Another scrimmage tomorrow at 9 AM

[Bornthrilla]

Round two.

I think some starting jobs for this WSSU game will be determined by how folks perform tomorrow.

Look for Night Train to have a coming out party and regain the No. 1 tailback spot. You heard it here first.

[Aggie77]

Alright, jslee850 set the alarm clock this time!

[Aggie One]

I will be there again. As always. Thrilla check your PM when you get a chance.

[jslee850]

Aug 21, 2009 18:19:03 GMT -5 Aggie77 said:

Alright, jslee850 set the alarm clock this time!

haha oh yea i made it to this one. An boy oh boy was i impressed with the play of the offense, I'll tell you once them boys starting rolling they are hard to stop! An Mr. night train coming out party i don't think so them freshmen are having a coming out party. I like what coach is doing with the teams in the scrimmage first defense against 2nd offense it prepares the 2nd strings to know what to expect and makes them better, very good strategy. Kickoff i really do like that freshmen kicking over the other kid he boots them thangs down the field good enough for me. Punting that freshmen looks good kicking that thing he kicks it high enough to get good coverage up field an it has some good distance on it to. When i think of a&t i just think of talented young kids who will develop as the season goes playing under these veterans. There were some flags but its nothing that the coaches want fix in practice, just the receivers coming in motion to crack back an anticipating to early an crossing the line, also a few alignment problems an some linemen to far up field but once again something that can be adjusted in practice. Only two holding calls which decent but still want to adjust but I'm sure all these things will get better as the week progressess.
But boy oh boy the big play ability of these running backs an receivers we had 3 different receivers making big plays constantly I'm telling you fears was under pressure an as he was throwing his arm got hit an the ball floated really high an some how the receiver came down with the ball while being able to stay inbounds, it was a great play. I do believe last scrimmage our main concern were dropped balls but in this scrimmage i do believe there were only two dropped balls! The starting defense looked pretty good filling them wholes up making good tackles fighting off blocks the secondary is improving more each time i see them now all they need to do is communicate a Lil more with each other an they'll be in pretty good condition. 2nd string defense has to improve a little but once again its nothing i don't expect to be fixed this week because the problems were minor. Overall fairly exciting scrimmage especially toward the end it started to heat up, the defense an offense began to start rolling but the storm ruined it.

[Bornthrilla]

This morning's scrimmage could have been billed as "Separation Saturday" because, like I anticipated, the coaching staff was looking to make a final decision on a number of key position battles.

The scrimmage featured uniformed officials for, I believe, the first time this camp and focused on pretty much every game-type situation including field goals, kick returns and goal-line plays.

Nearly every healthy player got some run and had a chance to make a final impression on the coaches before the depth chart is finalized for the WSSU game.

Ultimately, I think the majority of players who entered the scrimmage on top of the depth chart were able to hold on to their starting roles. Especially at running back where Michael Mayhew had arguably the top performance of the day. He had a bunch of great carries including an electrifying 30-plus yard touchdown run in which he slashed through the line and then cutback across the field.

Coach Berry was right: Mayhew does possess a break-away speed that the other backs just don't have.

Overall, I was really impressed by our execution and talent level. For the first time in a long time, we will have an array of weapons on offense. Undoubtedly, there will be a number of talented guys waiting to come in from off the sidelines because there is just not enough starting jobs to go around.

As a result, we should have some of the best special team players in the conference because many of those guys will be players who just missed out on earning starting jobs. In the past years, I think we had a bunch of scrubs out there on special teams.

Injury-wise, I noticed that Andre Thornton was not in uniform and the word is he suffered a minor chest injury. I did not see Eteyen Edet at all during this scrimmage and there was no word if he was injured or not.



The Big Winners For Today's Scrimmage

1. All the running backs

The entire Underground Railroad including Mayhew and Payne (still need to think of a name for those two) had a great day rushing the football. Mayhew separated himself from the pack as the clear No. 1 rusher, but Payne, Night Train, Cole-Train and Lil Engine all had their share of highlights and nice carries.

