Post by Bornthrilla on Sept 26, 2005 18:17:03 GMT -5
Monday, September 26, 2005
Aggies go down in forgettable "Toilet Bowl" game
By Semaj Marsh
bluedeathvalley.com
ELON - It was the best of times… it was the worst of times.
Well, mostly it was just the worst of times Saturday night as A&T and Elon joined forces for three hours at Rhodes Stadium to present one of the sorriest displays of college football in recent memory.
In a contest neither team seemingly wanted to win, A&T ultimately showed more ineptness on offense and greater incompetency from its coaching staff to secure a hard-fought 12 -9 defeat.
The loss dropped the Aggies to 1-3 on the season and gave their next-door rivals their first victory in the series since 2000. The outcome also brought out a legion of boo-birds from the gold-clad visitors’ section at Rhodes Stadium, who, by the end of the night, were calling loudly for both the termination of George Small and the benching of senior quarterback Marshall Glen.
Rarely has a team with this many upper-classmen on both sides of the ball looked so lost and undisciplined. Rarely has a team with this many former AP first team all-state selections and Division 1-A transfers appeared so unable to make game-altering plays. If, for some reason, Small is not brought back as A&T’s head coach after this season –or even given his walking papers prior to the South Carolina State contest- this game likely will be considered a watershed moment in his downfall.
Glen, to his credit, didn’t have an awful night under center against Elon. He finished with 10 completions for 114 yards and 1 interception. Those numbers would have been even better if not for a spree of dropped passed from his receivers and a blown no-call on his lone interception when he clearly appeared to be down before getting the ball off. Still, time and time again, Glenn and the Aggie offense failed to make the big play when they needed it most.
Former starting quarterback Rico Watkins was inserted for one snap – yes, just a single play – late in the second quarter. But after handing the ball off for a short gain, he was vanquished back to the A&T sideline for the remainder of the contest.
So much for getting a chance to find one’s rhythm.
For a moment, however, the much-maligned A&T offense teased the crowd of 9,250 into wondering if this game would be different. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Aggies embarked on a surprisingly efficient 12- play, 81-yard scoring drive to jump ahead 7-0.
Unfortunately, it would not be a harbinger of things to come.
A&T would soon succumb to the usual suspects of predictable play-calling, poor clock and game management, and an overall lack of execution from its line and skill players. With the Aggies unable to move to ball on offense, Elon took advantage of the favorable field position and booted a pair of field goals to pull within 7-6 at the half.
In the third quarter, the Phoenix went ahead for good thanks to a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Reggie Hall, who finished with a game-high 180 yards rushing on 32 carries. However, staying true to the game’s theme of mutual blunders, Elon fumbled the ensuing extra point attempt, which was recovered by A&T’s Theron Thomas and returned 88 yards for a defensive two point conversion. That made the score 12-9 and neither team would seriously threaten again.
After several more attempts to jump start their offense, the A&T’s final drive stalled out at Elon’s 35 yard line, when seldom-used backup running back James Newby was stopped in his own backfield on 4th-and- 1. Inexplicably, Newby was sent in to replace Quante Speight, who has already rushed for 106 yards in the game including a 16-yard touchdown run on the opening scoring drive.
When the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard, everyone on the Elon sideline rushed the field in euphoria, clearly proud of their Toilet Bowl victory. Across the field, the A&T players slowly staggered off one by one, refusing to gather into their traditional “hive huddle” formation in which they are supposed march off the field in unison. It was if they no longer saw the importance of the forming the hive huddle – a symbol of team unity that Small learned as an assistant at Youngstown State. It was if some of them were no longer buying into the system altogether.
Later, outside the visiting locker room as the players got dressed for the return bus ride to Greensboro, several A&T coaches sat down on a grassy knoll and quietly stared into the evening sky. It was a scene strangely reminiscent of the Hurricane Katrina victims who were desperately waiting for help on their rooftops. Both had suddenly come to the realization of their future’s grim outlook. And both looked totally unable to do anything about it.
