Oct. 27, 2004

WSSU (3-6, 3-3 CIAA) Vs. St. Augustine's (4-5, 3-3 CIAA)
Sanderson High School Stadium
Raleigh, NC at 1:30 pm

Rams vs. Falcons...The matchup between the Rams and Falcons marks the tenth and final game for both teams in 2004. SAC enters the contest with an 3-3 CIAA record and a 4-5 mark overall. They are coming into the game riding a one-game losing streak that dates back to October 23rd of this season. Last weekend the Falcons were defeated by the two-time defending CIAA Champion Broncos of Fayetteville State University by the score of 38-14. The Rams are entering the contest sporting their worst record in recent history (since 1996's 2-7 start) as they are 3-6 overall and 3-3 in the CIAA. WSSU lost a heartbreaking 35-33 decision two weekends ago to N.C. Central at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium on an extra play after time had expired (defensive penalty). However, this weekend WSSU looks to extend their win streak to two games as they face SAC following a 31-20 WSSU victory over Johnson C. Smith last Saturday evening in Charlotte.

The Series...The Rams will return to action this Saturday, October 30th, 2004 as they will will play the third of three consecutive road games to close out the 2004 football season. The Rams are 1-0 since 1966 versus SAC and have not lost to SAC since the 1965 season. WSSU has posted an all-time mark versus Saint Augustine's College of 8-10-1 (since 1946).

Fun Facts and Numbers...The largest WSSU win over SAC was by 52 points, a 52-0 victory that came during the 1960 season. The largest Saint Augustine's win was by 26 points, by the score of 26-0 during the 1958 season. WSSU's longest win streak versus the Falcons is two games, twice. Most recenlty from 1960 to 1961 while the Falcons' streak of wins tops out at five straight games most recently from the 1949 season until the 1954 season. Current WSSU head coach Kermit Blount has posted a 1-0 record versus Saint Augustine's since taking over as head coach in 1993 as last season was the first time he has faced the Falcons.

The Last Meeting In Brief...The last meeting between the two teams came during the 2003 season with the Rams earning the win by the score of 54-19 in Winston-Salem, NC on November 8th, 2003. In that contest, the Rams dismantled the Falcons with 589 yards of total offense en route to the easy victory that saw running backs Martin Hicks and Jed Bines each have at least 100 yards rushing.

TV Coverage...There is no television coverage for this contest versus the Falcons of St. Augustine's College. Had the Rams qualified for the CIAA Championship game on November 6th, they would have appeared on TV again this year.

Radio Coverage...This weekend's contest will be available to listeners in the greater Winston-Salem area on WSNC, FM 90.5 with George Croom, Al Roseboro, Ted Fichiolas and Sam Harley calling all the action as well as nationally on the internet at www.wssu.edu by clicking on the link: "Listen to WSNC."

Quotes From Head Coach Kermit Blount
Talk about what you have to do versus Saint Augustine's to get the win.
They have a lot of team speed. Being a track and field powerhouse, we know what they will have in terms of team speed. And we know that they can score. It was a pretty high scoring game last year between them and us, and that was our first time playing Saint Augustine's, ever, to my knowledge. So I expect to seem their team come out this year, being at home, and play a whole lot better than they played last year against us. We are going to line down and play hard, and I know they are going to because they want to end the season on a good note. We are going to go out and try to play the best that we can.

Brandon's [Hussey] injury, is he practicing this week?
He has not practiced this week yet, but he may practice today. Hopefully he will, but if he can't go, we will just hold him. Obviously, at this point, I don't want to see a kid push it and possibly do more damage to it.

Is that the same with Tony [Robinson]? I heard that he practiced yesterday, is that misinformation?
No, he did not practice yesterday. And there have been some issues with that, and he will not travel or dress this weekend.

Is everyone else okay?
Jed Bines. He was in a car accident on Saturday, so I don't think, in my mind, that he is going to be ready to play. I'm not going to push him to play.

