Post by Aggie One on Sept 23, 2004 7:59:58 GMT -5
Rickie Lewis: Making an impact for A&T
9-23-04
By Rob Daniels, Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO -- The way things have gone for the N.C. A&T Aggies in the past month -- losing quarterbacks, linebackers, etc. -- there are no guarantees. But wide receiver Kenny Perry does have one suggestion for teammates who want to stay healthy during practice.
"Uh, I try to stay away from Rickie Lewis," Perry said with a grin.
The opponent can't always follow such sage counsel. While Aggies coach George Small has criticized his defense in general, he has few complaints about his all-conference candidate from Dudley High School, who has frequently worked his way into the opponent's backfield.
"He makes mistakes like everybody else, but he has done a great job," Small said.
The 12 tackles through three games don't really explain it. For Lewis, success often has been about timing, and without him, A&T (1-2) would be winless entering Saturday's 1:30 p.m. home opener with Elon (1-1). It's fair to say the Phoenix will know where Lewis is.
"The coaches put a game plan together for us. That allows us, as a defense, to play together," Lewis said. "I don't feel any designated pressure on me."
Flash back a couple of weeks to the Aggies' opener with Division II N.C. Central, which owned a 6-0 lead over a struggling A&T team in the third quarter. Lewis smelled a reverse, hit the Eagles' ball-carrier, Brandon Alston, and simply stole the ball. He outran Alston and the rest of the Central players 36 yards for a touchdown.
Carlos Davalos' game-winning, last-second, 50-yard field goal wouldn't have mattered otherwise.
It was the sort of play that Lewis made often last year in emerging as one of the MEAC's top linemen. Reflecting on 2003, line coach Don Houser recalls the season's home opener, a meeting with Florida A&M.
"At halftime of the game, their quarterback had had a lot of time," Houser said. "I came in at halftime, and it was one of the first times we needed to give the defensive line a personal challenge. I remember distinctly looking in Rickie's eyes. And he got it. He came through."
Lewis' sack on the game's final play secured a 22-16 victory. The Aggies claimed the MEAC lead that day, and they didn't let go.
The former Dudley Panther clearly was progressing along the growth chart as a college sophomore.
"The game has slowed down for me every year since I've been here," Lewis said. "As a whole, we're going to have ups and downs, but we're still going to be a top defense in the nation. That's what we live by. That's what we breathe."
The Aggies were frequently overwhelmed by a bigger, more experienced Wake Forest team this past Saturday. Lewis was held to three tackles, but he did make his count. One was a solid hit on quarterback Ben Mauk for no gain; on another, he tracked down tailback Micah Andrews, who ran for 125 yards but said the contact from Lewis summed up the evening in another way.
"They were hammering me," he said. "Every play."
When last the Aggies met a Southern Conference team, Wofford double-teamed Lewis in the 2003 NCAA playoffs with some success. Lewis' task Saturday is to overcome that approach and slow Elon's running game. The Phoenix ran twice as often as it passed in last week's 49-13 win over Delaware State.
"He's a very intelligent young man," Houser said. "He understands he's one of the sack leaders in the conference. He knows he has to step up his game and challenge his teammates to do that, as well."
Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rdaniels@news-record.com
9-23-04
By Rob Daniels, Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO -- The way things have gone for the N.C. A&T Aggies in the past month -- losing quarterbacks, linebackers, etc. -- there are no guarantees. But wide receiver Kenny Perry does have one suggestion for teammates who want to stay healthy during practice.
"Uh, I try to stay away from Rickie Lewis," Perry said with a grin.
The opponent can't always follow such sage counsel. While Aggies coach George Small has criticized his defense in general, he has few complaints about his all-conference candidate from Dudley High School, who has frequently worked his way into the opponent's backfield.
"He makes mistakes like everybody else, but he has done a great job," Small said.
The 12 tackles through three games don't really explain it. For Lewis, success often has been about timing, and without him, A&T (1-2) would be winless entering Saturday's 1:30 p.m. home opener with Elon (1-1). It's fair to say the Phoenix will know where Lewis is.
"The coaches put a game plan together for us. That allows us, as a defense, to play together," Lewis said. "I don't feel any designated pressure on me."
Flash back a couple of weeks to the Aggies' opener with Division II N.C. Central, which owned a 6-0 lead over a struggling A&T team in the third quarter. Lewis smelled a reverse, hit the Eagles' ball-carrier, Brandon Alston, and simply stole the ball. He outran Alston and the rest of the Central players 36 yards for a touchdown.
Carlos Davalos' game-winning, last-second, 50-yard field goal wouldn't have mattered otherwise.
It was the sort of play that Lewis made often last year in emerging as one of the MEAC's top linemen. Reflecting on 2003, line coach Don Houser recalls the season's home opener, a meeting with Florida A&M.
"At halftime of the game, their quarterback had had a lot of time," Houser said. "I came in at halftime, and it was one of the first times we needed to give the defensive line a personal challenge. I remember distinctly looking in Rickie's eyes. And he got it. He came through."
Lewis' sack on the game's final play secured a 22-16 victory. The Aggies claimed the MEAC lead that day, and they didn't let go.
The former Dudley Panther clearly was progressing along the growth chart as a college sophomore.
"The game has slowed down for me every year since I've been here," Lewis said. "As a whole, we're going to have ups and downs, but we're still going to be a top defense in the nation. That's what we live by. That's what we breathe."
The Aggies were frequently overwhelmed by a bigger, more experienced Wake Forest team this past Saturday. Lewis was held to three tackles, but he did make his count. One was a solid hit on quarterback Ben Mauk for no gain; on another, he tracked down tailback Micah Andrews, who ran for 125 yards but said the contact from Lewis summed up the evening in another way.
"They were hammering me," he said. "Every play."
When last the Aggies met a Southern Conference team, Wofford double-teamed Lewis in the 2003 NCAA playoffs with some success. Lewis' task Saturday is to overcome that approach and slow Elon's running game. The Phoenix ran twice as often as it passed in last week's 49-13 win over Delaware State.
"He's a very intelligent young man," Houser said. "He understands he's one of the sack leaders in the conference. He knows he has to step up his game and challenge his teammates to do that, as well."
Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rdaniels@news-record.com
