WSSU Football Notebook: Dunston reclaims starting role as Rams QB

■ Jarrett Dunston has held off the young guns to win the starting quarterback spot.

Dunston, a senior who started every game last year, was being pushed by redshirt freshman Branden Williams and freshman Jordan Reid.

"Going into the season I had the mindset that this is my senior year and I wanted to be the starter," Dunston said. "We didn't have such a good season last year so I stayed here all summer working out and working with my teammates."

Both Williams (hamstring) and Reid (ankle) have been bothered by injuries that have forced them to miss plenty of practice time. Jean Julmiste, a junior-college transfer who is a walk-on, will be Dunston's backup for the A&T game on Saturday.

Julmiste, who is 6-3 and 190 pounds and not even listed on the Rams' roster, played wide receiver at Dodge City Community College for two seasons.

Julmiste showed up before preseason camp and was given a chance to walk on to the team. He was a former high-school teammate of David Irizarry, who exhausted his eligibility after last season.

Offensive coordinator Alan Hall said that Dunston has done everything possible to keep his place on the team.

"Since I got here in April I thought he showed great strides in the spring," Hall said. "He has really put things to work over the summer and during preseason camp. He stayed here in the summer, and that really showed me something."

■ One of the freshman starters for the Rams on Saturday will be kicker Landen Thayer, a former player at West Forsyth. Coach Kermit Blount said he has been very pleased with Thayer, who will handle kickoffs, place-kicking and punting.

"Having Landon Thayer doing all the kicking is a big key for us, and for a freshman he's a very level-headed kid," Blount said. "I think he's going to be the key to bring our team together. It's huge for a kicker or a punter to be that effective, so when you have a good kicking game it means a lot."

Blount said it is likely that Thayer will be a little nervous in his first college game.

"I hope we kick off first so he can get out those early nerves right away," Blount said.

■ Defensive end Stephen Young enjoyed an outstanding freshman season a year ago by leading the Rams with five sacks. With the entire defensive line back from last season, Young is predicting big things.

"We all had good offseasons," Young said. "There were some questions about our interior but Akeem (Ward) has gained weight and Kevin Dorsey is back on the inside, so we'll be better overall."

Young, who also had three fumble recoveries and was in on 41 tackles, said that despite being thin on the defensive line the Rams are talented.

"We just work hard as a unit, and even though we are thin, we will make up for it with our quality of play," Young said.

■ It's been a long time since Tienne Jefferson played free safety but that's where he will play this season. Jefferson, a redshirt sophomore from Washington, D.C., spent his first two seasons at WSSU as a quarterback.

"It's working out," said Jefferson, who will wear No. 22 this season. "It's pretty fun being on defense, so I like it. I just have to get my footwork back because I hadn't played free safety since I was in high school."

Jefferson said he doesn't mind making the switch, especially since he's earned a spot as a starter.

"I like quarterback, but whatever helps the team, that's what I want to do," Jefferson said. "It's all contact, so it doesn't matter if it's offense or defense."

■ It was no mystery why the Rams went 3-8 last season. They had 25 turnovers, which was way too many.

Blount said that one of the points of emphasis this preseason was cutting down on mistakes. The Rams held their final scrimmage Saturday morning.

"It was a really good scrimmage, probably our best one," Blount said. "The offense scored a few times and the defense held its own on several occasions, so we feel really good right now."

Blount said that the offense has been doing a lot better at holding onto the football.

"We didn't have those mistakes at this time of year with offsides and turnovers," Blount said.