After four days of practice, the Rams will have only one more day of single sessions before heading into Thursday where they will see their first double-duty practice day. While WSSU has had only the four sessions on the field, the Rams are shaping up nicely in preparations for their Sept. 6 date with arch rival North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.

The Rams’ quarterback question still lingers, but despite the quandary under center WSSU’s offense looks to once again be formidable under the tutelage of Offensive Coordinator Nicholas Calcutta.

While the quarterback battle remains in question, the Rams look like they will have less trouble at the running back position where head coach Kermit Blount’s stable is full of thoroughbreds.

Returning in the backfield are a pair of talented upperclassmen in Brandon McRae and Roderick Fluellen.

McRae, a 5-10, 225-pound redshirt junior led the team in rushing two seasons ago and looked to reach for a 1000-yard season in 2007 before breaking his wrist in the Rams’ win over Morgan State in mid-September.

Fluellen returns to the lineup on the heels of a 2007 season in which he rushed for 520 yards and scored three touchdowns. He brings with him his 4.4 yards per carry average and again will be looked to for his power running game.

Nic Cooper, a 6-0, 230-pound power back from Clinton, N.C. will throw his hat into the ring in his bid to become a backfield mainstay in 2008 after spending the 2007 season as a redshirt freshman.

Cooper, the Cape Fear Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2006 is a big, athletic running back with 4.5 second speed in the 40-yard dash that led Clinton High School to a state title as a junior. He will look to move up the Rams’ depth chart.

Cooper has been impressive in practice thus far and both McRae and Fluellen continue to prove why the Rams possess one of the most respected running attacks in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The Rams’ wide receiver corps returns nine letterwinners from the 2007 season as eight of the top nine receivers from last season will again grace the roster.

WSSU will likely start the pass-catching duo of Bryant Bayne and Brent Thomas in the fall of 2008 as the pair of seniors combined for nearly 70 percent of the Rams’ receiving yardage and all but one of WSSU’s receiving touchdowns.

The Rams’ offensive line will once again be led by the ever-present combination of right tackle Joseph Blanks and center Michael Helton.

Blanks returns to the lineup with his start streak of 31 consecutive contests intact, a streak that is second only to Helton’s 32-straight games started. The pair of offensive line staples will look to protect whatever young WSSU quarterback lines up behind center.

Joining Helton and Blanks are experienced offensive linemen in Nazir Levine (left guard), Bennie Barbour (right guard) and Thurman McDonald (left tackle). Levine and Barbour combined to start 15 games for the Rams in 2007 as both players head into fall training camp firmly encamped at the top of the WSSU depth chart.

McDonald seeks to replace the services of starter Lonnie Teasley, a player who started 30 career games for the Rams. McDonald, a redshirt sophomore from Fayetteville, N.C., made seven starts in 2007 and returns a wealth of experience to the lineup..

The Rams’ offense will return to the field on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. before starting double-session practices on Thursday at both 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

For additional information on WSSU football, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at WSSURams.com.

The original story was published here: http://wssurams.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081208aac.html

Tags: bennie barbour, black college football, brandon mcrae, brent thomas, bryant bayne, hbcu football, joseph blanks, kermit blount's, meac, michael helton, nazir levine, nic cooper, nicholas calcutta, roderick fluellen, thurman, winston-salem state, winston-salem state rams