Aggies go down in forgettable "Toilet Bowl" game
By Semaj Marsh
bluedeathvalley.com
ELON - It was the best of times… it was the worst of times.
Well, mostly it was just the worst of times Saturday night as A&T and Elon joined forces for three hours at Rhodes Stadium to present one of the sorriest displays of college football in recent memory.
In a contest neither team seemingly wanted to win, A&T ultimately showed more ineptness on offense and greater incompetency from its coaching staff to secure a hard-fought 12 -9 defeat.
The loss dropped the Aggies to 1-3 on the season and gave their next-door rivals their first victory in the series since 2000. The outcome also brought out a legion of boo-birds from the gold-clad visitors’ section at Rhodes Stadium, who, by the end of the night, were calling loudly for both the termination of George Small and the benching of senior quarterback Marshall Glen.
Rarely has a team with this many upper-classmen on both sides of the ball looked so lost and undisciplined. Rarely has a team with this many former AP first team all-state selections and Division 1-A transfers appeared so unable to make game-altering plays. If, for some reason, Small is not brought back as A&T’s head coach after this season –or even given his walking papers prior to the South Carolina State contest- this game likely will be considered a watershed moment in his downfall.
Glen, to his credit, didn’t have an awful night under center against Elon. He finished with 10 completions for 114 yards and 1 interception. Those numbers would have been even better if not for a spree of dropped passed from his receivers and a blown no-call on his lone interception when he clearly appeared to be down before getting the ball off. Still, time and time again, Glenn and the Aggie offense failed to make the big play when they needed it most.
Former starting quarterback Rico Watkins was inserted for one snap – yes, just a single play – late in the second quarter. But after handing the ball off for a short gain, he was vanquished back to the A&T sideline for the remainder of the contest.
So much for getting a chance to find one’s rhythm.
For a moment, however, the much-maligned A&T offense teased the crowd of 9,250 into wondering if this game would be different. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Aggies embarked on a surprisingly efficient 12- play, 81-yard scoring drive to jump ahead 7-0.
Unfortunately, it would not be a harbinger of things to come.
A&T would soon succumb to the usual suspects of predictable play-calling, poor clock and game management, and an overall lack of execution from its line and skill players. With the Aggies unable to move to ball on offense, Elon took advantage of the favorable field position and booted a pair of field goals to pull within 7-6 at the half.
In the third quarter, the Phoenix went ahead for good thanks to a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Reggie Hall, who finished with a game-high 180 yards rushing on 32 carries. However, staying true to the game’s theme of mutual blunders, Elon fumbled the ensuing extra point attempt, which was recovered by A&T’s Theron Thomas and returned 88 yards for a defensive two point conversion. That made the score 12-9 and neither team would seriously threaten again.
After several more attempts to jump start their offense, the A&T’s final drive stalled out at Elon’s 35 yard line, when seldom-used backup running back James Newby was stopped in his own backfield on 4th-and- 1. Inexplicably, Newby was sent in to replace Quante Speight, who has already rushed for 106 yards in the game including a 16-yard touchdown run on the opening scoring drive.
When the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard, everyone on the Elon sideline rushed the field in euphoria, clearly proud of their Toilet Bowl victory. Across the field, the A&T players slowly staggered off one by one, refusing to gather into their traditional “hive huddle” formation in which they are supposed march off the field in unison. It was if they no longer saw the importance of the forming the hive huddle – a symbol of team unity that Small learned as an assistant at Youngstown State. It was if some of them were no longer buying into the system altogether.
Later, outside the visiting locker room as the players got dressed for the return bus ride to Greensboro, several A&T coaches sat down on a grassy knoll and quietly stared into the evening sky. It was a scene strangely reminiscent of the Hurricane Katrina victims who were desperately waiting for help on their rooftops. Both had suddenly come to the realization of their future’s grim outlook. And both looked totally unable to do anything about it.
