Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is riding momentum into another key Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Rams (2-1, 1-0 CIAA) are coming off a 51-14 dismantling of Lincoln, their most dominant scoring performance since 2018. Now comes Virginia State, a familiar foe with an familiar twist — the game counts in the CIAA standings for WSSU, but not for VSU, due to the league’s scheduling imbalance after the loss of Saint Augustine’s.
Head coach Robert Massey addressed that reality in his Sept. 16 press conference.
“This is the most important game of my coaching career, the most important game of their college football career,” he said. “It happens to be Virginia State. What we can control is how we prepare and how we play them Saturday.”
Offense Hitting Its Stride
The Rams are averaging 370.3 yards per game, powered by a run game that has grown more confident each week. Against Lincoln, they churned out 248 rushing yards, a stat Massey highlighted with pride.
“You’re running the ball, that opens up your passing game,” he said. “And it also eats the clock, so you can preserve your starters.”
Junior quarterback Daylin Lee has thrown for 618 yards and eight touchdowns through three games, completing nearly 59 percent of his passes. His top targets — Davontay Deloatch (174 yards, 2 TDs), Kaleb Washington (127 yards, 3 TDs), and Jayden Grimes (143 yards, 1 TD) — have given WSSU a true receiving corps. Grimes said the unit always believed in its explosiveness:
“We knew we had the potential to be very explosive and we just put it on display”.
On the ground, JaQuan Kelly leads with 209 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging nearly 70 yards per game. Transfers Timothy Ruff (126 yards) and Noah Marshall (83 yards) have added depth.
Defense and Special Teams Emphasis
Defensively, WSSU is allowing 344.3 yards per game while forcing four interceptions. Linebacker Evan Powell leads with 23 total tackles, while defensive back Chancellor Smith has 19 tackles and an interception.
But Massey insists there’s room for improvement.
“Special teams, our coverage team went well. Kicking game was not well,” he admitted. “Anytime you put that field goal team on the field, we expect points. That didn’t happen”.
The VSU Challenge
Virginia State (1-1) brings one of the league’s top passing offenses, averaging 490 yards per game behind quarterback Rahsaan Matthews. Massey made no secret that the defensive game plan revolves around containing him. “He’s the type of quarterback you’ve got to have a spy from time to time. We’ll have to blitz him. We’re coming,” Massey said.
The Rams won this matchup last season in Ettrick, but it still ended with VSU reaching the CIAA Championship Game as it did not accrue a conference loss. That adds an edge to Saturday.
“It was the team that we beat, yet they made it to the championship game,” Massey recalled. “We can’t control that. But we can control how we prepare this week”.
Building Back the WSSU Vibe
WSSU recorded attendance of 5,500 for its opener as it unveiled a new LED lighting system in its lone night game of the season.
“I’ve been here since my freshman year. I definitely seen the difference,” Grimes recalled. “I definitely felt the difference. It was definitely a lot of love out here that night. And, it just felt good.”
That attendance figure was larger than the enrollment of the student body at the HBCU, but slightly below its 2024 average.
Massey said he felt the increased love for the program from supporters, while stating that he’s hoping to see more against VSU.
“I expect the crowd to be a lot bigger,” he said. “I enjoyed the excitement was there. The guys did a good job of representing WSSU and we’re going to continue to do that. This is a real good game coming up. A real tough game.”
At 2-1 and surging, WSSU has positioned itself as a contender again. Saturday’s clash won’t affect Virginia State’s league record, but for WSSU, the stakes are clear — keep building momentum, keep drawing the crowd, and keep proving that football is back in Winston-Salem.