Aug. 24, 2005

Winston-Salem, NC - The 2005 Winston-Salem State University Football Rams will take to the field on Saturday evening at 6:00 pm inside the friendly confines of Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC as they prepare to play their first game of the football season.

 

The Rams, who are entering into their final year of membership in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, will look to start the season 1-0 for the first time since the 2001 season.  They will have no easy go of it as the Rams will face perennial national Division II powerhouse Catawba College as WSSU turns the reigns over to sophomore quarterback Monte Purvis who has only started one game in his college career.

 

Kickoff...6:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time.

           

Venue...Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC (Capacity - 18,000).

 

Television Coverage...There is no television coverage for this contest versus the Indians of Catawba College.  The Rams currently have no games thus far in the 2005 season that are slated for television broadcasts. 

 

Radio Coverage...This weekend's contest will be available to listeners in the greater Winston-Salem area live on WSNC, FM 90.5 with Doc Love and George Croom  calling all the action as well as live nationally on the internet at www.WSSU.edu by clicking on the link: "Listen to WSNC."  Catawba College will broadcast the game on their local radio station, WSAT 1280 AM with Buddy Poole calling all the play-by-play action.  The broadcast will be available on the internet as well by accessing at link at www.GoIndiansGo.com.

 

Live Statistical Broadcast Online...Can't make it to the game, but want to keep tabs on what the Rams are doing as it happens?  Then log on to the official live statistical broadcast of the game on GAMETRACKER.  Catch all WSSU home games as each one takes advantage of the Rams' enhanced partnership with College Sports Television as WSSU became the 72nd NCAA member school to use the GAMETRACKER software that enables a live statistical broadcast of the entire game to be seen on the World Wide Web.  To access the GAMETRACKER webcast, fans may visit the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.wssurams.com, accessing the football schedule page and then clicking on the GAMETRACKER link to view all the statistical action and information.

 

Setting The Scene...The matchup between the Rams and Indians marks the first game of the season for both teams and marks one of the earliest college football games in the nation as the Indians and Rams meet at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC.  The two teams have met only two other times with the Indians emerging victorious in both of those contests.  The conest is a non-conference tilt as the Rams will not play a conference game until they face-off against Elizabeth City State on September 17th, 2005 in Winston-Salem, NC.  The Indians will open their conference season on September 24th, 2005 versus Presbyterian College.  

 

The Series...The Rams and Indians have met only two other times in the history of both programs.  The first meeting occurred in in 1998 as the Rams fell 10-7 to the Indians in Salisbury, NC.  The second, and most current, meeting between the two teams occured in 1999 when the Rams fell in defeat 17-14 on a last-second field goal that propelled Catawba to its second-consecutive victory over WSSU.  Both losses to the Indians have come during the Kermit Blount era. 

 

Fun Facts and Numbers... Both Catawba College victories over the Rams have come via field goals.  The 1998 game was decided in the third quarter as the Indians recorded a mid-range kick to defeat the Rams, while the 1999 game would come down to a clutch middle-distance boot, late in the fourth quarter, that ultimately handed WSSU the loss.  WSSU will look to earn their first win over Catawba in the program's history in 2005.

 

Purvis Takes Over...With the conclusion of the 2005 season, the Rams lost the services of quarterback Joshua McGee, who has since moved on to become a member of the Ram coaching staff.  With the move from playing field to the sidelines, the Rams have crowned a new starting quarterback in Parkland High School superstar, and sophomore (redshirt) Monte Purvis.  Purvis, who appeared in five games for the Rams last season, starting three, threw for 102 yards and a touchdown last season while rushing for 167 more.  He earned the starting job during the spring 2005 football practice season and looks to keep that starting spot for the season opener. Despite the Rams have ten quarterbacks in training camp.

 

The Brothers Bynum...The Rams have a tradition of football excellence, and also have a tradition of family that permeates not only the football program, but the athletic program in general.  The Rams currently have two sets of brothers on the team, the most valuable of which are the Bynum Brothers.  The brothers, Darrian Bynum (sophomore LB), and Levern Bynum (senior LB), are both possible starters for the upcoming 2005 season.  Levern has appeared in 29 games during his Ram career, starting 23 while Darrian appeared in eight games his freshman year in 2004, starting six.  Darrain finished 11th on the team in tackles in 2004 with 20 while Levern placed ninth with 23 total takedowns.

