Post by Aggie One on Nov 1, 2008 8:53:45 GMT -5
The Morning After
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
George Ragsdale stepped into a head coach’s shoes last weekend on the collegiate level and frankly surprised me in a couple of ways.
He stayed focused on his game plan which was to play exceptional defense against a Howard team that has been very good offensively most of 2008, but has suffered much of the same difficulties as A&T had for much of this season - turnovers.
“Rags”, as he is affectionately known around Greensboro, stayed busy on the sidelines encouraging his struggling ball club after losing an early 14 point lead while giving up 20 straight points midway in the second half.
Faced with a fourth and six inside the Howard 40-yard line with a little over nine minutes to go, he chose not to play it safe as the percentages would suggest but went for broke with a much maligned quarterback, a patchwork offensive line, and an untested freshman wide receiver on a straight button hook route.
It paid off big with a ten yard first down and swung the momentum back to the Aggies. That momentum would later be capped off with a seven yard touchdown run from Mike Ferguson that gave A&T the lead for good. After a couple of “oh no” turnovers, the defense stood its ground and A&T broke its 25-game MEAC losing streak and walked away with a deserved 21-20 win over the Bison.
Granted, these two teams rank near the bottom of the MEAC but the win was something that the Aggies needed very badly. The big thing was to find the will and a way to win a ball game that seemingly had faded away. A&T had to discover the determination and enough discipline to come up big when it had to.
In the big scheme of things, it doesn’t appear that this was a turnaround mark in another down season but it did for the moment, however brief, bring back memories of what A&T once was.
For George Ragsdale it was affirmation that the task that Athletic Director Wheeler Brown had entrusted in him was not for naught and his team responded to him, something it had not done under the now deposed Lee Fobbs.
It seems like eons ago since Fobbs was let go but it has been less than two weeks and the atmosphere surrounding A&T, although apprehensive at the beginning, was reassuring in just the type of effort that was displayed by the players. For the first time in three weeks, these guys wanted it. And that in itself is the first step in the right direction.
Does this mean that A&T has suddenly returned to its one-time dominance in the MEAC? Now way. But what last week did do was show what can be done if the person leading the charge has the attitude of a competitor, the desire and the fire.
A team is a direct reflection of the coach’s mindset. Whatever you may think of “Rags” as a potential permanent coach, one thing you can say about him is that he is not a quitter.
From where I sat, it appears that his players took hold of that same philosophy against Howard and that is a huge win, in and of itself, that won’t show up on any stat sheet.
**************************************************
This week A&T travels to Daytona Beach, Flordia to face a hot Bethune-Cookman team, which perhaps is not quite as explosive offensively as in year's past but is still a very talented football team.
This is a game that I expect A&T to hang tough with its defense early, but offensively something has got to change or it’s going to be long afternoon.
It would be turning point if the Aggies can pull off the huge upset but with 12 key players still out with injuries this week, I don’t think so.
PREDICTION
Bethune Cookman 27
N. C. A&T 7
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
George Ragsdale stepped into a head coach’s shoes last weekend on the collegiate level and frankly surprised me in a couple of ways.
He stayed focused on his game plan which was to play exceptional defense against a Howard team that has been very good offensively most of 2008, but has suffered much of the same difficulties as A&T had for much of this season - turnovers.
“Rags”, as he is affectionately known around Greensboro, stayed busy on the sidelines encouraging his struggling ball club after losing an early 14 point lead while giving up 20 straight points midway in the second half.
Faced with a fourth and six inside the Howard 40-yard line with a little over nine minutes to go, he chose not to play it safe as the percentages would suggest but went for broke with a much maligned quarterback, a patchwork offensive line, and an untested freshman wide receiver on a straight button hook route.
It paid off big with a ten yard first down and swung the momentum back to the Aggies. That momentum would later be capped off with a seven yard touchdown run from Mike Ferguson that gave A&T the lead for good. After a couple of “oh no” turnovers, the defense stood its ground and A&T broke its 25-game MEAC losing streak and walked away with a deserved 21-20 win over the Bison.
Granted, these two teams rank near the bottom of the MEAC but the win was something that the Aggies needed very badly. The big thing was to find the will and a way to win a ball game that seemingly had faded away. A&T had to discover the determination and enough discipline to come up big when it had to.
In the big scheme of things, it doesn’t appear that this was a turnaround mark in another down season but it did for the moment, however brief, bring back memories of what A&T once was.
For George Ragsdale it was affirmation that the task that Athletic Director Wheeler Brown had entrusted in him was not for naught and his team responded to him, something it had not done under the now deposed Lee Fobbs.
It seems like eons ago since Fobbs was let go but it has been less than two weeks and the atmosphere surrounding A&T, although apprehensive at the beginning, was reassuring in just the type of effort that was displayed by the players. For the first time in three weeks, these guys wanted it. And that in itself is the first step in the right direction.
Does this mean that A&T has suddenly returned to its one-time dominance in the MEAC? Now way. But what last week did do was show what can be done if the person leading the charge has the attitude of a competitor, the desire and the fire.
A team is a direct reflection of the coach’s mindset. Whatever you may think of “Rags” as a potential permanent coach, one thing you can say about him is that he is not a quitter.
From where I sat, it appears that his players took hold of that same philosophy against Howard and that is a huge win, in and of itself, that won’t show up on any stat sheet.
**************************************************
This week A&T travels to Daytona Beach, Flordia to face a hot Bethune-Cookman team, which perhaps is not quite as explosive offensively as in year's past but is still a very talented football team.
This is a game that I expect A&T to hang tough with its defense early, but offensively something has got to change or it’s going to be long afternoon.
It would be turning point if the Aggies can pull off the huge upset but with 12 key players still out with injuries this week, I don’t think so.
PREDICTION
Bethune Cookman 27
N. C. A&T 7
