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Post by aggieman007 on Nov 11, 2014 11:18:20 GMT -5
Who is going I am on the Fence about making this trip?
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Post by aggierattler on Nov 11, 2014 11:41:41 GMT -5
I'm clearing my schedule to come up from Tallahassee.
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Post by aggierattler on Nov 11, 2014 12:05:32 GMT -5
From Tuesday's News-Record:
Broadway: Winless Savannah State demands 'focus'
BY JEFF MILLS
jeff.mills@newsrecord.com | Posted: Tuesday, November 11, 2014 5:35 am
A&T FOOTBALL NOTES
It's a trap. A classic trap game.
The season is winding down. N.C. A&T (8-2,5-1 MEAC) has eight wins for the first time in 11 years. The Aggies are in a three-way tie for first place in the conference, and the FCS playoff buzz has started in earnest.
In two weeks, the Aggies play the regular-season finale in Durham against their archrival, N.C. Central (5-5,4-2), a good team having a decent year.
But first comes a side trip to Georgia this weekend to play hapless, winless Savannah State.
And therein lies the trap.
With the Aggie-Eagle Classic in two weeks and the prospect of playoff games on the horizon, it would be awfully easy to overlook the Tigers (0-10,0-7) — a woeful team that has surrendered nearly 3 miles of offense this season.
"If we take care of business, we should win the game," A&T coach Rod Broadway said Monday. "You hate to say this as a coach, but we're better than them.
"That's not enough, though. You still have to prepare, and you still have to play the game.... The biggest fear is you don't have your mind on your business. That's when you start making mistakes and turning the ball over."
The only winless team in the MEAC, Savannah State has earned its losses.
The Tigers rank 11th out of 11 in scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense and rushing offense. They've given up a league-high 39 sacks, average a league-worst 29.6 yards per punt and are dead last in field-goal kicking at an awful 2-for-9 on field-goal attempts.
Savannah State is the perfect team to overlook.
"We've got to get our guys to focus on preparation," Broadway said. "Let's face it: Our guys are going to look (at the standings) and see oh-and-10. When you see oh-and-10, the tendency is to ... start
thinking you're better than you really are. All of a sudden, you don't do the things it takes to win because your mind says, 'Well, they're not that good.'"
Truth is, the Tigers aren't that good. They're giving up an average of 45.9 points per game this year. And A&T leads the MEAC in scoring offense (34 ppg) and scoring defense (14.6 ppg).
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Three teams start the week tied for first place in the MEAC with 5-1 league records. What happens if all three win out?
With an expanded 24-team FCS playoff draw, the league could conceivably get three teams in the postseason tournament for the first time.
Under that scenario, South Carolina State would finish 9-3 overall and get the MEAC's automatic berth because of head-to-head wins over A&T and Bethune-Cookman.
But the Aggies and Wildcats, who do not play each other under a quirk of the schedule, would both finish 10-2 overall. It would be hard to justify giving one an at-large berth and leaving out the other.
"I think all of us are deserving," Broadway said. "You've got teams ranked ahead of us in the polls with four or five losses. I don't know how that comes about — just a lack of respect, I guess."
SHUTOUT: The Aggies 45-0 victory over Morgan State this past Saturday was their second shutout of the season but was much more impressive than their 59-0 win over Chowan in Week 4.
Why? Because A&T held the MEAC's leading rusher, Herb Walker Jr., to just 22 yards on 10 carries and forced an offense with the fewest turnovers in the league into two interceptions and a lost fumble.
It's the best 60-minute effort on defense the Aggies have shown this season.
Broadway said. "We've played well enough to win, but we hadn't put a whole game together defensively. We'd give up a cheap play here or there, which would lead to bigger things. We'd be great in spots, then lax in spots. But Saturday, our kids had prepared well and it showed."
The Aggies gave up just eight first downs, and Morgan State — which came in leading the league in third-down conversions — went just 3-for-15 on third and fourth downs.
COHEN'S CARRIES: Sophomore running back Tarik Cohen ran for 56 yards and a touchdown against Morgan State, giving him 1,022 rushing yards this season.
He's the first A&T player to run for more than 1,000 yards in his freshman and sophomore seasons and just the third Aggies back — after Maurice Hicks and Mike Mayhew — with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
But Cohen got his yards Saturday on just seven carries.
"That wasn't by design. It was just the way it happened," Broadway said. "... We've got to find a balance. Tarik needs the ball 22 to 26 times per game, because he's such a play-maker. We've got to find a way to get him the ball."