 

The Coaches...The coaches for this game versus Catwaba College are very evenly matchup and both captain two football programs rich in tradition, both of which are accustomed to winning.  The Rams are led by 13th-year man and WSSU alum (1980), Kermit Blount.  Blount has an overall record of 71-53-3 overall for a winning percentage of .568.  He has faced the Indians twice and lost both contests (during the 1998 and 1999 seasons).  Catawba is led by Chip Hester who is entering into his ninth season with the Indians.  He has posted a 24-8 overall record for a winning percentage of .750.  Hester has also posted a 2-0 record versus the Rams and Kermit Blount during his eight-year tenure.

 

Narrowly Missed Homecoming...The Rams, who will face Catwaba on Saturday, August 27th, 2005 just recently confirmed that the contest would be played at Bowman-Gray Stadium and not at Deaton Thompson Stadium.  If the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series had used its rain date, the Rams would have been forced to move the game to Deaton Thompson Stadium.  That stadium has a direct connection to WSSU as two current Rams would have been faced with a homecoming of sorts.  As Deaton Thompson Stadium is the home of the Parkland High School Mustangs, current WSSU-ers Monte Purvis (sophomore, QB) and Jed Bines (junior, RB) would have returned home to a field in which they had nothing but success on during high school.  Both Bines and Purvis were part of the 2002 Parkland team that won the NCPHSAA 3-A State Championship.  Bines was named the Championship game MVP and was named the State Player of the Year in that same season.

 

From Standard To Unconventional...The Rams will sport a new defensive look this season as they have trashed the conventional 4-3 defensive scheme in favor of a more unconventional 3-5-3 defense under the tutelage of new defensive coordinator Mike Ketchum.  The 3-5-3 utilizes three defensive linemen, three linebackers, two "spurs" or strong safeties, and three defensive backs (two cover corners and a free safety).  The new look will pose matchup problems for opposing teams and will make opposing quarterback nervous due to the 3-5-3 being a look that many QB's have never seen, nor practiced against. 

 

New Threads For The Rams...The Rams will have one set of new threads for the 2005 season as they have brand new Russell road white uniforms.  WSSU unveils the new uniforms on September 3rd, 2005 when they travel to Washington, DC to face MEAC member, and Division I-AA opponent Howard University.  WSSU will wear the uniforms the very next weekend as they travel to MEAC member, and Division I-AA South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC.  The uniforms were designed with a collaborative effort between head coach Kermit Blount and fourth-year equipment manager Jay Robinson.

 

Rams Picked Third...The verdict came in on July 21st, 2005 at the CIAA Football Kick-Off Luncheon that took place in Petersburg, VA, and to many Ram fans, it was a surprise.  The powerhouse Rams were picked to finish the 2005 season third in the ultra-competitive CIAA Western Division.  WSSU was picked to finish behind 2004 Western Division Champion Fayetteville State University, who was tabbed as the favorite to defend their Western Division title and the Rams were also, surprisingly, predicted to finish behind the Eagles of North Carolina Central University.  WSSU looks to prove the "experts" wrong in 2005 by winning the CIAA Western Division and the CIAA Championship.  The Rams have not won a CIAA title since winning back-to-back championships during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

 

South Atlantic AGAIN...The meeting between the Rams and Indians marks the fifth consecutive season that the Rams have opened play versus a team from the South Atlantic Conference.  The past four seasons it was the Eagles of Carson-Newman that WSSU faced on opening-weekend.  The Rams posted a 1-3 record versus C-N over that span.

 

Looking To Win The Home Opener...The Rams look to open the 2005 season with a win at home, something that they haven't done since the 2001 season when the Rams posted a 27-16 win over Carson-Newman College at Bowman-Gray.

 

Not Good Versus Ranked Opponents...Hopefully, for Ram fans, WSSU will fare better this season versus ranked opponents than they did last season.  The Indians, who finished 2004 with a #13 AFCA ranking, will come into the contest versus WSSU ranked.  The Rams were 0-2 last season versus ranked opponents as they lost to Tusculum College and Carson-Newman.  Both teams are from the South Atlantic Conference, of which the Indians of Catawba are also a member.

