"We're Going Down There to Kick Their Butt"

[Aggie One]

Sentimental game for A&T’s coach


Posted: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 5:00 am
By Jeff Mills/News & Record [e-mail]


Greensboro, NC - This is the 86th Aggie-Eagle Classic, a rivalry that began with a 13-13 tie in 1924.

A&T leads the all-time series 49-31-5, and under coach Rod Broadway the Aggies are 3-0 against their archrival.
But this is a sentimental game for A&T’s coach. Broadway went 33-11 and won back-to-back CIAA titles as head coach at N.C. Central from 2003-2006.

“We’re going down there to kick their butt. That’s our objective,” Broadway said. “And they’re going to try to kick our butt.

“I will be forever grateful to Central for giving me the opportunity … for my first head coaching job. It’s not a hated-rival thing with me, because I have so much respect for them. They were good to me and my family. But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to try to bury ’em if we get the opportunity.”

For the rest of the story:
www.news-record.com/sports/college/sentimental-game-for-a-t-s-coach/article_54220030-6edc-11e4-b920-cb935f253558.html

[ohsixrain]

I can definitely ride on the "We're going there to kick their butt!" train....That sounds good to me!!!! LET'S GO, AGGIES!!!

[mamasuttles]

YES!!!!  YES!!!! YES!!!!

"... A&T now ranks third in the nation among the 121 FCS teams in scoring defense."

"A&T’s defense leads the nation with 34 turnovers forced. The Aggies rank No. 2 in the nation with 21 interceptions, and they are tied for eighth with 13 fumble recoveries."

ONE GAME AWAY FROM SOLE OWNERSHIP OF THAT MEAC TITLE!!!!

GET OUT THERE AND DEMAND RESPECT ....  OR EXPECT DEFEAT! 

LET'S DO THIS AGGIES! 

1 TEAM .... 1 MISSION! 

I believe in you ALL!!!!

[KidHeartless]

Kick.....Their......Butts....

[mthollyaggie98]

Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards

Attachments:

[lilboy]

NO MERCY!!!!!!

[aggieclt]

www.heraldsun.com/sports/nccu/x761892357/Underachieving-Eagles-get-one-last-shot-at-MEAC-co-title

DURHAM —

N.C. Central coach Jerry Mack tried to tell his guys.

From Day 1, Mack preached salvation through playing four quarters of football once the ball is kicked off.

The Eagles didn’t always let that sermon sink deep down in their souls.

“Really, we’re one point away, or two points away — however you want to look at it — from this being for the overall championship,” Mack said. “We lost to Morgan State by one point. That was the difference. We didn’t take care of business earlier in the race, and we put ourselves in a position that we thought we might have been out of it. But, obviously, we’re not.

“It’s sitting right in front of us right now.”

It’s drama every time archrivals NCCU and N.C. A&T line up across from each other on the football field — good drama, North Carolina-vs.-Duke-type drama.

But the 86th meeting of the Aggies and the Eagles that takes place at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium on Saturday (2 p.m., NCCUEaglePride.com) will be even more dramatic.

If NCCU wins, things get complicated in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. There’s the potential for several teams to emerge as co-champions, depending on how games end up during this final week of the league’s regular season. NCCU would earn a share of the league championship with A&T and any other conference teams with 6-2 MEAC records.

MEAC officials would use the league’s layered tiebreaker system to determine which team would represent the conference in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Typically, just one MEAC team makes the cut. But Bethune-Cookman and S.C. State last season were MEAC co-champs, and both teams went to the playoffs.

But A&T (9-2, 6-1 MEAC) could make the postseason scenario really simple for MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas. If the Aggies win, they’re in.

“If we win, we’re champions. It’s as simple as that,” said A&T coach Rod Broadway, who used to be the head coach at NCCU. “We want to be champions. We don’t want to share it, and we don’t want to divide it. We want to own it ourselves.”

The Aggies, for sure, don’t want anything to do with sharing the crown with those Eagles.

“It is clear that parity among our conference teams (is) stronger than ever with several scenarios that could present up to five co-champions,” Thomas said.

Hampton coach Connell Maynor said the top eight teams in the MEAC are pretty even.

Not much was expected of NCCU, picked in the preseason to finish eighth among the 11 teams in the MEAC.

