Post by Aggie One on Aug 29, 2014 13:31:20 GMT -5
The Wait Is Almost Over
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
The college football season technically started last weekend but we all know when Labor Day rolls around on the calendar, football fans across America will now enter into a euphoric state of mind that will last for the next four months.
There’s a loud buzz floating in and around Greensboro these days. Folks have been getting a little antsy with anticipation while the fan chatter has reached a level way above what it has been in recent memory. Add in the tantalizing tidbit of numerous preseason polls are pointing to the fact that A&T should be a strong championship contender this season, people are getting hyped to see something special on the football field this fall. Something is up.
Normally, head coach Rod Broadway would try to dispel such rumors almost instantaneously. Lowering expectations to make one fans feel like why even bother to get out of bed in morning to read the sport page. But not this year.
Strangely enough, the stoic and conservative Broadway hasn’t said anything that might even remotely contradict that notion. In fact, he now reaffirms that belief every time he talks to the media about his fourth season at the helm the A&T football program.
Now that happens, we know something is definitely up.
A&T fans have gotten giddy in past years in anticipation only to have of their dreams crash and burn, sometimes even before there was single down of football played. Been there done that. But this year feels different.
I can’t quite put my finger on it as to exactly what it is but it looks different, sounds different, and things have been flowing along smoothly in these early days of preparation without usual distractions or road blocks. This time around there aren’t any anxiety butterflies but a feeling of let’s get this new car rolled out and see how far and fast we can go on this tank of gas.
For the fans of the blue and gold, I that feeling will hit a fever pitch Sunday when N. C. A&T travels to Orlando, FL to take on the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M in the 10th MEAC-SWAC Challenge sponsored Disney. Yes, the wait is almost over and I know just like you, can’t wait to see what these new and improved Aggies we’ve been reading and hearing about all year can really do.
********************************************************************************
A&T will have their first meeting ever this coming Sunday with Alabama A&M in this year’s MEAC-SWAC Challenge. AA&M has been an above average program for over the last decade and has had some success by winning its way into the SWAC championship against Grambling State just three short years ago.
The heat in Florida this time of year is almost unbearable and that’s just if you’re just sitting in the stands. No telling how much of a drain it is if you’re playing football for a full 60 minutes so conditioning and to an even greater extent depth will go a long way in determining which team will emerge victorious.
The Aggies are essentially replacing almost the entire defense from a year ago replacing the entire secondary not to mention five of the front seven in the trenches. However, those replacements saw a ton of action in reserve roles a year ago and A&T is expecting that experience to propel this year’s unit into another dominating top ten nationally ranked defense once again as it has over the last three years.
Offensively, A&T possesses a treasure chest full of game changing speed at all their skill positions and have plenty of size and power up front to open holes for All-MEAC running back Tarik Cohen are led by fifth year seniors R.J. Canty and NFL prospect William Robinson. Wide outs Desmond Lawrence and Denzel Keyes are outstanding receivers along with tight end Dequan Swann.
The one big question that will be answered this weekend will be whether junior Kwashaun Quick is now ready to step into the limelight as the starting quarterback after serving as the backup to Lewis Kindle during his first two college seasons.
Quick, who is an outstanding runner, will need to find the range as a passer and make wise decisions with the football against an AA&M squad that loves to bring plenty of pressure and attack with various blitzes at every opportunity.
Alabama A&M first year Head Coach James Spady is no stranger to Rod Broadway. Spady was Broadway’s offensive coordinator at North Carolina Central and later on at Grambling. The Bulldogs will be throwing and running the football out of the “Pistol” offense spread formation, which tries to maximize one on one matchups between quick skill players, and slower linebackers while seeking to exploit the creases in zone pass defenses.
AA&M brought in over 30 new players in the offseason, many through the junior college ranks, to provide more seasoned depth and have been hard at work trying to install the new system and finding the right personnel combinations over these last four weeks.
The Bulldogs will pin a lot of their offensive hopes around fellows like quarterback Jaymison Lee (6-1,215, Sr.) and All-SWAC receiver Montavious Johnson (6-0,175) plus three talented juniors in the offensive line anchored by Alan Cruz (6-5, 348), Baron Hobbs (6-2,290) and Wilson Hunt (6-7,310). A&M will look to Brendan Johnson (5-7,180), the only running back with college experience.
The defense is a bigger mystery for Spady heading into Sunday because the Bulldogs will be extremely young from head to toe. Red shirt freshmen like Areka Jackson (6-3,300, DT.) are in plentiful supply but extremely shy on experience and not much proven depth in behind the first eleven.
So what can fans expect? Alabama A&M is in a rebuilding mode after undergoing both a coaching change and a major personnel shuffle. Trying to install a new offensive and defensive scheme is difficult even under the best of circumstances so there will be some errors the first time out of the gate.
A&T, despite having only eight seniors on its roster, is actually a ball club with decent experience and has an immense amount of untapped speed and physical size going into 2014. Assuming the Aggies take on their usual tenacious defensive persona, they should win the battle against the Bulldogs’ developing offense this early in the season.
Offensively the Aggies will need to execute their assignments and minimize the typical first game mistakes, take care of the football, and win the kicking game.
After a bit of feeling each other out and adjustments by the two teams, expect the Aggies to do what they do best. Don’t be at all surprised if the Aggies don’t try to get their vertical passing game unlocked early before giving A&M a heavy dose of smash mouth football with the intention to wear down a thin A&M defense in the hostile heat and finish strong.
