Post by Aggie One on Oct 4, 2019 0:18:26 GMT -5
On the Road Again
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
The first week of conference play did not produce any stunning developments as the top tier of the MEAC flexed its muscle to varying degrees over the lower end of the league.
Defending champion N.C. A&T simply outclassed and outmanned Delaware State 37-0 on a nationally televised ESPNU Thursday night game before 16,537 fans. The Aggies rolled up over 400 yards paced by RB Jah-Maine Martin's 4 touchdown runs of 24, 28, 1, and 33 yards. Meanwhile the Aggie defense limited the Hornets to just 23 yards rushing and 100 yards total on the day marking the third straight year that DSU has failed to score a touchdown against A&T.
N.C. Central got the ground game going in high gear and pulled away from Morgan State in the second half for a 27-17 road win in Baltimore. The Eagle defense continued their turnover mastery by picking off three passes including two in the second half deep in the redzone to help preserve the victory.
Bethune-Cookman jumped out to a big lead over Howard but then had to weather a late surge to notch their first conference win by knocking off the Bison 37-29 in see-saw contest. Quarterback Akevious Williams accounted for 4 TDs and 300 yards of total offense for the Wildcats despite a positive debut for Howard freshman QB Quinten Williams who stepped in for all-MEAC QB Caylin Newton who last week decided to leave the team and transfer out.
Florida A&M barely survived a titanic struggle against a scrappy Norfolk State team as it eked out a tough 30-28 decision. There was not much defense to go round as both teams gave up over 400 yards in total offense. The difference were two turnovers by the Spartans that the Rattlers quickly turned into scores, one in each half.
This weekend will have everyone back on the field including S.C. State who has been on hiatus for the last two weeks. The Bulldogs (2-1, 0-0) hope to shake off the rust when they head to Dover to take on Delaware State (1-3, 0-2) in the only night contest on the day at 7 p.m. (ESPN3).
#15 N.C. A&T (3-1, 1-0) will be seeking its sixth straight win over the Norfolk State (1-4, 0-1) when they travel northward to Dick Price Stadium for a 2 p.m. kick off (ESPN3).
It will be homecoming down in Tallahassee as the Rattlers of Florida A&M ( 3-1, 1-0) will entertain rapidly improving N.C. Central (2-3, 1-0) at 2 p.m. (ESPN3).
Morgan State (0-4, 0-1) will try to erase a big goose egg in the win column as they journey to south to Daytona to tussle with Bethune-Cookman (3-1, 1-0) for a 4 p.m. (ESPN3).
In a historic meeting between two legendary academic institutions, Howard (1-4) and Harvard (1-1) will do battle up in Cambridge, Mass in a first ever meeting on the gridiron. Game time is set for 1 p.m. (ESPN3).
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The Spartans of Norfolk State are a team of contradictions. On one hand they can sometimes present an efficient, well balanced squad with lots of size and lightning quickness while on the other hand they can just as easily succumb to missed assignments, undisciplined penalties, and unforced errors. That Jekyll and Hyde routine has resulted in four straight 4-7 seasons under Coach Latrell Scott.
In hopes of starving off the inevitable boo birds, Scott revamped almost his entire staff in the off season by hiring 5 new assistants, including three new on the defensive side of the football. So far, the Spartans have been close in a couple of games and were not very good at all in a couple more. A tough close loss to a very good FAMU team last week showed a lot of promise but the jury still remains out on whether there is real consistency there.
NSU certainly has the talent on offense to seriously compete and be a real force in this still yet young conference season. The juice that makes the Spartans go is junior quarterback Juwan Carter (6-0,175). Carter has been exceptional this year hitting on 89 passes on 141 attempts for 1009 yards and 10 touchdowns against 5 interceptions. Carter's completion percentage of 63 percent puts him at the top of conference.
