Sept. 9, 2004
Notes And Quotes
Winston-Salem State (0-2, 0-0 CIAA) vs. Tusculum (1-1, 0-0 SAC)
Rams vs. Pioneers...The matchup between the Rams and Pioneers marks the third game of the 2004 season for both teams. The two teams both enter the contest following a loss as WSSU fell in defeat in a heartbreaker to visiting Fort Valley State University by the score of 21-19 and Tusculum College fell to at-the-time #7 North Alabama by the score of 28-7. WSSU enters the contest looking for their first win of the season as they hold an 0-2 record and Tusculum enters the game with a 1-1 record after falling to UNA and defeating Concord College. Neither team has yet to play a conference game (WSSU is 0-0 in the CIAA and Tusculum is 0-0 in the SAC).
The Series...The Rams and Pioneers have never met. The meeting between the two teams will be the first for both schools. The Rams have posted an all-time record of 1-5 versus the South Atlantic Conference under Coach Kermit Blount and the Pioneers have posted a 2-0 record versus the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association since the reinstatement of Pioneer football in 1991.
Fun Facts and Numbers... WSSU's record versus the Pioneers all time is 0-0-0...Largest WSSU win (Not Applicable)...Largest Tusculum win (Not Applicable)...Longest WSSU win streak (Not Applicable)...Longest Tusculum win streak (Not Applicable)...The Rams have faced a SAC opponent only six times in football history as they have faced Carson-Newman four times, posting a 1-3 record (2001-04) and faced Catawba twice, posting an 0-2 record (1998-99)...Tusculum has faced a CIAA opponent only twice as they defeated Livingstone College in both 1999 and 2000.
TV Coverage...There is no television coverage for this contest.
Rankings...After losing to the sixth-ranked Eagles of Carson-Newman College in the first week of the season, the Rams are no longer receiving votes in any of the national polls, yet are ranked 77th in the Massey Division II power polls...The Pioneers however are currently ranked 23rd in the most recent edition of the American Football Coaches Association Poll as well as being selected 17th in the Dopke Division II Football rankings and placing 40th in the Massey Division II power rankings.
Strength Of Schedule...According to the Massey Division II power rankings, the Rams have the 8th most difficult schedule in NCAA Division II in 2004 with all of their first three opponents being ranked in at least one national poll and receiving votes in at least one other. The Rams lost to 6th ranked Carson-Newman, lost to 32nd ranked FVSU on Saturday by the score of 21-19 and face #23 Tusculum College this weekend (September 11th, 2004 at Bowman-Gray Stadium).
Up Next... The Rams will return to action again on September 18th, 2004 at Bowman-Gray Stadium versus the Panthers of Virginia Union University in WSSU's first CIAA league contest of the 2004 season. The Rams have lost four straight contests at the hands of the Panthers (2001-04) after reeling off nine straight victories over VUU from the middle of the 1990 season until the 2000 season. WSSU and VUU have met 37 times since 1946 with the Panthers holding a 20-16-1 all-time edge versus the Rams. WSSU and Virginia Union have met in three of the last six CIAA Championship title games with the Rams earning two wins and VUU one.
Weekly Press Conference
Comments From WSSU Head Coach Kermit Blount
Q: Coach, how do you pull yourselves out of this? Its tough to deal with and 0-2 hole, how do you get yourselves out of this?
Number one, I just think that we have to play better. I think that we played two really good football teams, and I have got to give credit where credit is due, Carson-Newman was a pretty good football team and Fort Valley was a very good, very experienced team, but never the less we just have to play better as a team, play with more intensity and I think we are going to be fine. I'm not one to panic, we still have [at least] eight ball games to play, and we still have an opportunity to do what we set out to do.
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"We just have to play better as a team, play with more intensity and I think we are going to be fine. I'm not one to panic, we still have [at least] eight ball games to play, and we still have an opportunity to do what we set out to do."