*****************************************************************
PREDICTION
N.C. A&T – 34
AA&MU - 10
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
The college football season technically started last weekend but we all know when Labor Day rolls around on the calendar, football fans across America will now enter into a euphoric state of mind that will last for the next four months.
There’s a loud buzz floating in and around Greensboro these days. Folks have been getting a little antsy with anticipation while the fan chatter has reached a level way above what it has been in recent memory. Add in the tantalizing tidbit of numerous preseason polls are pointing to the fact that A&T should be a strong championship contender this season, people are getting hyped to see something special on the football field this fall. Something is up.
Normally, head coach Rod Broadway would try to dispel such rumors almost instantaneously. Lowering expectations to make one fans feel like why even bother to get out of bed in morning to read the sport page. But not this year.
Strangely enough, the stoic and conservative Broadway hasn’t said anything that might even remotely contradict that notion. In fact, he now reaffirms that belief every time he talks to the media about his fourth season at the helm the A&T football program.
Now that happens, we know something is definitely up.
A&T fans have gotten giddy in past years in anticipation only to have of their dreams crash and burn, sometimes even before there was single down of football played. Been there done that. But this year feels different.
I can’t quite put my finger on it as to exactly what it is but it looks different, sounds different, and things have been flowing along smoothly in these early days of preparation without usual distractions or road blocks. This time around there aren’t any anxiety butterflies but a feeling of let’s get this new car rolled out and see how far and fast we can go on this tank of gas.
For the fans of the blue and gold, I that feeling will hit a fever pitch Sunday when N. C. A&T travels to Orlando, FL to take on the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M in the 10th MEAC-SWAC Challenge sponsored Disney. Yes, the wait is almost over and I know just like you, can’t wait to see what these new and improved Aggies we’ve been reading and hearing about all year can really do.
********************************************************************************
A&T will have their first meeting ever this coming Sunday with Alabama A&M in this year’s MEAC-SWAC Challenge. AA&M has been an above average program for over the last decade and has had some success by winning its way into the SWAC championship against Grambling State just three short years ago.
The heat in Florida this time of year is almost unbearable and that’s just if you’re just sitting in the stands. No telling how much of a drain it is if you’re playing football for a full 60 minutes so conditioning and to an even greater extent depth will go a long way in determining which team will emerge victorious.
The Aggies are essentially replacing almost the entire defense from a year ago replacing the entire secondary not to mention five of the front seven in the trenches. However, those replacements saw a ton of action in reserve roles a year ago and A&T is expecting that experience to propel this year’s unit into another dominating top ten nationally ranked defense once again as it has over the last three years.
Offensively, A&T possesses a treasure chest full of game changing speed at all their skill positions and have plenty of size and power up front to open holes for All-MEAC running back Tarik Cohen are led by fifth year seniors R.J. Canty and NFL prospect William Robinson. Wide outs Desmond Lawrence and Denzel Keyes are outstanding receivers along with tight end Dequan Swann.
The one big question that will be answered this weekend will be whether junior Kwashaun Quick is now ready to step into the limelight as the starting quarterback after serving as the backup to Lewis Kindle during his first two college seasons.
Quick, who is an outstanding runner, will need to find the range as a passer and make wise decisions with the football against an AA&M squad that loves to bring plenty of pressure and attack with various blitzes at every opportunity.
Alabama A&M first year Head Coach James Spady is no stranger to Rod Broadway. Spady was Broadway’s offensive coordinator at North Carolina Central and later on at Grambling. The Bulldogs will be throwing and running the football out of the “Pistol” offense spread formation, which tries to maximize one on one matchups between quick skill players, and slower linebackers while seeking to exploit the creases in zone pass defenses.
AA&M brought in over 30 new players in the offseason, many through the junior college ranks, to provide more seasoned depth and have been hard at work trying to install the new system and finding the right personnel combinations over these last four weeks.
The Bulldogs will pin a lot of their offensive hopes around fellows like quarterback Jaymison Lee (6-1,215, Sr.) and All-SWAC receiver Montavious Johnson (6-0,175) plus three talented juniors in the offensive line anchored by Alan Cruz (6-5, 348), Baron Hobbs (6-2,290) and Wilson Hunt (6-7,310). A&M will look to Brendan Johnson (5-7,180), the only running back with college experience.
The defense is a bigger mystery for Spady heading into Sunday because the Bulldogs will be extremely young from head to toe. Red shirt freshmen like Areka Jackson (6-3,300, DT.) are in plentiful supply but extremely shy on experience and not much proven depth in behind the first eleven.
So what can fans expect? Alabama A&M is in a rebuilding mode after undergoing both a coaching change and a major personnel shuffle. Trying to install a new offensive and defensive scheme is difficult even under the best of circumstances so there will be some errors the first time out of the gate.
A&T, despite having only eight seniors on its roster, is actually a ball club with decent experience and has an immense amount of untapped speed and physical size going into 2014. Assuming the Aggies take on their usual tenacious defensive persona, they should win the battle against the Bulldogs’ developing offense this early in the season.
Offensively the Aggies will need to execute their assignments and minimize the typical first game mistakes, take care of the football, and win the kicking game.
After a bit of feeling each other out and adjustments by the two teams, expect the Aggies to do what they do best. Don’t be at all surprised if the Aggies don’t try to get their vertical passing game unlocked early before giving A&M a heavy dose of smash mouth football with the intention to wear down a thin A&M defense in the hostile heat and finish strong.
*****************************************************************
PREDICTION
N.C. A&T – 34
AA&MU - 10