The other major force in the offense is freshman running back Kevin Johnson (6-0,170), a 10.5 sprinter who has 228 yards on 25 carries for a 9.1 per carry average for the season. Johnson had a terrific game last week against FAMU with a spectacular 36 yard TD run and averaged 27 yards per return on six kick offs.
There are a trio of excellent receivers in Da'Kendall James (6-1,190, R-Fr.), Justin Smith ( 6-2, 180, R-Jr.), and Marcque Ellington (6-6, 210, R-Jr.). NSU has lots of experience in the offensive line where four starters from the 2018 unit return in tackles Taro Liscomb (6-3, 290, Jr.) and Craig Rodwell (6-4, 290, Jr.) and guards Justin Redd (6-5, 320, Sr.) and Jalen Powell (6-3, 305, Jr.).
As good as the Spartans may be on offense their defense has not been nearly as efficient. Their stat of 265.3 rushing yards allowed is the second worst in the conference and their 217.4 yards allowed via the air has put them at a huge disadvantage against quality passing teams. The 23 touchdowns scored against places them seventh in the conference in scoring defense.
For NSU to break through Scott will have to get even better performance out of all-MEAC linebacker Nigel Chavis (6-2, 230, Sr.). Part of the woes in the rushing defense could be attributed to the changeover from their traditional 3-4 alignment to learning a new 4-3 system under new defensive coordinator Joe Tresey.
The line is long and lengthy and will be led by De'Shaan Dixon (6-5,235, Jr.), Tavien Blackwell (6-1,305, Sr.), Kyron Speeler (6-2,250, Sr.), and Chris Meyers (6-6, 245, Jr.). Strong safety Bobby Price (6-4, 205, Sr.) has the size and speed that will get some looks from pro scouts.
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This week's game with Norfolk State will take A&T to the end of the first third of the 2019 season and a win Saturday would put the Aggies in a very comfortable position at the top of the conference race with another timely bye looming for next weekend.
Norfolk State played well offensively against FAMU and put together some very solid drives against the Rattlers but two key second half turnovers, a bad snap in the red zone and a tipped pass for interception, put the Spartans behind the eight ball and eventually cost them a chance at pulling off the early season upset.
Coach Latrell Scott has made no secret this week that stopping Jah-Maine Martin will be their #1 priority and they are going to put as many people as possible on him to make sure he doesn't get to the second level and loose into their secondary. The idea is much the same as it was against FAMU which is that if they are going to lose make A&T do it through the air.
The Aggies have been pretty much vanilla on offense through their first four games especially in the passing game which could be attributed a three factors - opponents intent on taking away Elijah Bell, an "old" QB adjusting to the new starting role, and much trepidation in showing too much of the play book until it was absolutely necessary.
Last week's 37-0 plastering of Delaware State did little to change that strategy since A&T was the better team in every aspect and it never became an issue at any point during the game. This week that will most likely not be the case. Norfolk is a very competent football team and their ability to score points makes it very likely the Aggies are going to have to step things up offensively so they can control the tempo and keep the NSU offense off the field.
If there is any pressure entering this game it will be on the defense that has gotten progressively better the last two games. They now face one of the better and more consistent big play quarterbacks in Juwan Carter. A&T will have to neutralize his feet and put enough pressure on him to speed up his reads and force him out of his comfort zone. NSU is going to throw the ball a lot because running against this year's A&T front seven on a consistent basis is a pipe dream.
Winning is hard. Winning on the road is even more difficult. Winning 15 straight road games against FCS competition is no small feat. A&T seems to play some of its most inspired football when they are on the road. Let's hope the trend of the last three years continues.
Winning championships consistently year in and year out as A&T has is a rarity that is limited to only a hand full of chosen programs playing in the parity era of modern day college football no matter the level.
The fact of the matter is that this accomplishment is grossly under appreciated and is too often taken for granted and that is the real shame of it all. Winning should always be cherished for what it truly is.
Something very special and always fleeting.
