Aug. 31, 2006
Kickoff...6:30 pm, Eastern Standard Time.
Venue...Aggie Stadium in
The Event...The "Battle of I-40" football game between a pair of long-time rivals, the Rams of Winston-Salem State University and the Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University.
Television Coverage...There is no television coverage for this contest versus the Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University.
Radio Coverage...This weekend's contest will be available to listeners in the greater Winston-Salem, NC area live on WSNC, 90.5 FM with Maurice "Big Mo" Stanfield calling all the play-by-play action and L.A. Batchelor providing the color commentary, as well as live nationally on the internet at www.WSSU.edu by clicking on the link: "Listen to WSNC." The Aggies will air the game on WNAA Radio 90.1 on the FM dial and on the Internet on the official website of North Carolina A&T Athletics athletics at www.NCATAGGIES.com with Spencer Gwynn calling the play-by-play. Color commentary will be provided by Mel Swann and Billy Covington.
Live Statistical Broadcast Online...There will be no live statistical broadcast of this contest between the Rams of Winston-Salem State University and the Aggies of North Carolina A&T.
Weather Forecast...For kickoff at 6:30 pm, the forecast is calling for a high of 79 degrees and a low of 67 degrees with a 30% chance of precipitation. Tunderstorms associated with Tropical Storm "Ernesto" are forecast to have passed through the
Setting The Scene...The matchup between the Rams and Aggies marks the first game of the regular season for the Aggies and the second game of the season for the Rams. WSSU lost their opening game of the season last Saturday in
2005 Results...The Rams are coming off of a 2005 season in which they posted a 6-4 record overall (6-1 CIAA) and narrowly missed a CIAA title-game appearance. The Aggies posted a 3-8 overall record in 2005 and turned in a 2-6 record in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
Rankings...Neither team is ranked in the NCAA Division I-AA poll and neither is ranked in the SBN Networks Black College Top 10.
The Last Meeting...The last meeting between the two teams came during the 1999 season with the Rams falling in defeat at Bowman Gray Stadium in
The Series...Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T have met 42 times with the Aggies holding the 33-9 series edge. The Rams have not defeated North Carolina A&T since the 1991 season when WSSU earned a 13-10 win in
The Hype...This is slated as the game that everyone has been waiting for. Since WSSU's announcement that they would leave the ranks of NCAA Division II for the NCAA Division I (I-AA for football), the question had been, "when will you put North Carolina A&T back on the schedule?" That question was answered in November of 2005 when the Rams and Aggies met for a press conference to announce that they would face each other in the "Battle of I-40" to take place on the Saturday before Labor Day in 2006 (September 2, 2006). The contest between NC A&T and WSSU is dubbed by many to be the social event of the fall and the game is an expected sellout.
The Rivalry...The rivalry between these two schools which are separated by only a 28 mile stretch of Interstate 40 dates back to the first meeting between the two teams in 1951. North Carolina A&T earned a 41-0 shutout in that contest as the Aggies earned the first of 19 straight victories over the Rams. WSSU's first victory in the series came in 1977 when they posted back-to-back wins over NC A&T in consecutive seasons (1977 and 1978).
Superlatives...The Rams trail the all-time series 33 games to nine and have not defeated the Aggies in eight attempts. The largest WSSU win came during the 1989 season when the Rams earned a 48-19 win at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Aggies largest win over WSSU was a 60-0 win in
A Win This Week Would...
...give the Rams their first win of the 2006 season and pull Winston-Salem State to 1-1 overall...prevent the Rams from falling to 0-2 on the season for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in the last five seasons....snap the Aggies' eight-game win streak over the Rams (WSSU hasn't earned a win over NC A&T since 1999)...give WSSU head coach Kermit Blount his 78th win at WSSU pulling him within three wins of Thomas "Tank" Conrad (81 wins) for second place on the WSSU all-time win list....earn the Rams their first win over an NCAA Division I-AA opponent since a 39-28 win at South Carolina State that came during the 2000 season....earn the Rams their first win as an NCAA Division I-AA program....break a three-game losing streak versus NCAA Division I-AA opponents....drop North Carolina A&T head coach Lee Fobbs to 0-1 all time as a head coach as he makes his head coaching debut Saturday evening....earn WSSU head football coach Kermit Blount his first career win over the Aggies (eight tries)....earn WSSU the first win over a Division I opponent during the tenure of Director of Athletics, Dr. Chico Caldwell....earn WSSU their first win in Aggie Stadium since a 26-6 win that came during the 1988 season.
A Loss This Week Would...
