Quarterback Jarrett Dunston of Winston-Salem State didn't see his senior season unfolding the way it has.
The reeling Rams, 0-6 heading into Saturday's game at Bethune-Cookman, have had little pop in their offense all season. And Dunston and offensive coordinator Alan Hall have taken a lot of heat because of it.
"It has been hard," Dunston said. "With getting hurt early this season and with the record being how it is now, it's difficult. You just have to keep on moving."
Dunston has an injured passing shoulder and a sore left ankle, leftovers from the Rams' first two games. He has played through the pain, but the pain of losing has been worse.
"You have to have that mindset at the end of the day because it's doing something you love and that's playing football," Dunston said.
Hall, in his first season as WSSU's offensive coordinator, marvels at the way Dunston is holding up. Playing behind a young offensive line that starts three freshmen and two sophomores, Dunston has had to run for his life on obvious passing downs.
The spread offense that Hall installed hasn't had much impact. The offense averages just 9.5 points a game and has scored just 11 times (six touchdowns, five field goals) on 80 drives.
WSSU is on pace for its lowest scoring average in Coach Kermit Blount's 17 seasons (10.7 points in a 4-7 finish in 1996), but there was one silver lining last week at California Davis -- the Rams scored a season-high 14 points but lost 45-14.
"He's starting to come along," Hall said of Dunston. "But I feel bad for him because in his time here he's had like three or four different offensive coordinators."
Blount, a former WSSU quarterback, said that criticism for a lack of production will always fall on the quarterback.
"That's just how it always is," he said. "But I think Jarrett has withstood all of that and has continued to try to improve and get better. Eventually we are going to have that breakout game where the confidence will feed on down to the whole team."
Dunston, who transferred from Temple three years ago, said he hasn't heard much about the winless season from other students.
"They don't come up to me and say, ‘You guys suck' or anything like that," Dunston said. "I do get a few jokes thrown at me, but there are no hard feelings from the students or anything like that."
Dunston also is positive about the rest of the season.
"Looking at the rest of the schedule, we have a possibility of winning out, and that's what we are trying to do," Dunston said.
jdell@wsjournal.com.
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