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PREDICTION
N.C. A&T - 28
Norfolk State - 14
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
The first week of conference play did not produce any stunning developments as the top tier of the MEAC flexed its muscle to varying degrees over the lower end of the league.
Defending champion N.C. A&T simply outclassed and outmanned Delaware State 37-0 on a nationally televised ESPNU Thursday night game before 16,537 fans. The Aggies rolled up over 400 yards paced by RB Jah-Maine Martin's 4 touchdown runs of 24, 28, 1, and 33 yards. Meanwhile the Aggie defense limited the Hornets to just 23 yards rushing and 100 yards total on the day marking the third straight year that DSU has failed to score a touchdown against A&T.
N.C. Central got the ground game going in high gear and pulled away from Morgan State in the second half for a 27-17 road win in Baltimore. The Eagle defense continued their turnover mastery by picking off three passes including two in the second half deep in the redzone to help preserve the victory.
Bethune-Cookman jumped out to a big lead over Howard but then had to weather a late surge to notch their first conference win by knocking off the Bison 37-29 in see-saw contest. Quarterback Akevious Williams accounted for 4 TDs and 300 yards of total offense for the Wildcats despite a positive debut for Howard freshman QB Quinten Williams who stepped in for all-MEAC QB Caylin Newton who last week decided to leave the team and transfer out.
Florida A&M barely survived a titanic struggle against a scrappy Norfolk State team as it eked out a tough 30-28 decision. There was not much defense to go round as both teams gave up over 400 yards in total offense. The difference were two turnovers by the Spartans that the Rattlers quickly turned into scores, one in each half.
This weekend will have everyone back on the field including S.C. State who has been on hiatus for the last two weeks. The Bulldogs (2-1, 0-0) hope to shake off the rust when they head to Dover to take on Delaware State (1-3, 0-2) in the only night contest on the day at 7 p.m. (ESPN3).
#15 N.C. A&T (3-1, 1-0) will be seeking its sixth straight win over the Norfolk State (1-4, 0-1) when they travel northward to Dick Price Stadium for a 2 p.m. kick off (ESPN3).
It will be homecoming down in Tallahassee as the Rattlers of Florida A&M ( 3-1, 1-0) will entertain rapidly improving N.C. Central (2-3, 1-0) at 2 p.m. (ESPN3).
Morgan State (0-4, 0-1) will try to erase a big goose egg in the win column as they journey to south to Daytona to tussle with Bethune-Cookman (3-1, 1-0) for a 4 p.m. (ESPN3).
In a historic meeting between two legendary academic institutions, Howard (1-4) and Harvard (1-1) will do battle up in Cambridge, Mass in a first ever meeting on the gridiron. Game time is set for 1 p.m. (ESPN3).
******************************************************************************************
The Spartans of Norfolk State are a team of contradictions. On one hand they can sometimes present an efficient, well balanced squad with lots of size and lightning quickness while on the other hand they can just as easily succumb to missed assignments, undisciplined penalties, and unforced errors. That Jekyll and Hyde routine has resulted in four straight 4-7 seasons under Coach Latrell Scott.
In hopes of starving off the inevitable boo birds, Scott revamped almost his entire staff in the off season by hiring 5 new assistants, including three new on the defensive side of the football. So far, the Spartans have been close in a couple of games and were not very good at all in a couple more. A tough close loss to a very good FAMU team last week showed a lot of promise but the jury still remains out on whether there is real consistency there.
NSU certainly has the talent on offense to seriously compete and be a real force in this still yet young conference season. The juice that makes the Spartans go is junior quarterback Juwan Carter (6-0,175). Carter has been exceptional this year hitting on 89 passes on 141 attempts for 1009 yards and 10 touchdowns against 5 interceptions. Carter's completion percentage of 63 percent puts him at the top of conference.
The other major force in the offense is freshman running back Kevin Johnson (6-0,170), a 10.5 sprinter who has 228 yards on 25 carries for a 9.1 per carry average for the season. Johnson had a terrific game last week against FAMU with a spectacular 36 yard TD run and averaged 27 yards per return on six kick offs.
