Post by Aggie One on Sept 22, 2011 19:07:38 GMT -5
Coastal Too Much For A&T?
By Craig R. Turner
Bluedeathvalley.com
Well, after winning its opening game easily against an outmanned VUL team in week one and then getting manhandled two weeks ago by Appalachian State, who many feel, including this writer, to be the best FCS football program in the nation.
What stands in front of the Aggies now is a Coastal Carolina team that has beaten the Aggies twice in their only meetings in 2008 and 2010 in what were both competitive football games until late in the third quarter, when the Chanticleers went deep into their bench and broke both games open because A&T could not generate a sufficient amount of offense to stay in the fight into the fourth quarter.
A&T has improved from both of those teams and doers have vertical passing game and some playmakers they did not have in the prior meetings.
A lot will depend on continued development of promising sophomore QB Lewis Kindle but more importantly A&T has not been able to run the football with any regularity and no running back has stepped forward to lead the ground attack.
The best runner thus far has been backup QB Ricky Lewis who plays four different positions at any given time during the game.
Mike Mayhew , who came into the season as one of the most ballyhooed running backs, has been done very little to write home about with nicks and dings and no other backs have shown the aptitude to step up their game to offset the loss of his past performance.
First year coach Rod Broadway knows that his defense must play much better against Coastal for the Aggies to have a chance and offensively turnovers, drive killing penalties, and execution must improve.
Most Aggie fans are looking for some major improvement this week and some are using it as a measuring stick on how good a football team Broadway can muster with his 33 scholarship players and 30 some walk-ons.
I can understand why many Aggies think that this game is more in-line with the type of competition that A&T will face when it goes up to Morgan State next week.
I will not be measuring this game by a win or loss but how we perform. Will we step and learn how to be tough and aggressive and play all out or go through the motions of showing up and hoping not to be blown out.
The real concern to me will be how A&T is going to mentally prepare itself for a solid CCU ball club that runs the ball exceptionally well and plays a swarming style of defense.
CCU should be a solid favorite going into this game but it is also a game that A&T can stay in for four quarters and compete if they decide to stop making mistakes and shooting themselves in the foot early in this contest as they did against App State.
If A&T really concentrates and comes to play on all phases in front of friendly and what should be a boisterous home crowd after a week of rest and practice time, this could be a quiet upset in the making.
I would expect A&T to be extremely fresh from the bye week which is totally necessary when facing a superior opponent as I would suspect the Chanticleers to be confident and perhaps chalking this game up already as an easy win.
The more newspapers about how down trodden the Aggies are they read they cockier they may become which could work in A&T’s favor. I'm not betting on that as factor.
Unlike last week, A&T will not have to play a perfect game against a perfect team but they will have to play a smart game with some true emotion against a good team that has some weak spots that A&T can attack if they play on point and play smart.
I see a good football game coming up Saturday but whether A&T is ready to take that next step in being competitive will tell me more than a final score.
PREDICTION:
Coastal Carolina – 24
N.C. A&T -20
By Craig R. Turner
Bluedeathvalley.com
Well, after winning its opening game easily against an outmanned VUL team in week one and then getting manhandled two weeks ago by Appalachian State, who many feel, including this writer, to be the best FCS football program in the nation.
What stands in front of the Aggies now is a Coastal Carolina team that has beaten the Aggies twice in their only meetings in 2008 and 2010 in what were both competitive football games until late in the third quarter, when the Chanticleers went deep into their bench and broke both games open because A&T could not generate a sufficient amount of offense to stay in the fight into the fourth quarter.
A&T has improved from both of those teams and doers have vertical passing game and some playmakers they did not have in the prior meetings.
A lot will depend on continued development of promising sophomore QB Lewis Kindle but more importantly A&T has not been able to run the football with any regularity and no running back has stepped forward to lead the ground attack.
The best runner thus far has been backup QB Ricky Lewis who plays four different positions at any given time during the game.
Mike Mayhew , who came into the season as one of the most ballyhooed running backs, has been done very little to write home about with nicks and dings and no other backs have shown the aptitude to step up their game to offset the loss of his past performance.
First year coach Rod Broadway knows that his defense must play much better against Coastal for the Aggies to have a chance and offensively turnovers, drive killing penalties, and execution must improve.
Most Aggie fans are looking for some major improvement this week and some are using it as a measuring stick on how good a football team Broadway can muster with his 33 scholarship players and 30 some walk-ons.
I can understand why many Aggies think that this game is more in-line with the type of competition that A&T will face when it goes up to Morgan State next week.
I will not be measuring this game by a win or loss but how we perform. Will we step and learn how to be tough and aggressive and play all out or go through the motions of showing up and hoping not to be blown out.
The real concern to me will be how A&T is going to mentally prepare itself for a solid CCU ball club that runs the ball exceptionally well and plays a swarming style of defense.
CCU should be a solid favorite going into this game but it is also a game that A&T can stay in for four quarters and compete if they decide to stop making mistakes and shooting themselves in the foot early in this contest as they did against App State.
If A&T really concentrates and comes to play on all phases in front of friendly and what should be a boisterous home crowd after a week of rest and practice time, this could be a quiet upset in the making.
I would expect A&T to be extremely fresh from the bye week which is totally necessary when facing a superior opponent as I would suspect the Chanticleers to be confident and perhaps chalking this game up already as an easy win.
The more newspapers about how down trodden the Aggies are they read they cockier they may become which could work in A&T’s favor. I'm not betting on that as factor.
Unlike last week, A&T will not have to play a perfect game against a perfect team but they will have to play a smart game with some true emotion against a good team that has some weak spots that A&T can attack if they play on point and play smart.
I see a good football game coming up Saturday but whether A&T is ready to take that next step in being competitive will tell me more than a final score.
PREDICTION:
Coastal Carolina – 24
N.C. A&T -20
