Game Notes
SALISBURY, NC – Livingstone heads north on Saturday still looking for its first victory of the season to face the Rams of Winston-Salem State University at Bowman Gray Stadium.
OFFENSE
Levon Stanley looks to be the quarterback for the Blue Bears going into the home stretch of the season as he has played most of the last three contests. Stanley has averaged 37.2 yards passing this season while Curtis Edens has averaged 42.7 yards, but has played sparingly the last two weeks. Last week against West Virginia Wesleyan, Stanley completed nine passes for 63 yards and also threw two interceptions.
The ground game for the Blue Bears has still struggled to get going in 2010. Jamel Moore and Terrill Gourdine have been the top two producers, as they have averaged 10.9 and 10.8 yards per game rushing respectively through seven games this season.
The receiving core for Livingstone has been anchored by sophomore Omar McFadden and freshman Anthony Holland. McFadden has averaged 24.2 yards receiving per game with one touchdown while Holland has averaged 30.9 yards per contest. Last week against the Bobcats, McFadden caught six passes for 43 yards while Holland hauled in one catch for 14 yards.
DEFENSE
Defensively, the Blue Bears are right in the middle of the pack overall in the CIAA as they are ranked sixth in total defense, allowing just over 327 yards per contest. In the passing game, however, Livingstone is first in the conference allowing 153.4 yards per game through the air.
Junior linebacker Bryan Aycoth has been the leader of the defense through seven games this season. Aycoth has averged 6.3 tackles per contest and has also recorded 10 tackles for a loss of yards. Devonta Harmon and Shawntez Jones have also been key to the defense. Harmon has averaged 5.6 tackles while Jones has recorded 5.3 tackles per contest and 9.5 tackles for loss.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Dewayne Smith and Jamel Moore continue to be the primary return men for the Blue Bears, but freshman Franklin Evans has emerged recently as another big return threat. Against West Virginia Wesleyan, Evans returned five kicks for an average of 23.4 yards per return with a long of 37 yards.
WINSTON-SALEM STATE
Winston-Salem State is coming off its first loss of the season last week to St. Augustine's and will be looking to get back on track. The offense for the Rams is the top-ranked offense in the CIAA as they average 37.9 points per game and 413.3 yards of total offense per contest. Kameron Smith has been the primary quarterback for the Rams as he has thrown for 16 touchdowns and an average of 160 yards per game. Nicholas Cooper is the leading rusher for Winston-Salem as he has averaged just shy of 100 yards per game on the ground through seven contests with 10 total touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball the Rams are the second-ranked team in terms of total defense as they allow only 245 yards of offense per game. Alton Keaton and Juan Corders are the top two defenders for Winston recording 44 and 42 total tackles respectively. Winston is also the top team in the CIAA in total sacks, averaging 3.14 sacks per game.
THE SERIES
The Blue Bears and Rams have met 45 times previously and Winston-Salem holds a 32-12-1 record all-time over the Blue Bears. The last victory for the Blue Bears came in 1997.
THE LAST MEETING
The two teams last met in 2005 before the Rams left the CIAA at Alumni Memorial Stadium. The Rams dominated Livingstone in the first half, grabbing a 35-0 lead before the break. The Blue Bears scored the first 14 points of the second half and held the Rams to only seven points in the second half, but fell 42-14.
GAME UPDATES
Fans can follow live live updates at www.twitter.com/lcbluebears.
RADIO
The game between the Blue Bears and Rams will be carried live on WSAT Radio AM 1280. Pregame with Wilson Cherry will start at 5:40 p.m.
WEATHER FORECAST
High temperatures will reach only into the low 70s on Saturday in Winston-Salem. Skies will be clear and temperatures should be in the upper 60s at game time.
GAME RECAPS
A full game recap with statistics will be available online at www.bluebearathletics.com following the contest.