“I knew we were a better team than eighth place, and I think it’s kind of showing now,” Mack said.

That said, the Eagles (6-5, 5-2 MEAC) didn’t always leave it all on the field, Mack said.

“We underachieved a little bit,” Mack said.

Mack, hired in December, inherited an NCCU team that finished the 2013 season 5-7 overall, 3-5 in the MEAC.

Teams not accustomed to winning don’t know how to finish off the opposition, Mack said. NCCU blew a fourth-quarter lead against Morgan State and lost — the Eagles didn’t close the deal, Mack said.

But the Eagles throughout the season got better about playing four quarters of football, and it all came together last weekend at Norfolk State. NCCU senior C.J. Moore both blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown against the Spartans, Mack said.

Mack said he needs four more quarters from his guys when the Aggies stop by this weekend.

“These seniors that we’ve got on this football team, they’ve been through about three coaches here in their tenure,” Mack said. “Just for them to buy in to our vision and to put ourselves in a position in this last game to compete for a part of a championship is just something I would love to send those guys out on top with.”

[aggieclt]

NCCU Coach Mack is playing it close to the vest regarding the starter for tomorrow's game. I want to beat them at full strength. Go Aggies!

www.heraldsun.com/sports/nccu/x761892528/If-Bell-can-t-ring-up-title-can-Billerman

DURHAM —

One of the most prolific offenses in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference this season has belonged to N.C. Central.

The point man behind that production was quarterback Malcolm Bell, who may not play in what is an extremely enormous game both for the Eagles and the MEAC.

NCCU coach Jerry Mack is not disclosing the nature of Bell’s injury and has said the redshirt sophomore’s availability is uncertain for the Eagles’ matchup with nationally ranked archival A&T on Saturday (2 p.m., NCCUEaglePride.com) The Aggies are No. 24 in The Sport Network’s top 25 poll of Football Championship Subdivision teams. NCCU received some votes in that poll.

But the rung that means the most to both NCCU and A&T is the top one in the MEAC that comes with a berth into the FCS playoffs. A&T is 6-1 in the MEAC and would outright win the league title and play in the postseason with a win at NCCU’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. An NCCU win would get the 5-2 Eagles a share of the title with the Aggies and potentially set up the MEAC for as many as five co-champions, engaging the league’s layered tiebreaker system to determine the top team.

Bell didn’t play last week when NCCU won at Norfolk State. He was injured, Mack said.

“He didn’t practice last week at all. He probably threw two passes,” Mack said.

NCCU backup quarterback Quinn Billerman completed 12 of 22 passes for 151 yards against Norfolk State. He didn’t throw any interceptions but tossed no touchdown passes, either.

“It wasn’t pretty offensively, but we managed enough yards and points to get the job done,” Mack said.

NCCU turnovers quenched drives, limiting what Billerman was able to do, Mack said.

The Aggies love to play defense. Mack said he understands that but knows what Billerman can do if given the nod to run NCCU’s offense against A&T.

“We feel comfortable in Quinn,” Mack said. “We have no reservations about playing Quinn. We’ve said that all along. He knows how to manage the game. He had a pretty good game on last week.”

Billerman didn’t end up with any positive rushing yards (minus 9 yards on 10 carries) against Norfolk State, which is a very solid defensive team.

This season, Billerman has run the ball 26 times for minus 11 yards, and that highlights the wrinkle the Aggies would have to iron out if Bell plays.

Bell has really great legs and this season has 102 carries for 342 yards and four touchdowns. He’s thrown for 1,847 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Billerman this season has thrown for 463 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

This is Billerman’s first year at NCCU after transferring from New Mexico Military Institute. The “Sporting News” predicted that he’d be the newcomer of the year in the MEAC. He was NCCU’s starting quarterback at the beginning of the season until Bell took over.

Billerman, the son of former Duke basketball guard Kevin Billerman, played high school ball at Raleigh’s Ravenscroft School for his dad, the Ravens’ head coach.

[aggieclt]

www.triangletribune.com/news/2014/11/20/sports/aggies-eagles-rebuild-programs/

Two years ago, N.C. A&T’s football team couldn’t even hold a spring practice.

The Aggies, under NCAA sanctions over dismal graduation rates that occurred under a previous administration, were down to 23 scholarship players. The full allotment for Division I-FCS is 63. They also had their practice time cut from 20 hours a week to 16.

