Bison Shut Out By Winston-Salem State

Winston-Salem, NC-October 7-After a 28-point, second half explosion in last week's win over Fort Valley State University, the Howard University football team took a step backwards and suffered a disappointing 12-0 loss to Winston-Salem in a non-conference game at Bowman Gray Stadium before 15, 991.

            The Bison (1-4) managed a season-low 182 yards of total offense and turned the ball over three times, one of which proved to be damaging.  The Rams (2-4) did little themselves against the Howard defense, but they made two plays that proved to be just enough in this game.

            "Today, they (Winston-Salem State) did a great job on defense and they refused to give anything up," said Howard head coach Ray Petty.  "We also helped with poor execution."

            Winston-Salem State got its first score when wide receiver Josh Crawford got behind the Bison secondary and hauled in a 37-yard pass from Monte Purvis on the first play of the second quarter.  Marvin Umanzor failed on the conversion, but the Rams led, 6-0.

            The score held up despite several scoring opportunities by Winston-Salem State.  The Howard defense stood tall on each of the Rams' penetration and Coach Petty felt good coming out in the second half.

            "We felt pretty good," said Petty.  "We didn't feel that there was any need for adjustments."

            Howard was able to put together its best drive of the game, using 15 plays to go 63 yards in a little over five minutes.  But again, it was another missed opportunity as the Bison turned the ball over on an interception.

            Still, the Howard defense came up with stops, giving the offense another chance.  The Bison squandered it, turning the ball over on a fumble that Corey Swinnie returned 35 yards for what for all intents-and-purposes, was the nail in the coffin.

            "We could've overcome most of the mistakes, but the fumble was too big," lamented Petty.  "Defensively, we played great but couldn't capitalize on any chances."

GAME NOTES: It marked the second time that the Bison have been shut out in the past nine games...the last time was October 15 in a 7-0 loss to North Carolina A&T...Howard failed to score in the first half for the third time in five games...the Rams held a whopping 36-23 advantage in the time of possession battle...the loss overshadowed a stout performance by the defense, led by linebackers Danual Pearce (10 tackles), Robert Dowdy (8 tackles, an interception) and Timothy Lockett (7 tackles), defensive linemen Edwin Piner (6 tackles) and Rudy Hardie (4 tackles, 2.5 for losses) and defensive backs Randell Means (7 tackles) and Thomas Claiborn (5 tackles, an interception).

NEXT UP:  Howard hosts Morgan State for homecoming next Saturday at 1 pm in Greene Stadium.