the Falcon's most cohesive drive of the game. A 41-yard touchdown run by Brandon McCrae put the nail in the coffin with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Rams won the game, despite being gaining less first downs than the Falcons (10-12) and be out gained in total offense(166-158). Field position and defense won this game for the Rams.

"It doesn't matter what the offense does," said Griffin, who scored the first touchdown of his career. "It's our job to stop the other team from scoring points. We did it and we won." He also added six tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.

Saturday was senior day for the Rams. Senior receiver Stan Wright, one of nine seniors on the team, scored his final touchdown at Bowman Gray.

"If I'm a position to make a play, I want to try to make it," he said of his second quarter touchdown. He also said the fact that it was his final home game had not yet sunk in. "We've put in hard work all season, so it's good to see it pay off."

The win moves the Rams' record to 4-6 with one game remaining in their first division I season. The Rams have a bye next week and will finish up the season on Nov. 18 with a road game against former CIAA and future MEAC rival, Norfolk State.