There are a trio of excellent receivers in Da'Kendall James (6-1,190, R-Fr.), Justin Smith ( 6-2, 180, R-Jr.), and Marcque Ellington (6-6, 210, R-Jr.). NSU has lots of experience in the offensive line where four starters from the 2018 unit return in tackles Taro Liscomb (6-3, 290, Jr.) and Craig Rodwell (6-4, 290, Jr.) and guards Justin Redd (6-5, 320, Sr.) and Jalen Powell (6-3, 305, Jr.).
As good as the Spartans may be on offense their defense has not been nearly as efficient. Their stat of 265.3 rushing yards allowed is the second worst in the conference and their 217.4 yards allowed via the air has put them at a huge disadvantage against quality passing teams. The 23 touchdowns scored against places them seventh in the conference in scoring defense.
For NSU to break through Scott will have to get even better performance out of all-MEAC linebacker Nigel Chavis (6-2, 230, Sr.). Part of the woes in the rushing defense could be attributed to the changeover from their traditional 3-4 alignment to learning a new 4-3 system under new defensive coordinator Joe Tresey.
The line is long and lengthy and will be led by De'Shaan Dixon (6-5,235, Jr.), Tavien Blackwell (6-1,305, Sr.), Kyron Speeler (6-2,250, Sr.), and Chris Meyers (6-6, 245, Jr.). Strong safety Bobby Price (6-4, 205, Sr.) has the size and speed that will get some looks from pro scouts.
***************************************************************************************
This week's game with Norfolk State will take A&T to the end of the first third of the 2019 season and a win Saturday would put the Aggies in a very comfortable position at the top of the conference race with another timely bye looming for next weekend.
Norfolk State played well offensively against FAMU and put together some very solid drives against the Rattlers but two key second half turnovers, a bad snap in the red zone and a tipped pass for interception, put the Spartans behind the eight ball and eventually cost them a chance at pulling off the early season upset.
Coach Latrell Scott has made no secret this week that stopping Jah-Maine Martin will be their #1 priority and they are going to put as many people as possible on him to make sure he doesn't get to the second level and loose into their secondary. The idea is much the same as it was against FAMU which is that if they are going to lose make A&T do it through the air.
The Aggies have been pretty much vanilla on offense through their first four games especially in the passing game which could be attributed a three factors - opponents intent on taking away Elijah Bell, an "old" QB adjusting to the new starting role, and much trepidation in showing too much of the play book until it was absolutely necessary.
Last week's 37-0 plastering of Delaware State did little to change that strategy since A&T was the better team in every aspect and it never became an issue at any point during the game. This week that will most likely not be the case. Norfolk is a very competent football team and their ability to score points makes it very likely the Aggies are going to have to step things up offensively so they can control the tempo and keep the NSU offense off the field.
If there is any pressure entering this game it will be on the defense that has gotten progressively better the last two games. They now face one of the better and more consistent big play quarterbacks in Juwan Carter. A&T will have to neutralize his feet and put enough pressure on him to speed up his reads and force him out of his comfort zone. NSU is going to throw the ball a lot because running against this year's A&T front seven on a consistent basis is a pipe dream.
Winning is hard. Winning on the road is even more difficult. Winning 15 straight road games against FCS competition is no small feat. A&T seems to play some of its most inspired football when they are on the road. Let's hope the trend of the last three years continues.
Winning championships consistently year in and year out as A&T has is a rarity that is limited to only a hand full of chosen programs playing in the parity era of modern day college football no matter the level.
The fact of the matter is that this accomplishment is grossly under appreciated and is too often taken for granted and that is the real shame of it all. Winning should always be cherished for what it truly is.
Something very special and always fleeting.
***************************************************************************************
PREDICTION
N.C. A&T - 28
Norfolk State - 14
