Football

Howard vs. Winston-Salem St. game notes 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Saturday's football contest is a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference match-up between the Rams of Winston-Salem State University and the Bison of Howard University. WSSU (2-2) is coming off a 20-7 road loss to South Carolina State this past Saturday while Howard (0-3 overall, 0-2 in the MEAC) is still looking for its first win of the season after dropping a 38-15 road decision to Eastern Michigan last Saturday. Although WSSU is officially a member of the conference, its games against conference opponents will not count against the standings until 2010.

THE COACHES: WSSU is coached by Kermit Blount (WSSU, ‘80), who is in his15th season and has an 83-66-3 record to date there. Blount served as an assistant coach at Howard from 1984-88. Howard University is coached by Carey Bailey, who is in his first season after serving as defensive line coach at the University of Minnesota. Bailey has paid his dues after stints at Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Middle Tennessee State, Louisiana Lafayette and VMI as an assistant coach.

THE SERIES: The Rams posted a 12-0 shutout over the Bison last year in Winston-Salem, NC that snapped a three-game losing streak to Howard, which leads the series, 3-2.

YEAR          WSSU          HOWARD
1985           12                 7
1986           7                   36
1993           10                 31
2005           6                   20
2006           12                 0

KEY PLAYERS:

Winston-Salem State University

Offensively, the Rams are led by senior QB MONTE PURVIS (34 of 63, 335 yards, 3 TDs, 2 interceptions; 65 carries, 234 yards, 4 TDs), red-shirt senior RB JED BINES (50 carries, 360 yards), red-shirt sophomore TB BRANDON MCRAE (24carries, 112 yards, 2 TDs), red-shirt sophomore WR BRYANT BAYNE (11 receptions, 106 yards, 2 TDs) and sophomore WR BRENT THOMAS (5 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD). Defensively, WSSU is led by senior LB THADDEUS GRIFFIN (16 solos, 25 assists, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack, 2 interceptions), senior FS NATHANIEL BIGGS (15 solos, 17 assists), red-shirt senior DE MICHAEL MOORE (14 solos, 6.0 tackles for losses) and red-shirt sophomore LB CHEDRICK MARSHALL (7 solos, 8 assists, 5.0 tackles for losses, a sack), senior DE WILLIAM HAYES (15 solos, 15 assists, 4 tackles for losses) and red-shirt sophomore SS MARCUS COATES (14 solos, 14 assists, 2 tackles for losses.

RAMS HORNS: Bines is averaging over 7 yards per carry...Purvis leads the team in passing, total offense and scoring...the Rams are committing 9 penalties per game...WSSU is outscoring its opponents in every quarter except the fourth...the Rams have converted on only 14 of 50 third down conversions...Rams' offensive coordinator Nick Calcutta is also no stranger to Howard as he served two stints as offensive line coach, most recently last season...McRae played his prep ball at CH Flowers High School, the same school that Bison WR Larry Duncan and safety Lawrence Hellams attended...McRae joins DB Richard Marcellus, FS Brandon Dow, SS Marcus Coates, DE William Wall, LB Jeremy Reaves as Washington, DC natives who will be playing at home.

KEY PLAYERS:

Howard

Offensively, Howard is led by senior QB BRIAN JOHNSON (53 of 85, 537 yards, 6 TD; 49 carries, 236 yards), junior TB KARLOS WHITTAKER (31 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD), senior WRs JARAHN WILLIAMS (19 receptions, 198 yards, 4 TDs) and LARRY DUNCAN (11 receptions, 104 yards) and junior WR ARLANDUS HOOD (10 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD). Defensively, the Bison are led by senior All-American DE RUDY HARDIE (6 solos, 3 assists, 3.0 tackles for losses), senior S RANDELL MEANS (9 solos, 18 assists, 2.5 tackles for a loss), red-shirt sophomore LB ROBERT PARKER (6 solos, 9 pass breakups), senior LB ROBERT DOWDY (11 solos, 14 assists, 2 tackles for a loss), junior LB ENDOR COOPER (15 solos, 15 assists, 4.0 tackles for a loss), junior CB RICKEY JACKSON (6 solos, 8 assists), senior DE JARRETT BURGESS (13 tackles, 1 for a loss) and senior CB THOMAS CLAIBORN (7 tackles, 2 pass breakups in two games).

BISON HOOVES: The Bison have been outscored, 26-3 in the second quarter this season...Leonard Moore is averaging almost 25 yards per kick return...Howard has yet to record a sack or an interception this season...the defense is surrendering 234 yards per game through the air and 9 TDs...Moore made his debut last week as running back and responded with 46 yards on 7 carries...the Bison defense is allowing its opponents over 6 yard per offensive play...WR Brandon Sherman hails from Winston-Salem, NC, having prepped at Parkland HS...Howard has topped 400 yards of total offense twice this season (vs Hampton and Eastern Michigan)...next Saturday's game will be Youth Day as all church, boys and girls clubs and other groups will be admitted free...the Bison are the least penalized team in the MEAC and lead in third down conversion (44 percent).