HBCU Football: WSSU offense comes alive with decisive win

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) rebounded significantly from a crushing loss in a major HBCU football game against Shaw University on Saturday.

WSSU led the game from the start and got a big day from sophomore quarterback Daylin Lee, who came away with a 34-14 victory over Shaw.

Lee scored four touchdowns on the day, two on the ground and two through the air, as he recovered from a tough day at Virginia Union the week before. WSSU head coach Robert Massey praised his young signal-caller for his ability to get back on track.

“Daylin is a smart young man. He understands the job. He understands the business. He’s resilient,” Massey said. “And that’s what you need in this position. He can turn it, he can run it when he needs it. But more importantly, he’s a really good leader. So that’s important for us.”

WSSU amassed 513 total yards of offense on Saturday, including 244 on Lee’s arm and another 269 on the ground. Trevon Hester led the rushing attack with 181 yards and a touchdown. These totals include a 70-yard run to put the final points on the board.

The Rams started their first drive hot, going 95 yards in 12 plays and taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a one-yard plunge by Lee. Shaw responded with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Christian Peters to Ka’Trez Bracey, but the PAT was blocked. Lee found Christian MacDonald for a 16-yard touchdown strike with 53 seconds left in the half, but that PAT was also blocked.

WSSU scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to take control of the game. The final points were scored by Hester’s long touchdown run, set off by a clutch interception from Justin Fleming that gave the visitors a much-needed score.

The win improved WSSU’s record in CIAA play to 5-2, 3-1. The win total is the best for the longtime powerhouse HBCU since Massey took over the program on an interim basis in 2019. Next up they face a Livingstone College program that has an identical record, beating them on their home field last season. Fleming, who is tied for the CIAA lead with three interceptions, is a graduate student who says the team will look to make up for last season’s loss to its fiercest rival.

“It’s very big. We have to get revenge for everyone who beat us last year – after all, we want to get our reward from everyone,” said Fleming. “As I said, it is very important to get to where we want to be at the end of the season, and that is to win the championship.”

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