WSSU Head Football Coach, Kermit Blount
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About Tusculum? Or about our team? Oh, about our team, we have been inconsistent. We were inconsistent at Carson-Newman, defensively, up front, and we were inconsistent this past weekend offensively up front. This past weekend, our defense gave us the opportunity to win the ball game, and gave us great field position to get it done, and we just did not capitalize.
Q: Obviously it doesn't get any easier with the #23 team (Tusculum) coming into Bowman-Gray this weekend. Right?
Everybody that comes in to play Winston-Salem State is going to play us tough, whether it is the number one ranked team in the country or the 200th ranked team in the country. It's a fight every time we go out and our guys understand that, and we just have to get our intensity level up and play a lot better than we played the past couple of games.
Q: Your secondary is going to have their hands full this weekend, Tusculum likes to go four-wide and put the ball in the air.
They are going to throw the football. And on average, they are probably going to throw it in excess of probably 70% of the time. But that is something that we have to prepare for and have been preparing for and we need to make our plays, read our keys and do the things that we have been taught to do.
Q: Do you sense that the guys have let down? I'm sure they were down in practice after coming up just short this past Saturday to Fort Valley State. Are you worried about attitude?
No, I'm not sensing anything like that from our football team, and I doubt very seriously that we will get anything like that. These kids have worked so hard, and are working so hard every day, in preparing themselves to get to this season, so certainly we aren't seeing anything other than guys coming out and working their behinds off.
Q: When I talked with Dion Thompson earlier, he said that he thinks that guys may even be working harder, listening even more to try to fix what is wrong. Do you think that is the case?
Yes. These guys are intent on being a great football team. They want to know what they are doing wrong, what they can do to get better, what we can do to get better as a team, and it's a two-fold thing. We as coaches have to become better coaches and the guys, as players, have to become better players. And that is what we are striving to do, because we know what is ahead of us. Q: Is facing a guy like Corey Newton [a former Ram] a little extra motivation in terms of this game, especially on special teams?
I doubt it very seriously. He was a guy who helped us for a year, and we thought he could become an excellent punter and at the same time, we are going to treat him like we treat any other punter. If we decide to go try to block it, depending on how slowly he gets it off, then we are going to go get it. If not, then we will let them kick it and let Brandon Hussey [the Rams All-American kick returner] put it in his hands and return it.
Q: Can you compare this Tusculum team [as the Rams and Pioneers have never met] to any other team that you have played against? Maybe Virginia State from a few years ago when they liked to throw the ball?
Yeah, there are a lot of similarities to Carson-Newman, not as far as the running game, but to the amount of talent and the talent of their skilled positions. They are a very good skilled position team. But at the same time, they take me back to those old Virginia State teams in their ability to throw the football around.
Q: Injury-wise you guys are pretty healthy?
We had a few guys a little banged up, and we have got to get them healthy, but our training staff is really helping us out in that regard, and I think that this week we have most of them back and ready to go.
Q: How about running back Martin Hicks?
Martin has been a little slow. You know, we are hoping that we can get him back to 100% as that is a spot that we need. He was not himself last Saturday, so we didn't play him very much. We gave him a couple of opportunities to run the football, but he had some issues with his ankle, so we decided to hold him and try to get him healthy after that point, for this weeks game.
Q: How about the transfer from NC A&T, the Scrivens kid, is he going to be all set paper-work wise to go?
That is something that we are just going to have to play by ear. At this point, we feel that we have some backs in our stable that we can go to. Ricky Covington is one that hasn't played a lot, Tionti Powell he is going to be a good one. We have to prepare guys, and get them ready.
Q: I see from the depth chart that Bennie Barbour is going to get the start, as a true freshman, has he earned that one? I know he has seen some significant playing time, but now he is starting.
Yeah, Bennie, I thought, had a real good camp. He was one of the freshman that we expected to come in and help us. We didn't think that it would be this soon, but Keith Newton went down with a minor injury, and now, we have got to make that change there.
The Rams will face the Tusculum College Pioneers at Bowman-Gray Stadium on September 11th, 2004 at 6:00 pm. It is civil servant/military appreciation night, and all tickets are $8.00 with a valid ID.
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