 

Only Scoring Once...The Rams' defense will have to step up in 2005 as WSSU only scored one defensive touchdown in 2004.  That touchdown, a 94-yard interception return for a TD versus Saint Augustine's College by the since-departed Edwin Jones was the lone score for the Ram defense during the season.  The Rams posted a 1-0 record when the defense scored.

 

WSSU Jumps Out Early...The 2004 Rams liked to jump out on opponents early as the Rams posted a 4-2 record when they scored the first points of the game.

 

A Look At Catawba...The Indians are, and have been, an NCAA Division II national  powerhouse.  The 2004 Catawba College football team posted a 7-4 record in 2004, their poorest showing in over five seasons.  The 2003 edition of the Indians finished the season ranked 13th in the AFCA polls and again made an NCAA Division II playoff appearance. 

 

Players To Watch (WSSU)...#1 Jed Bines, junior running back; #27 Martin Hicks, senior running back; #4 Monte Purvis, sophomore quarterback; #9 Brandon Hussey, senior wide receiver and kick returner; #5 Chad Oakley, senior, punter.

 

Players To Watch (Catawba)...#5 Corey Ready, senior, wide receiver; #8 Brad Roach, sophomnore, quarterback; #40 Stuart Adams, senior, middle linebacker; #25 Charles Morman, junior, cornerback.

 

99 Problems, But Numbers Ain't One...The Rams are loaded...literally.  At media day this past Sunday, the Rams had 97 players dressed in uniform.  That 97 players is only two short of the NCAA maximum of 99 players that can dress for a team's home games.  That means that the Rams have a roster that is 97.9% full.  According to head equipment manager Jay Robinson, the Rams may very well have all 99 uniforms filled on Saturday.

 

Running For Home...The Rams are very proficient at running the ball.  There is no doubt about that.  As a team, the Rams averaged 246.7 yards per game on the ground last season.  However, in home games, the Rams averaged a stunning 298.7 yards per game on the ground. 

 

Secondary Solution...If there was one glaring weakness in the 2004 Rams, it would be the WSSU secondary.  The Rams were ranked second to last, or last, in every pass defense statistic in the CIAA.  WSSU has tried to remedy the situation by bringing in a new defensive coordinator in Mike Ketchum, and has switched from a 4-3 to a 3-5-3 formation on defense.

 

New Season, New Announcers...The 2005 season will mark the debut of the new WSNC Radio 90.5 FM radio broadcast crew.  The Rams' flagship station has recently revamped its entire WSSU Football broadcast crew.  Ram fans will now hear all the on-field action brought to them by George Croom and Doc Love.  The pair will combine for a tag-team play-by-play effort that will keep all those displaced Ram fans "in the know" with live action.  As well, the duo are planning to launch a coaches show live, every Monday, starting on August 29th, 2005 at 6:30 pm on WSNC 90.5 FM.  For additional information, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143.

 

The Event...The opening game of the 2005 season will mark "Hall of Fame Induction Weekend" at WSSU.  Winston-Salem State University will enshrine nine new members in the Clarence E. "Big House" Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday evening.  All nine members will be recognized in a halftime ceremony that will take place on Saturday evening.  The athletic hall of fame was revived by current Director of Athletics, Dr. Chico Caldwell after a 10-year layoff in which no one was enshrined. 

 

Blount, All-Time...Most Ram fans know that current WSSU Head Football Coach Kermit Blount has amassed a career record of 71-53-3, for a career winning percentage of .559 en route to earning the Rams, and WSSU, a pair of CIAA football championships.  However, very few people realize that, during his 12 year tenure, Blount has coached 36 players to All-CIAA First-Team honors.  Among those 36 different players, 11 have earned the honor more than once, and two have earned the honor three times during their four-year career.  Current Rams Martin Hicks and Jed Bines will look to earn the honor for their third time this season, and Brandon Hussey and Chad Oakley will look to earn the honor for the second time.  Blount has coached four players that have gone on to play professional football in the NFL  in Tory Woodbury (NY Jets and Denver Broncos), Richard Huntley (Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Carolina Panthers), Orande Gadsen (Miami Dolphins) and Stephon Kelly (Cincinnati Bengals - since released).

 

For additional information on WSSU football, or to arrange interviews with coaches or players, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com