Rams Football announces week zero game
The Winston-Salem State University football team has announced the addition of a week zero game on Aug. 31 at Bluefield State in West Virginia.
With St. Augustine University having to cancel their season, it opened the window for the Rams to add a week zero game.
“The passage of the week zero legislation affords the division II membership and specifically WSSU to take advantage of the opportunity to add competition before the official start of the CIAA composite schedule,” said Director of Athletics Etienne Thomas. “Coach Massey and I discussed filling the opportunity in the fall and put things into action once the vote passed at the NCAA Convention. Scheduling week zero competition positively impacts our division II rankings considerations during the regular and postseason, especially with the challenges facing St. Augustine’s College and their decision not to compete this fall. The legislation also allows for an early start for pre-season camp to prepare appropriately.”
The Rams was originally scheduled to play the Falcons of St. Augustine’s on Nov. 2, but now that will be a bye week for WSSU.
“Because of the unfortunate situation with St. Augustine’s football program, we needed to add another game, and a week zero versus Bluefield State is a perfect fit for both programs,” said Head Coach Robert Massey. “It is a conference team, and we can help one another with last-minute scheduling, which is a good thing. We are looking forward to going to West Virginia and competing against the Big Blue.”
“The intent behind the legislation that allows football to play another four-year institution during a spring scrimmage was to improve the development and retention of football student-athletes,” said Associate Athletics Director for Compliance, Charolette Hunt. “It was already possible for football teams to participate in 11-on-11 scrimmages during the spring, but this legislation allows football student-athletes to have a limited opportunity to participate against another team outside of the season and not use a season of eligibility.
“This is similar to other fall sports that compete during the non-championship segment to assist their teams in developing athletes. The week zero game legislation was a demonstration of the membership pushing for what they wanted and getting it. It was sport specific, which meant that only schools with the sport were able to vote on this legislative piece, but it was not an easy decision. The Division II Football Committee supported the proposal, but there was opposition from the Division II Presidents Council, Management Council, Legislation Committee, and the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics. In the end, the membership voted 89 in favor, 80 opposed, and 1 abstention.”
To find the full updated schedule, visit https://wssurams.com/sports/football/schedule.
For additional information, regarding Rams football, visit the official website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com.
