CHARLOTTE, NC – The Winston-Salem State University Rams clicked on all cylinders when the team took a 34-14 road win over the Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls Saturday afternoon. The Rams defense forced four turnovers and totaled 387 yards of total offense to claim a win in their Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division opener.
It didn't take long for WSSU to take control of the game as the team struck early. The Rams forced and recovered a fumble on the very first play of the game. The team wasted no time as Ram running back Kerrion Moore rushed 43 yards for the first touchdown of the game. With the PAT kick from Riley Robbins, the Rams went ahead, 7-0 with 14:39 left in the first quarter. Winston-Salem State added another touchdown on their next possession when Moore struck paydirt again with a 17-yard touchdown run. The missed PAT kick left the Rams on top, 13-0 with 11:27 left in the first quarter. Johnson C. Smith answered with a five-yard touchdown pass from
Antonio Wallace to
Janarius Hood to cut the WSSU lead to six points, 13-7 with 8:28 left in the first quarter. Both teams would turn up their defensive efforts in the second quarter with neither team scoring. The effort left the Golden Bulls facing a 13-7 deficit into the locker room at halftime.
The second half belonged to the Rams with the team outscoring the Golden Bulls, 21-7. WSSU struck first when running back Antwoin Pittman took a two-yard run into the endzone for a touchdown. The PAT kick left the Rams on top, 20-7 with 10:26 left in the third quarter. The Rams added to their lead when senior wide receiver William Walton took a pass from Graves 43 yards for the team's fourth touchdown of the day. The PAT kick left the Rams on top, 27-7. Johnson C. Smith would not go away as
Braxton Gambrell took a three-yard run into the endzone and cut into the WSSU lead, 27-14. Moore would put the game away with a 43-yard touchdown run to leave the final score 34-14.
With the loss, the Golden Bulls fall to 1-4 overall (1-3 CIAA) while WSSU improves to 2-3, 1-2 CIAA.
Next up, JCSU travels to Fayetteville, N.C. to face the Southern Division leading Broncos of Fayetteville State University Saturday, October 13.. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Luther "Nick"Jeralds Stadium.