Then along came Rod Broadway.

Last year, N.C. Central was embroiled in a coaching scandal with former head coach Henry Frazier and domestic violence. Frazier was suspended, then later fired over an alleged second violation. (He was eventually cleared in court.) Meanwhile, the football team went 5-7, including losing three of its last four games..

Then along came Jerry Mack.

Broadway has been there and done that – a couple of times. He led the Eagles to back-to-back CIAA championships in 2005-06, including an undefeated ’06 season – their last in the C-I – and a black college national championship.

He left for the SWAC’s Grambling State and led the G-men back to prominence, including a SWAC title and a black college national championship.

But Broadway’s heart was in North Carolina. So when the opportunity came to return, he took it – much to the chagrin of the Grambling faithful.

Four years later, the Aggies are in position to win their first outright MEAC title since 2003. They are ranked in the Sports Network FCS College Football Poll for the first time in 11 years. Win or lose Saturday, A&T will have a share of first place.

That might have been good enough three years ago, but it’s a new day in Aggieland.

“This is a good football team. If we win next week (against NCCU), it will be a great football team,” Broadway said.

Mack has won over skeptics who thought his lack of head-coaching experience made him ill equipped to take over the Eagles. Men’s basketball coach LeVelle Moton lacked the same experience and look where the team is now.

Mack let it be known at the MEAC football luncheon that he didn’t appreciate the Eagles No. 8 preseason ranking.

“I’m disappointed in our prediction,” he said at the time. “I’m not new to this; I’m true to this.”

As with many teams under a new coach, NCCU has had a roller-coaster season. But nothing, so far, has been as disappointing as a blown 20-7 fourth-quarter lead at Morgan State on Oct. 18. The Eagles were seeking sole possession of first place at the time.

Prospects looked even dimmer after a 34-20 loss at Bethune-Cookman three weeks ago. But wins over Hampton and Norfolk State, and losses by the Wildcats and South Carolina State have them within a game of a share of the title.

But here’s a secret for you: The only people pulling for NCCU on Saturday will be the Eagle family. You better believe veteran MEAC coaches will be rooting for the Aggies.

Why? No coach wants to see the new guy (same goes for Morgan State which also is in the running) come in and take over his first year. Especially one with no head-coaching experience.

First off, egos are involved; and second, it just might start their bosses (athletic directors) to thinking, “Why couldn’t you do that?”

And then the trouble starts.

It will be bad enough when either Mack or Morgan coach Lee Hull is named MEAC coach of the year. The race is a close call.

If the Eagles win Saturday, it should be a no-brainer. But if they don’t and the Bears defeat Delaware State, which would give them a share of first place., then Hull should get the nod.

Either way, the trouble starts..

[oleschoolaggie]

If the Eagles win Saturday, it should be a no-brainer. But if they don’t and the Bears defeat Delaware State, which would give them a share of first place., then Hull should get the nod.

that's ridiculous. coach broadway gets the "coach of the year" award hands down after we beat central...

[Deleted]

Let's go get win #50 against our little bros and sisters. I want our offense to be firing on all cylinders and hopefully we jump out on that first drive we get to an early lead.

[marchingband1969]

Is anybody else out there as nervous as I am today about this game? I sure hope the players aren't this nervous. At my age, I don't need no stress like this. I sure hope we jump on those buzzards early and often tomorrow. I don't think I can survive a close game!

[bigpeete1]

Win or lose the AGGIES had a very good year, so sit back and enjoy the game! The AGGIES has always been the most dominate team and have step-up big time in this rivalry game and tommorow will be more of the same. The Eagles hope they win but the AGGIES expect to win!

[Aggie One]

Nov 21, 2014 14:28:09 GMT -5 marchingband1969 said:

Is anybody else out there as nervous as I am today about this game? I sure hope the players aren't this nervous. At my age, I don't need no stress like this. I sure hope we jump on those buzzards early and often tomorrow. I don't think I can survive a close game!

Quite the opposite for me. I have the same feeling I had before we went up against Morgan State. A quiet confidence that we are ready to bring it.

[ohsixrain]

Well, I think there's a nervous-ness that comes along with it to a degree but, once we are 5 minutes in, it's like riding a bike...so, LET'S RIDE!!! AGGIES BABY!!!