Post by trues on Sept 29, 2011 14:04:33 GMT -5
www.carolinapeacemaker.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=110749&sID=42&ItemSource=L
Coastal Carolina surfs past A&T , 31-14
Semaj Marsh
Carolina Peacemaker
Originally posted 9/29/2011
A&T coach Rod Broadway knew when he first signed up for the gig that there would be plenty of days when his team would be outgunned and over-matched early on. Still, that hasn’t made the Aggies’ slow rebuilding process any less frustrating at times.
Short on scholarship players and lacking depth at several key positions, A&T suffered its second consecutive loss to a superior opponent last week, falling at home to Coastal Carolina, 31-14.
The Aggies showed heart in the second half by battling back from a 24-0 deficit to pull within 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter. However, Coastal immediately responded with a four-play, 82-yard drive just 51 seconds later to seal the win.
“Our guys are fighting and, considering the numbers we have, they are doing a lot of things we are asking them to do,” said Broadway. “We are just undermanned right now (because of the APR penalties). We also lose four hours of practice time each week, so you’re looking at a double-edged sword. We knew coming in that we have some problems with our programs. We had 30 guys on scholarship and Coastal Carolina had 76. Those are not excuses; those are just the facts.”
This weekend the Aggies hope to encounter a more favorable match-up when they begin their conference schedule with a trip up to Baltimore to battle Morgan State.
The Bears (2-2, 1-0 MEAC) are coming off a sloppy 14-9 win over Howard in East Rutherford, N.J. in which they gained just 10 first downs and 187 yards in total offense. Morgan has struggled moving the ball this season and currently has the 11th ranked offense in the MEAC.
Defensively, the Bears still live up to their reputation of being a formidable unit, especially now that former A&T head coach Alonzo Lee is back on the sidelines serving as defensive coordinator. When he last coordinated Morgan’s defense in 2008, the Bears finished with the No. 1 defense in the entire nation. Last week, Morgan was able to force five turnovers against Howard to preserve the win.
Likewise, the Aggies were dominated on offense for most of the afternoon last week against Coastal, gaining just 194 total yards before finally mounting a pair of second half scoring drives to make things interesting.
Senior receiver Wallace Miles caught eight passes for 83 yards and one touchdown against the Chanticleers and currently leads in the MEAC in both receptions (22) and receiving yards (390). His 22 catches in A&T’s first three games which are more in a three-game span that any other Aggie receiver in school history.
However, with more teams beginning to double team him the Aggies desperately need another receiver to emerge to take some of the pressure off.
“Wallace really competes for the football when it’s in the air,” said Broadway. “His attitude is that if the ball is in the air it belongs to me. That’s how you want guys to play. Our other guys are having problems getting jammed on the line and running proper routes but we have to continue to work with them. We’ve got to develop another receiver on our football team somehow.”
A&T coaches are hoping that junior wide-out Torrian Warren will be able to return this week after missing the last two games with a high ankle sprain. Broadway also said he expects back-up quarterback Ricky Lewis to start getting more action at the receiver spot.
The Aggies will also be shuffling new bodies around on the offensive line which has suffered the loss of three starters since the season began. Last week senior tackle Alex Harper was forced to sit out because of an undisclosed eligibility issue. He graded out as the team’s best offensive lineman after the first two games of the season and was considered a legitimate NFL prospect. Broadway said his staff was still waiting to get a final ruling on Harper’s status from the NCAA but they’ve already moved a couple of defensive linemen over to the offensive side of the ball to fill the void.
“We’ve just got to continue to work hard and try to get better every day,” said Broadway. “If you look at our football team, we’re taking some steps but it’s not enough steps to win games right now. We’ve got to improve and give ourselves a chance to win some of these games. And win some of these games soon.”
Coastal Carolina surfs past A&T , 31-14
Semaj Marsh
Carolina Peacemaker
Originally posted 9/29/2011
A&T coach Rod Broadway knew when he first signed up for the gig that there would be plenty of days when his team would be outgunned and over-matched early on. Still, that hasn’t made the Aggies’ slow rebuilding process any less frustrating at times.
Short on scholarship players and lacking depth at several key positions, A&T suffered its second consecutive loss to a superior opponent last week, falling at home to Coastal Carolina, 31-14.
The Aggies showed heart in the second half by battling back from a 24-0 deficit to pull within 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter. However, Coastal immediately responded with a four-play, 82-yard drive just 51 seconds later to seal the win.
“Our guys are fighting and, considering the numbers we have, they are doing a lot of things we are asking them to do,” said Broadway. “We are just undermanned right now (because of the APR penalties). We also lose four hours of practice time each week, so you’re looking at a double-edged sword. We knew coming in that we have some problems with our programs. We had 30 guys on scholarship and Coastal Carolina had 76. Those are not excuses; those are just the facts.”
This weekend the Aggies hope to encounter a more favorable match-up when they begin their conference schedule with a trip up to Baltimore to battle Morgan State.
The Bears (2-2, 1-0 MEAC) are coming off a sloppy 14-9 win over Howard in East Rutherford, N.J. in which they gained just 10 first downs and 187 yards in total offense. Morgan has struggled moving the ball this season and currently has the 11th ranked offense in the MEAC.
Defensively, the Bears still live up to their reputation of being a formidable unit, especially now that former A&T head coach Alonzo Lee is back on the sidelines serving as defensive coordinator. When he last coordinated Morgan’s defense in 2008, the Bears finished with the No. 1 defense in the entire nation. Last week, Morgan was able to force five turnovers against Howard to preserve the win.
Likewise, the Aggies were dominated on offense for most of the afternoon last week against Coastal, gaining just 194 total yards before finally mounting a pair of second half scoring drives to make things interesting.
Senior receiver Wallace Miles caught eight passes for 83 yards and one touchdown against the Chanticleers and currently leads in the MEAC in both receptions (22) and receiving yards (390). His 22 catches in A&T’s first three games which are more in a three-game span that any other Aggie receiver in school history.
However, with more teams beginning to double team him the Aggies desperately need another receiver to emerge to take some of the pressure off.
“Wallace really competes for the football when it’s in the air,” said Broadway. “His attitude is that if the ball is in the air it belongs to me. That’s how you want guys to play. Our other guys are having problems getting jammed on the line and running proper routes but we have to continue to work with them. We’ve got to develop another receiver on our football team somehow.”
A&T coaches are hoping that junior wide-out Torrian Warren will be able to return this week after missing the last two games with a high ankle sprain. Broadway also said he expects back-up quarterback Ricky Lewis to start getting more action at the receiver spot.
The Aggies will also be shuffling new bodies around on the offensive line which has suffered the loss of three starters since the season began. Last week senior tackle Alex Harper was forced to sit out because of an undisclosed eligibility issue. He graded out as the team’s best offensive lineman after the first two games of the season and was considered a legitimate NFL prospect. Broadway said his staff was still waiting to get a final ruling on Harper’s status from the NCAA but they’ve already moved a couple of defensive linemen over to the offensive side of the ball to fill the void.
“We’ve just got to continue to work hard and try to get better every day,” said Broadway. “If you look at our football team, we’re taking some steps but it’s not enough steps to win games right now. We’ve got to improve and give ourselves a chance to win some of these games. And win some of these games soon.”
