Fall ’21 Football Season Preview
The fall 2021 football season has started for the Bluefield University Rams, and not only are fans excited about the prospect of success this year, but so are the coaches and players.
At the time of publication, the Rams have played five games so far and are just 1-4 on the season, but the lone win was a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Emory & Henry College, an NCAA Division II program. BU rallied from a three touchdown deficit in the final five minutes of the game to defeat the Wasps, 46-45, which included a two-point conversion on the final score to give the Rams the one-point winning margin.
“We just kept battling. It was crazy,” Rams sophomore quarterback Josh Nelson told the media after the game. “We knew that something special could happen. There was a special feel about this game all week.”
Despite having just the one win on the year so far, offensive lineman Antowyne Shaw said the season is going well, and he believes a winning culture is being built.
“This year, we have a lot more talent and the freshman class is very good,” Shaw said. “One person standing out is Lebron Fields. He has great vision and athletic ability.”
Transfer player Mateus Bassotto agreed that the season is going well so far with a lot of good teams remaining on the 2021 schedule. Bassotto said he could easily see the Rams being one the better teams in the Mid-South Conference. He also said he notices a lot of talent on the team and is excited to see how far the Rams can go. The freshman class, he noted, has been especially impressive. Trent Smith, in particular, has stood out with a great fall camp.
“As a freshman taking starting reps, he still has some things to work on,” Bassotto said. “He learns quickly, so it should not be an issue. He should get more dominant as the season progresses.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Ketchum said the team is coming along well and the season is going well despite the losses. Ketchum said a lot of players are stepping up. In particular, the offensive line is a lot better than last year, he noted. Matt Trevillian has also stepped up in the receiving game, and Ketchum said the team has a great addition in transfer quarterback Nate Herstich. In fact, in the first game of the season, Herstich threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns on a 49 percent completion rate.
The Rams offense has been great getting the ball into the end zone, averaging 32 points per game at the time of publication. The best part of the Rams offense has been the receiving core. Senior Jaquan Ebron leads the team with 584 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Leading the way rushing is sophomore Latravious Johnson with 138 rushing yards.
The Rams have seven games left on the 2021 schedule, including three home games at Mitchell Stadium and all games broadcast live from bcrams.com.