Cohen had 36 carries for 144 yards earlier this year against Delaware State, too many carries to suit Broadway. But seven carries are too few for a healthy Cohen, and the result of A&T's offensive scheme.
"A lot of times in the read-option (offense), the quarterback reads the defense and it determines who gets the ball," Broadway said.
With Morgan State's defense stacked to stop Cohen, quarterback Kawshaun Quick made proper reads and called his own number.
Quick took what the defense was giving, and he finished 22-of-29 passing for 249 yards and four touchdowns — all career-high numbers for the junior. Quick also led the Aggies with 18 carries for 63 rushing yards.
Contact Jeff Mills at (336) 373-7024, and follow @jeffmillsnr on Twitter.
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aggielaw
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Post by aggielaw on Nov 11, 2014 13:44:42 GMT -5
Will they provide an internet feed?
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Nov 11, 2014 14:03:31 GMT -5
i've never visited ssu before and would like to be there, but savannah is a bit out of my driving range and i've already met my budget for airline tickets this year. so i'm gonna have to take a pass on this one, but i'll definitely be in durham for the central game. bought my tickets almost a full month ago.
however, first things first. as difficult as it may be, we must not lose focus of ssu. i mean, seriously. we cannot fall for that mistake...
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Post by marchingband1969 on Nov 11, 2014 14:11:46 GMT -5
Originally I was going to this game and had even booked a room. But I'm going to save my money and not go. After last week's rout of Morgan I can't see spending 4 hours driving to that game. If Savanah State was more competitive then I'd go.
See you guys in Durham.
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Post by Aggie One on Nov 11, 2014 14:17:28 GMT -5
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trues
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Post by trues on Nov 11, 2014 16:42:52 GMT -5
I hope you all that are attending the game have a great time. I already travel to Florida to witness my blowout game. Its time for someone else to take the helm lol.  |
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Post by oldschool on Nov 11, 2014 17:39:36 GMT -5
I'll be there ,but I understand why others may not make the trip . I was born in Savannah and grew up just a short hop across the Talmadge bridge in South Carolina . Savannah is a top tourist destination , and the downtown area sits right on the riverfront . Lots of good food and historic sites to see . You can sit on the riverfront and watch the big container ships going in and out of the docks . Savannah State has a very nice campus , if you choose to go i'm sure you'll have a great time .
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aggielaw
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Post by aggielaw on Nov 11, 2014 18:36:01 GMT -5
Aggie One, I take it you can only pay on game day when the feed is up and the game has started?
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Post by TOPPDOGG on Nov 11, 2014 20:11:02 GMT -5
I'm leaving Friday morning headed to Gawguh.
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saabman
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Post by saabman on Nov 11, 2014 20:41:24 GMT -5
I'll be there ,but I understand why others may not make the trip . I was born in Savannah and grew up just a short hop across the Talmadge bridge in South Carolina . Savannah is a top tourist destination , and the downtown area sits right on the riverfront . Lots of good food and historic sites to see . You can sit on the riverfront and watch the big container ships going in and out of the docks . Savannah State has a very nice campus , if you choose to go i'm sure you'll have a great time . A wonderful place too visit. Love the food and the place. It reminds you a lot of New Orleans. |
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Post by DiehardAggie70 on Nov 11, 2014 20:49:55 GMT -5
I'm leaving Friday am also.
Anybody have names of good seafood eateries?
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Nov 11, 2014 20:54:23 GMT -5
I'll be there ,but I understand why others may not make the trip . I was born in Savannah and grew up just a short hop across the Talmadge bridge in South Carolina . Savannah is a top tourist destination , and the downtown area sits right on the riverfront . Lots of good food and historic sites to see . You can sit on the riverfront and watch the big container ships going in and out of the docks . Savannah State has a very nice campus , if you choose to go i'm sure you'll have a great time . A wonderful place too visit. Love the food and the place. It reminds you a lot of New Orleans. oh lawd, saabman!! i luv me some new orleans! you're setting the bar awfully high cuz i've never seen a city that rivals new orleans. now i know i've got to find my way to eventually get to savannah...  |
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90Aggie
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Post by 90Aggie on Nov 11, 2014 20:55:31 GMT -5
Savannah is a top tourist destination , and the downtown area sits right on the riverfront . Lots of good food and historic sites to see . You can sit on the riverfront and watch the big container ships going in and out of the docks . Savannah State has a very nice campus , if you choose to go i'm sure you'll have a great time . Absolutely correct! Savannah State's campus is quite nice! |
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