2.The starting offensive line

These guys really stepped up and did an excellent job opening up holes for the Railroad. There were a couple of holding calls in the red zone, but overall they gave Fears times to throw and keep the chains moving downfield.

3. The Motown Connection

You know the drill. They are simply a dominating force up front. If they stay healthy our defense will be alright.

4. Larry Raper

The Shelby Speedster finally got a chance to kick it into high gear. He scored a 25 yard touchdown on a bubble screen today, where he appeared to be about three steps faster than everyone else. This guy is a highlight film waiting to happen.

[aggielove]

any video? i'd love to see the X-Button (Raper) in action!!

[TOPPDOGG]

Thanks for the updates! Damn I can't wait. Just two more weeks.

[basefoot00]

Yep thanks for the update! I wasn't able to make it today but I can't wait to see us against WSSU.

[krazykev]

I was really impress with the wide outs today in Terrance Whitaker, Wallace Miles and Emerson Springs. There were only a few drops and the future is going to be bright with Buster Cooper and Larry Raper. Derek Gould is still working himself back from the shoulder injury that kept him out during the spring but, is definitely going to see the field. Cedric Byrd is also injured and has not gotten the reps that he needs to compete for playing time. Giorgio Lowrance is still solid and needs work on his separation but, is a solid possession receiver.

The one person who needs to get all the credit is QB Carlton Fears because, he has really stepped up his play. He is seeing the whole field and paying more attention to detail. There was a play where the snap was fumbled and he did not hesitate at all. He picked up the ball and threw a touchdown to Wallace Miles. If this was last year he would have just fallen on the ball until the play was blown dead.

[Aggie One]

All of the above with one more thing to add. Chennis Berry can really coach an offensive line. No doubt about it.

It is amazing to me he could take most of the same kids that where here last year that couldn't get out of their own way and turn them into the consistent unit we saw this morning that were wiping out folks both inside the tackles and off the corners - especially in the red zone.

This coming week we'll preview - RBs, QBs, and Special Teams. And yes the kicking game is going to be just fine.

Aggies, we are on our way back, maybe not all the way back in 2009 but we will definitely make some noise.

God help the MEAC when 2010 comes and Lee gets another recruiting class in here along with the kids that he has now and are red shirting this year. We definitely will be in the hunt by then.

[asmith1]

Not being overly optimistic,we may be short changing this team.I know we're young at certain positions and their are questions that won't be answered until game time,but I'm excited about this senior class and their lead by example attitudes.No player that I have seen or talked to gives me the impression that A&T WON'T BE A FORCE TO BE RECKEONED with.

[aggie62]

Thanks to all for the information about the team and today's scrimmage. I already have my tickets for the WSSU game and will be there looking for great things. AGGIE PRIDE!!!!!!

[aggie62]

Aug 22, 2009 15:47:56 GMT -5 asmith1 said:

Not being overly optimistic,we may be short changing this team.I know we're young at certain positions and their are questions that won't be answered until game time,but I'm excited about this senior class and their lead by example attitudes.No player that I have seen or talked to gives me the impression that A&T WON'T BE A FORCE TO BE RECKEONED with.

asmith,

A&T WILL BE or WON'T BE A FORCE TO BE RECKEONED WITH?? I hope we WILL BE..............

[AggieGroove]

Did Kindle play at QB? If so, how did he look?

[Aggie One]

He played today and looked like he always does - confident, strong arm, fast feet, on target with his passes, making good decisions.

He's just young and needs to get his feet wet and get some ollege experience but he's more than capable at number two. Most of the reps though went to Fears who was outstanding again today. He's been coached way up in the off season.

The offense really has come along a lot since last week. They are getting in cinque as they get more used to each other. Its a entirely different looking team offensively, nothing remotely like anything of the last three years.