College football: Rams stay hot at Livingstone
Published 4:52 am Sunday, October 20, 2024
Staff report
SALISBURY — Winston-Salem State football is the best it’s been in quite a while and proved it to Livingstone and 2,000 fans on Saturday evening at Alumni Memorial Stadium.
The Rams halted Livingstone’s three-game winning streak with a convincing 31-17 CIAA triumph and avenged losses to the Blue Bears in 2022 and 2023.
Winston-Salem State (6-2, 4-1) is head-coached by former Livingstone coach Robert Massey and owns the most victories its had in a season since the Rams were 6-4 in 2017.
The play that killed the Blue Bears was a combination of Livingstone bad luck and WSSU taking advantage of an opportunity. The Blue Bears trailed 17-10 in the third quarter and had a little momentum following a Jason Zapata field goal and a stop, but a pass was tipped and Dante Bowlding picked it off and turned it into a defensive touchdown for the Rams. That put the visitors up 24-10. They stayed in control after that and were able to use their stout running game to melt the clock.
WSSU’s two key men on offense, quarterback Daylin Lee and running back Trevon Hester, both reigning CIAA players of the week for their work against Shaw, had good encores. Lee threw for 182 yards. Hester had 87 rushing yards.
Lee had a rushing TD late in the game to push the Rams’ lead to 31-10. The Blue Bears (5-3, 3-2) made it 31-17 with a score in the final seconds.
Running back Mohamed Nyanamukenga has been Livingstone’s most consistent source of offense this season, but he was held to 12 yards on 12 carries by the Rams, including a short TD run. Former Salisbury standout JyMikaah Wells rushed for 24 yards on nine carries.
Livingstone was held to 64 rushing yards — 2 yards per carry. The Blue Bears moved the ball mostly on the arm of QB DeAngelo Austin. He threw a TD pass to Davontay Deloatch for a 7-all tie late in the first quarter. Winston-Salem State had scored first following an 83-yard kick return.
WSSU has a big home game coming up at Bowman Gray Stadium against J.C. Smith next week. Livingstone’s next game is at Shaw on Nov. 2.
