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There aren’t many benchmarks left from the glory days of Winston-Salem State football, except for a few long-standing streaks against CIAA opponents.
One of those winning streaks is against Livingstone.
The Rams have beaten the Blue Bears 18 straight times and will try to make it 19 on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury. At 0-4 and 0-2 in the CIAA, however, the Rams haven’t shown much life on offense, which doesn’t bode well for the streak.
“We have to score,” said Coach Robert Massey of the Rams. “We haven’t been in a game where we’ve been balanced between the run and the pass. We’ve either scored through the run or the pass, but never in the same game; so that’s the goal. The more we are balanced, the more we have a chance to get that first win of the season.”
Rams will play on Saturday after having last week's game cancelled by storm
The Blue Bears (1-4, 0-3) are in the same position as the Rams in that they haven’t had much go right this season.
Somebody has to win on Saturday, or so it would seem.
If the Rams have an advantage, it might be they are a little more healthy since their game last week at home against Lincoln (Pa.) was cancelled because of the storm that hit Winston-Salem last Friday. With a week off to rest injured players, Massey chose to take the positive look at not playing last Saturday.
“We had guys like (cornerback) Deiontae Jones and (linebacker Jasahn) Rankin get healthier because they probably couldn’t have played last week if we had a game,” Massey said of Jones, who has 20 tackles and an interception this season. Rankin is tied for the team lead in tackles with 22.
Massey is convinced the Rams can still make a run at the Southern Division title, but at this point it’s just about getting a win. The Rams haven’t been 0-5 since 2009, when they started 0-6 on their way to a 1-10 record.
The Rams also will play on the new artificial turf field of Alumni Stadium for the first time. The Blue Bears own their own 6,000-seat stadium on campus and were able to renovate the track that surrounds the stadium and also add blue artificial turf.
The entire project, which includes a new scoreboard, cost around $2.8 million, according to the Salisbury Post.
Here are three things to watch for.
Rams will play at Livingstone on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Freshman Jahmier Slade will start at quarterback and is faced with the task of leading an offense that’s averaging just under 12 points a game. The Rams are last in the CIAA in scoring, but if Slade can mix in his runs with a good, short passing game then they could find some success. The Rams are also one of the most penalized teams in the CIAA; it seems as if they always draw flags when they are driving on offense. The Rams have also had 15 turnovers (10 fumbles and five interceptions) and need to stay turnover free to have a chance at that elusive win.
Winston-Salem State quarterback Jahmier Slade will start Saturday at Livingstone.
Maybe the Rams won’t fall behind and feel compelled to start passing the ball. The Rams’ running backs corps Asa Barnes, Andrew Hayes and Jahtwan Stafford are all capable of moving the ball. The good news for the Rams is the Blue Bears give up an average of 221 yards a game on the ground or 4.7 yards per carry. Keeping the ball on the ground might be the best way for the Rams to win.
He's a transfer from Livingstone who will play against his old school on Saturday
The Blue Bears are averaging around 12 points a game but are allowing 35 points a game. In their three CIAA games, they’ve been blown out by Virginia Union (42-6), Virginia State (37-7) and the three-time defending league champions Bowie State (53-7). Freshman quarterback Silas Cruse has played the majority of the time for the Blue Bears. He’s 55 of 107 passing for 572 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions. While both teams are struggling on offense, it’s liable to be a low-scoring game, and this would favor the better defense.
Where: Alumni Memorial Stadium, Salisbury
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Winston-Salem State quarterback Jahmier Slade will start Saturday at Livingstone.
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