Is it serious? Is he okay?
Just some bumps and bruises, and he has some stitches in his leg, and from what I know, the accident could have been far worse, and we are just glad that, as a person, not as a football player, that he is okay. It was a tough accident, and I am not really worried about whether he will play or not, but I am just concerned with his overall health. I just want him to be healthy.

It was Saturday night?
Yeah, after the ball game when we got back. He was driving home.

There was no alcohol involved or anything like that, right?
No, not at all. We don't worry about anything like that with Jed, or any of our guys. It was just that he was reaching down to get a CD or something like that, and the car veered and he tried to brake and hit the gas, and was involved in what was a serious, but could have been more serious, accident.

But he is ok, hopefully?
Yeah, that is what we as a staff and a team were concerned about. I got a call early Sunday morning, and I got out of bed and I went to his house, and he was a little groggy, but was able to talk and all that, and he was ok, a little banged up, but ok. He is a tough young man.

So he hasn't practiced then, safe to say.
No, he hasn't. We aren't even going to try to do that and push him. I'm honestly not concerned whether he plays or not, I am just concerned that he heals up completely.

Well, I guess Martin [Hicks] will have to carry the load, eh?
Yeah. [laughs]. I have been joking with Martin all week, saying that he might be able to get the carries to get his numbers up over Jed's now that it is all on him. But I think that the part that Martin is concerned about is that he and Jed finish one and two in rushing in the conference and that has to be a little disappointing for Jed, but the possibility is still out there, as the guy who is behind them is probably about 90-yards behind them. It all depends on NCCU as they have to play Virginia State. Hopefully Faison [Coach Faison, VSU Head Coach] will clamp the defense down on Central and lock it up for us.

Josh and the seniors, they are playing their final game. Is it important to send them out with a win?
Oh yeah. It is been tough, a tough season for Josh, and the seniors. It has been tough for everyone. You never want to see guys end a career like that, but then again, these guys have been good players in the program and they have been instrumental in getting the program to where it is.

Do you try to get Josh the record [all-time career passing yardage record]?
No. If it happens, it happens, but we are going to play to win the ball game. And I think that is more important to Josh than anything. He would trade anything he has individually for a win, that I know, that is what type of young man that Josh is. I would love to see him get it, and we may have to have to throw it more, as I am anticipating not having Jed Bines in the lineup, but I am just going to see how it goes.

It was an exciting win, and an exciting ballgame last week, and most people didn't know that you can throw out the records in the CIAA like that, even against a winless team. How did you prepare your team to play against a team like that, in that they were winless?
0-8 [as JCSU was] and 2-6 [as WSSU was] is not too much of a difference. We approached it the same way. We tried to sell our team on the fact that we could not look past anyone. The first half was a learning experience and they decided that we really needed to play in the second half and we played well enough to win the ball game.

This Saint Augustine's team is well coached, and will throw the football, and they will be quick and fast, and will test your cornerbacks. What can you do to stop them?
We are going to have to neutralize their team speed by putting pressure on the quarterback and we have to control the flow of the game with our running game. Hang on to the ball, not turn it over, and don't give up the big play.

How do you, defensively, approach this game in terms of what must be done to win, even with teams knowing that you will run the ball the majority of the time. Do we continue with the high percentage of runs versus passes?
We will let the game and game situations dictate what we are going to do. It's like a boxing match. The first two rounds we are going to feel them out, and after that change to what is working. And the key to the defense is to not give up the big play.

The injury situation. Are you guys okay, even without Jed Bines who was injured in a car accident?
Hicks has been banged up all year, and he always plays with pain, and has all season, so we are not too concerned about him. Hussey I am concerned about as he hasn't practiced all week. But I am fairly sure he will be ready, but if he isn't I won't push the issue. And of course, we anticipate not having Jed Bines who is recovering from that car wreck. With all these guys, their overall health is our ultimate concern, not whether they can play or not.