Sep. 6, 2003

Macon, GA - The Winston-Salem State University Rams and the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University squared off in the Peach State Kickoff Classic on Saturday evening at Henderson Stadium in Macon, GA in an HBCU grudge match.

The two teams, both perennial football powers (WSSU in the CIAA, and Ft. Valley State in the SIAC) wanted to come out early and set the tone. However, it would be the Wildcats who would strike first as they came out on their opening drive of the evening, after a three and out series by the Rams, and complete a 6 play, 80-yard, drive that spanned 1:42 with a Duron Croson (6'2"/220/Sr./RB) play-action, running play for a two-yard touchdown.

The drive all started with a 45-yard strike from Fort Valley State quarterback Cecil Leder (6'1"/190/Sr.) to Taqua Thrasher (6'3"/190/Sr.) on the very first play of the drive. The huge gain on first down would lead to excellent field position, and the Wildcats were able to punch the ball into the Ram end zone only five plays later to lead 7-0.

The Rams would fail to generate any offense on their next offensive series, but the Ram defense would rise to the challenge and get the ball back for the WSSU offense. Philip Betts (6'2"/235/Jr./Oxford,NC) broke through the offensive line and recovered a bobbled snap to give the Rams the ball back at the FVSU 21-yard line.

The WSSU offense would take only three plays to reach the end zone as Joshua McGee (6'0"/185/Jr./Winston-Salem, NC) would hit Brandon Free (5'11"/180/Jr./Jamestown, NC) for a seven yard touchdown strike. Ashton Oakley (5'9"/170/Sr./Haw River, NC) missed the point after and the Rams found themselves trailing 7-6 midway through the first quarter.

Another Ram defensive stop and WSSU would once again start another scoring drive. This time it proved to be an eight-play, 75-yard drive that spanned 4:02 of the game clock. The Ram play-action passing attack proved to be lethal as Joshua McGee was able to find his receivers in the flats nearly at-will. On the eighth play of the drive Brandon Hussey (5'10"/175/Jr./Pine Top, NC) made a leaping grab to snare a beautiful lofted Joshua McGee pass to give the Rams their second touchdown of the afternoon, this time a 12-yarder. A goal line play on the point-after try, led to a Ram two-point conversion, and the Rams would lead 14-7 at the end of a very eventful first quarter of play.

The Rams scored their third consecutive touchdown when Brandon Free capped a 6-play, 57-yard scoring drive with a 29-yard touchdown reception only 2:12 seconds into the second quarter. Free broke four tackles en route to the end zone for his second touchdown of the evening, and after a successful Ashton Oakley kick, the Rams led the contest 21-7.

The Wildcats wasted no time in making it a one-possession game when they capped a 9-play, 78-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run to cut the Ram lead to seven points at 21-14 with 5:37 remaining in the half.

Fort Valley State evened up the score only four minutes later as Cecil Lester threw a perfect touchdown pass to Taqua Thrasher from 38 yards out to make it a 21-21 tie game. The Rams defense, stunned on the play, could only watch as Thrasher broke free from the WSSU secondary and sprinted into the open field where he would make a routine grab for the touchdown. The Rams and Wildcats went into the halftime intermission nearly even in every statistical category, and most importantly, dead-even on the scoreboard.

The second half of play opened with the Wildcats receiving the WSSU kickoff looking to score on their third consecutive possession. However, the Ram defense had other ideas and forced a three-and-out possession from Fort Valley State. The Rams would then shake things up a bit by starting the half with Rodney Milbourne (5'11"/190/Sr./Battleboro, NC) at quarterback. Milbourne promptly led the Rams downfield and capped an 11-play, 46-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run on fourth down. The Ashton Oakley kick failed, and the Rams led the game 27-21 with 7:26 remaining in the third quarter.

The Rams tried to make the fourth quarter interesting however. The Ram defense would come up with stop after stop, but the Ram offense would control the majority of the fourth quarter. The Rams would repeatedly come up big on third down as they converted three of four first downs on their clock-eating drive.

With 11:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, Rodney Milbourne scrambled for eight yards on fourth down and six to keep the WSSU drive alive. After two failed running plays, the Rams were faced with a third and thirteen which saw Milbourne hit Curtis Smith (6'1"/210/Jr./Greensboro) for 15 yards and a first down to again keep the drive alive. Three plays later Willie "Pedie" Byrd (5'9"/205/Jr./Leland, NC) would drive ahead for three yards on third and two to again get a first down. The Rams would waste away three downs on first and goal, and decide to go for it on fourth and goal from the one-yard line. However, an untimely off-sides penalty would end the bid for a touchdown, and when Ashton Oakley's kick sailed wide right, his fifth miss (3 extra points and 2 field goals thus far in 2003) on the year, the Rams would cling to a 6-point lead with under five minutes remaining in the game (27-21).

The Wildcats quickly put their offense on the field and promptly drove all the way down to the Ram 20-yard line with 1:17 remaining in the contest. However, it was the Ram defense that would again come up large, and force a fourth and long that the Wildcats would fail to convert on, ultimately putting the WSSU offense back on the field. The Rams knelt on the ball and closed out the game with the 27-21 victory.

When asked for comment, Head Coach Kermit Blount said the following: "It was a great win, although I am not totally pleased with how we played overall, but I am certainly happy that we have a win."

The Rams will return to action next week when they play host to the Virginia State University Trojans at Bowman-Gray Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 pm. The game will see ten new honorees inducted into the CE Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame at Halftime of the contest. Tickets are available by calling the WSSU ticket office at (336) 750-3220.