Boxscore

DURHAM, N.C. - Saint Augustine's College showed everyone that last year wasn't a fluke.

Winston-Salem State entered Saturday's (Oct. 8) CIAA Southern Division football contest at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium looking for revenge against the Falcons, who beat the Rams in stunning fashion last season. The Rams (6-0, 5-0 CIAA) ended up escaping with a 35-28 win to barely preserve their unbeaten record and national ranking.

The determined Falcons (2-4, 1-3 CIAA) nearly pulled off their second straight upset over the Rams. Led by the passing of Teddy Bacote (R-So/Hampton, Va.), the receiving of Jamian Smith (Sr./Kenansville, N.C.) and an opportunistic defense, the Falcons went toe-to-toe with the favored Rams, ranked 16th nationally in the AFCA Coaches Poll.

Their passing game exploited the Rams secondary. Bacote shredded the Rams for a modern school record 464 yards on 38 of 65 passing including four touchdown passes as the Falcons passed 66 times compared to 15 rushes. Ironically, Smith did not score a touchdown, but still had the game of a lifetime. He not only broke the modern school record for career receptions, but Smith set a modern school mark for single-game receptions with 16. His 152 receiving yards were four shy of tying the school single-game record for receiving yards.

Smith was part of a receiving corps which had their way with the Rams. Jermaine Jones (R-Soph/Wilmington, N.C.) caught six passes for 137 yards including a 64-yard touchdown pass from Bacote on the game's first play. His score and Michael Lima's (R-Fr./Miami, Fla) extra point put the Falcons ahead 7-0, the first time the Rams trailed this season. The touchdown brought back memories of last year, when the Falcons jumped out to a 30-7 lead. It also put a scare into the Rams, who entered the game intent on making the Falcons pay for last season.

The Rams did recover to take a 21-7 lead in the first quarter. But just when the Rams thought the game would be a blowout like several of their previous wins, the Falcons struck back. Brian Jones (R-Soph./Warner Robins, Ga.) picked off a pass in the end zone to prevent another Rams score, then the Falcons proceeded to score 14 straight points. Bacote found a wide-open Brian Richards (R-Soph./Waldorf, Md.) for a 39-yard scoring pass and later connected with Tyron Laughinghouse (R-Jr./Greenville, N.C.) for an 11-yard touchdown pass. The Falcons tied the game on Bacote's two-point conversion pass to Richards with 1:19 left before halftime to tie the game at 21-21. Richards had a good day, catching eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.

The Rams were really reeling after the Falcons recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Laughinghouse, who finished with four catches for 72 yards, went high to grab a long pass at the Rams 1. His catch put the Falcons in prime position to lead at halftime, but Bacote tossed the first of two interceptions in the end zone and the score remained tied 21-21 at halftime.

The score stayed that way until late in the third quarter. Kameron Smith, who completed 13-of-26 passes for 267 yards, tossed a short pass to CIAA rushing leader Nicolas Cooper and Cooper rambled 40 yards to the end zone for a 28-21 Rams lead. The Falcons threatened to tie the contest again after driving to the Rams red zone, but Bacote's pass was intercepted near the end zone.

The Rams pushed their lead to 14 points with 6:09 in the fourth quarter. Smith hit Tehvyn Brantley for an 18-yard touchdown pass to make the score 35-21 Rams. The Falcons stormed right back, scoring on a Bacote touchdown pass to Laughinghouse covering 19 yards to pull within 35-28 with 1:33 left.

The Falcons had one final shot. A Falcons player pounced on an onside kick after the ball slipped through the fingertips of a Rams player. But the ball squirted loose from the Falcons player, and the Rams recovered. The Rams ran out to clock to gain a tough win.

Defensively, the Falcons allowed 405 yards but made big plays at key moments. They also held Cooper, the nation's third leading Division II rusher with a 161.60 average, to a season-low 87 yards on 22 carries. Cooper rushed for over 200 yards in his last two contests.

Shonquez Nelson (Soph./Lake City, S.C.) led the Falcons with 11 tackles followed by Derrick Manning (Jr./Waldorf, Md.) and Chaz Robinson (Soph./Hampton, Va.) with nine each. Javarous Faulk (Soph./Macon, Ga.) had two sacks, including one which caused a fumble that Joe Reed (Jr./Anderson, S.C.) recovered and led to Laughinghouse's first score. Carlton Butts (Fr./Thomasville, Ga.) of  Falcons intercepted a pass.

Alton Keaton of the Rams led all tacklers with 14 and Carlos Fields added 10.

The Falcons step out of conference next Saturday (Oct. 15) to visit West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga. Game time is 2 p.m.