...keep Winston-Salem State University winless at 0-2 on the season....drop the Rams to 0-2 to start the season for the third consecutive year and the fifth time in the last five seasons....push the Aggies' win streak over the Rams to nine consecutive contests....give WSSU head coach Kermit Bount his 59th loss, putting him only 20 losses shy of the WSSU all-time loss record held by Thomas "Tank" Conrad (79 total)....keep the Rams winless versus Division I-AA opponents since a 39-28 win at South Carolina State that came during the 2000 season....move North Carolina A&T to 1-0 on the season for the first time in three seasons....earn North Carolina A&T head coach Lee Fobbs, Jr. his first career head coacing victory....keep WSSU head coach Kermit Blount winless versus North Carolina A&T, giving him eight consecutive losses versus the Aggies (eight tries)....earn WSSU their first road win since a three-game road win steak posted in October of 2005....mark NC A&T Director of Athletics, and WSSU Alumnus, Delores "Dee" Todd her first win over her alma mater in her career as Director of Athletics.
 WSSU Tight End, Stan Wright Gives His Comments At The Rams' Weekly Football Press Conference About Renewing The Rivalry With North Carolina A&T  |
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Are you excited about playing this game? - "Absolutely. We are just trying to get a hold of the rivalry. Nobody on this team has been here when we have played A&T. We are just grasping the whole situation. Being right down the road, it is a natural rivalry, and of course we can't wait for Saturday to come" Stan Wright, WSSU tight end.
On playing against guys he knows - "Their running back, Michael Ferguson, he went to my high school, so it will be good playing against him. Other than that, it is just a natural rivalry and we are really fired up to play them. It is the first meeting between the Rams and Aggies since 1991." Stan Wright, WSSU tight end.
Understanding The Injury Chart...The Rams use the National Football League's injury chart model which separates injuries into four categories: (1) "Out" which indicates that a player will not play in the upcoming game and will not be dressed for the contest. (2) "Doubtful" which indicates that a player will have only a 25% chance of playing. (3) "Questionable" which indicates that a player will have a 50% chance of playing, and (4) "Probable" which indicates that the player has a 75% chance of playing.
Lost To Injury...The Rams have lost four players to injury already this season. WSSU has lost starting wide receiver Michael Scarbrough, Jr. (redshirt sophomore) to a left tibia fracture most recently. Scarbrough broke his left leg last Tuesday afternoon in practice and is out for at least 12 weeks. Brandon Dow, WSSU's starting free safety heading into the second week of practice is lost for six to eight weeks after breaking his right wrist while making a tackle in practice. The injury required surgery and he is slated to return the week of September 10, 2006. WSSU has also lost Brandon McLellan and Lonnie Teasley to knee injuries as both are recovering from mid-summer surgeries. McLellan is recovering from patella tendon reconstruction on his left knee while Teasley is recovering from ACL reconstruction his right knee.
It's Not Questionable... The Rams have placed no players on the doubtful list this week
Nobody Doubtful...WSSU has placed only one player on the questionable list as Bennie Barbour has a 50% chance of playing in this weekend's game as he is still slow to recover from right knee ACL reconstruction. He was upgraded from doubtful after seeing an orthopedist last Wednesday afternoon.
More Than A Passing Chance...Only John Mobley is on the Rams' probable list which indicates he has at least a 75% chance of playing this season. Mobley is suffering from a nagging right shoulder injury and should play Saturday. He played last weekend versus Catawba in the Rams' loss to the Indians.
12th MEAC Member...On July 20, 2006, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced that it will expand its membership to 12 members next year, as the league voted to admit
Its About The Rush...The Rams are 0-1 in 2006 when they do not have a player record at least 100 yards rushing in a contest. Last season the Rams posted a 6-4 record when a running back had at least 100 yards rushing. WSSU's game versus Catawba was the first time in 13 games that the Rams did not have a 100-yard rusher. Tionti Powell was the Rams' leading rusher with 59 yards on 13 carries.
To The House...The last time that the Rams' defense scored was also the last time that the Rams have intercepted a pass and taken it for a touchdown. De'Ron Middleton's 74-yard interception return for a touchdown against Saint Augustine's College on October 29, 2005 was the last time that the Rams' defense recorded a touchdown.
Its Been Awhile...The last time that the Rams defeated a team that was ranked in the AFCA Coaches' Poll was during the 2003 season when WSSU defeated then-#19 Fort Valley State University in Macon, GA by the score of 27-21. Since that time, the Rams have fallen to three ranked opponents.
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