Pirates plunder Rams' hopes for upset, win 13-3

Late in the third quarter, Winston-Salem State defensive end William Hayes blew past the right tackle and batted a pass in the air, only to watch Hampton quarterback T.J. Mitchell catch the ball and fall forward two yards.

It was just that kind of game for the Rams (3-6), as the fell 13-3 to Hampton, the #17th ranked team in Division I-AA. Every time it seemed the Rams were about to make a big play, they came up just short.

"Offensively, on every drive we made mistakes at crucial points," said head coach Kermit Blount.

Those mistakes included an two failed forth-down attempts in the red zone and a Monte Purvis interception from the Hampton's 9-yard line. The Rams also struggled on third-down, going 4-15.

Hampton struck first, nickel-and-diming the defense down the field, where Mitchell hit receiver Marquay McDaniel with a 12-yard touchdown strike. A Andrew Paterni extra point made the score 7-0.

Despite the effectiveness of the Rams running game, WSSU was unable to put the ball in the end zone. Twice the Rams got inside the Hampton ten-yard line but failed to score, losing a yard on fourth-and-one and throwing an interception to Hampton cornerback Travarous Bain.

"Mistakes here and there killed us," said receiver Stan Wright.

Even as the offense sputtered, the defense held the vaunted Pirates offense to largely in check. Pinned inside their own five-yard line with just under a minute left, the Rams were forced to punt, giving the Pirates great field position. Hampton gladly took advantage, using two completions from Mitchell to McDaniels to set up a 25-yard Paterni field-goal with five seconds to go in the half, making the score 10-0 at intermission.

In the second-half, the Pirates used their running game to secure their victory. After adding another Paterni field goal and going up 13-0, Hampton running back Alonzo Coleman entered the backfield. Coleman, a three-time 1,000 yard rusher, came into the game needing just 90 yards to become the MEAC all-time leading rusher. After entering the game in the third quarter, he needed just 10 carries to break the record. Coleman finished with 91-yards, breaking the record with about two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Coleman now holds conference records for yards(4,144), touchdowns (57), and points (342).

"It's great any time you can break a record and get a win," Coleman said afterwards. Despite Coleman's record-breaking performance, the Rams actually out gained the Pirates, 202-192. The Rams were led by Brandon McRae, who gained 99-yards on 15 carries.

The Rams only points of the afternoon came courtesy of a 36-yard Chad Oakley field goal with 6:38 left in the fourth quarter. But it was too little, to late as the Pirates milked the clock, allowing the Rams only one more possession before running out the clock. With both running games being pretty equal, it was the passing game that proved to be the difference. Hampton quarterback TJ Mitchell, starting in place of Princeton Shepherd, played a superb game, completing 17-of-27 passes for one touchdown. Purvis spent much of the game dodging Pirate defenders, and finished 4-of-14 passing with an interception.

Despite the loss, WSSU's defense continued to play lights out, as it allowed only its third touchdown in the last twelve quarters. Nate Biggs led the Rams with 14 tackles. "Overall, I think our defense has played well," said Blount, whose defense held the Pirates 10 points below their average. "I'm very pleased with our defense right now." The loss dropped the Ram's record to 3-6. With games against St. Augustine and Norfolk State, WSSU has a chance to finish its first Division I-AA season with a 5-6 record. But as Blount readily points out, it could be even better.

"We gave away the Florida A&M game, we had a chance to win the game against Bethune-Cookman, and we had a chance to win (against Hampton) last week," said Blount. "We're taking it one game at a time now. All we are looking for is a win."