WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Saint Augustine's College pulled off possibly its biggest win since restarting football in 2002 with a 40-35 victory over nationally-ranked and previously unbeaten Winston-Salem State on Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium.
CIAA rushing leader Walter Sanders (Sr./Baltimore, Md.) rushed for 121 yards and scored two touchdowns on 34 carries and the Falcons (5-1 overall, 4-0 CIAA) forced six turnovers to gain first place in the CIAA's Southern Division. The win was also the first in five tries against the Rams since 2002, and extended their current winning streak to four games
The Rams (6-1, 4-1 CIAA) entered the contest unbeaten and looking unbeatable. They were ranked 17th nationally in Division II and ranked first in several league categories but none of that mattered to the Falcons, who have scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games.
“It is a good feeling for the young guys because they put in the work,” Falcon Head Coach Michael Costa said. “It is a great feeling for my coaches. They did a heck of a job preparing. This was it. This was like a championship game. Now that we got though this we have a chance to go on (to the CIAA championship game).”
The Rams' Kameron Smith was one of the hottest quarterbacks in the CIAA coming into the game, having thrown 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions. But the Falcons, aggressive from the outset, capitalized on five first-half turnovers to take a 30-7 halftime lead. Linebacker Steven Stanback (Sr./Temple Hills, Md.) led the way with two interceptions and a fumble recovery to go along with 10 tackles. Linebacker Mark Hall (Sr./Suitland, Md.) added seven tackles.
“(The Rams) offense was very formatic,” Costa said. “They kept doing the same things over and over. The kids saw it on film and they bought in to what we were trying to do.”
The first interception occurred on the game's first play when Jamil Berry (Jr./Fayetteville, Ga.) picked off a Smith pass in Ram territory to set up the first score of the game. The Ram turnover led to a 34-yard touchdown run by Sanders for an early 7-0 Falcon lead with a little over three minutes elapsed in the first half.
The Rams wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. They finished off the ensuing drive on a five-yard pass from Smith to Cedric Hickman to tie the score at 7-7. The Falcons surged back ahead 14-7 on the following drive when Joaquin Green (Redshirt Soph./Pittsboro, N.C.) connected with Jermaine Jones (Fr./Wilmington, N.C.) on a 68-yard scoring bomb.
The Rams threatened again deep in Falcon territory but Steven Stanback (Sr./Temple Hills, Md.) picked off a pass to thwart the drive. The Falcons took advantage of the turnover with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Green to Tyron Laughinghouse (Soph./Greenville, N.C.) which pushed the Falcons' lead to 21-7 in the second quarter.
The Falcons weren't through yet. Alexander Tucker (Fr./Union, S.C.) kicked a 46-yard field goal which set a modern school record to extend the lead to 24-7. After another Stanback interception, the Falcons scored with eight seconds left before halftime on Jones' second touchdown catch, this time for 19 yards from Teddy Bacote (Redshirt Fr./Hampton, Va.), who took over at quarterback for an injured Green midway in the second quarter.
The Falcons picked right up where they left off in the second half. Sanders capped the opening drive of the third quarter with a 25-yard run to make the score 37-7. After the Falcons had scored 30 consecutive points, the Rams finally scored late in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 37-14. Smith tossed a five-yard pass to Brian Wynn on a rollout.
But the Rams were penalized on an attempted onside kick, giving the Falcons short field position. The Falcons failed to score for one of the few times, but they burned more clock to make the comeback that much more difficult for the Rams.
The Rams still managed to tack on another touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Nicolas Cooper scored on a short run to pull the Rams within 37-21. But just when momentum appeared to turn in the Rams' favor, defensive lineman Romeo Deloatch (Fr./Hampton, Va.) intercepted a tipped pass in Falcon territory. It was the Rams sixth turnover.
The Rams kept clawing away down the stretch. Smith hit Dominique Fitzgerald for a 51-yard touchdown pass. Smith passed to Tyrone Goldston for the two-point conversion to close the score to 37-29 with 6:45 left in the game.
The Falcons relied on Sanders to run out the clock as they moved the ball inside Ram territory. Tucker booted the game-clinching 42-yard field goal to push the score to 40-29 Falcons with 1:40 left.
The Rams scored with 36 seconds left on Smith's 14-yard pass to Tehvyn Brantley. The onside kick failed and the Falcons ran out the clock to seal the win.
“We came down to Winston and beat a team many considered to be an FCS team,” Costa said about the Rams, who returned to the CIAA this season after a four-year attempted move to Division I. “They are new to the CIAA. We welcomed them to the CIAA.”
