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Still Time: WSSU's debut in MEAC is two seasons away
Journal photo by Traci White
Coach Kermit Blount (right) signed kicker Adnan Kljajic late.
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Published: August 22, 2008
Updated: 08/22/2008 12:01 am
For the most part, Winston-Salem State's trek toward full membership in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has been smooth.
The Rams, who will be playing their third season in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), are 6-8 the past two years against MEAC opponents.
They won't be eligible for the conference title until 2010 so they have two more seasons to prepare for that challenge.
The Rams will be much younger this season, but Coach Kermit Blount's expectations haven't changed.
"I just expect us to compete hard," Blount said, "and I expect my coaches to have the team prepared to play."
There are holes to fill on offense, starting at quarterback. Monte Purvis, a three-year starter, graduated, and a fierce battle for the starting job has been waged in the preseason.
Of the four candidates, Brian Wynn, a redshirt sophomore from Greensboro, had the upper hand early in training camp. Jarrett Dunston, who was the backup to Purvis last season, and freshmen Branden Williams and Tienne Jefferson are also in the mix.
It's likely that Blount won't name a starter until a few days before the Sept. 6 opener at N.C. A&T. Blount said that one of the problems with having four players going for the same job is that sometimes they have tried too hard.
"My point to them the other day was just have fun and play football," Blount said. "I think they were overly trying to impress me and Coach (Nick) Calcutta with what they can do."
"They are going at it so hard they tend to make mistakes because they are pressing so much."
Blount's goal is to find the best quarterback, regardless of how long he has been in the program.
"That's the biggest key, making sure we can get some consistency at quarterback," Blount said.
The Rams also must replace running back Jed Bines, who accumulated 3,600 yards in his career (fourth-best in school history). Purvis and Bines accounted for 25 of the 32 touchdowns the Rams scored last season.
Brandon McRae, who missed six games last season with a broken wrist, will be one of Bines' replacements. McRae, senior Rod Fluellen (553 rushing yards last season with three touchdowns) and redshirt freshman Nic Cooper give Blount some options at tailback.
"It might seem crazy, but I'm not looking for any more than about two losses," Fluellen said. "With the offense we have, I think we can produce a lot of points, and with our defense, we did lose a few people, but we have guys that can play on that side of the ball."
The only loss on the offensive line was Lonnie Teasley, and four starters (Michael Helton, Joe Blanks, Nazir Levine and Bennie Barbour) return. Sophomore Thurman McDonald, who is 6-5 and 335 pounds, will move into the starting lineup.
There's not a lot of depth on the offensive line so staying healthy is a big key for the Rams.
In WSSU's spread offense, the wide receivers must be consistent. That group is led by sophomore Omar Kizzie. Seniors Brent Thomas, Bryant Bayne and Justin Sherrod add experience, and freshman Dominique Fitzgerald, from Danville, Va., has been impressive in practice.
"Fitzgerald can flat out play," Blount said.
The Rams lost placekicker Matt Mitchell last spring when he left school. But Blount was able to add a late signee in Adnan Kljajic, a junior-college player from Bosnia who played last season at Phoenix Community College.
On defense, the Rams lost six starters with the most notable losses coming on the line. End William Hayes (8.5 sacks last season) was a fourth-round draft pick by the Tennessee Titans, and two other starters also exhausted their eligibility.
Only Kevin Dorsey and Quentin Jones are back from last season.
"That will be a tremendous deal here in camp, to find out who is going to emerge on that defensive line," coordinator Mike Ketchum said, "because there are only two guys with experience."
Redshirt freshman Travis Taylor along with freshmen Steven Young, Akiem Smart and Akeem Ward have showed promise. Blount likes to redshirt incoming freshmen, but Young, Smart and Ward will likely play this season.
Coordinator Mike Ketchum's goal this preseason has been to find a leader.
"Really, all the leaders we had for the last three years are gone," Ketchum said. "Now, we've had some young guys who have come along and are good players, but they've never had to be a leader. You have to switch roles a little bit to become a leader, and that's sometimes a difficult task."
The secondary has experience with safety David Irizarry (also the team's punt returner), Alex Chandler and DeRon Middleton, a three-year starter.
At linebacker, Juan Corders, Chedrick Marshall and Marcus Coates played a lot last season.
Blount, who is in his 16th season at his alma mater and is 87-69-3, needs three wins to pass Bill Hayes and become the school's all-time leader in victories. Hayes is now the athletics director at Florida A&M.
"If we can kind of mix those young guys with some of our older guys I think we'll be OK," Blount said.
"Realistically, we weren't trying to surprise anybody last year … We just want to continue to compete as we continue this transition in Division I."
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