Post by krazykev on Oct 10, 2006 5:24:23 GMT -5
By Rob Daniels
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO -- Michael Ferguson always liked blue and gold anyway. So that red mesh practice jersey, the one that marked him a protected man? He'll happily toss it aside this week.
N.C. A&T's top running back, injured in the opener against Winston-Salem State, expects to be 100 percent healthy Saturday when the Aggies play at Delaware State in a continuing a quest for their first victory of the year.
"Last week, I was a little stiff," said Ferguson, who has averaged 4.9 yards on 20 carries this season. "But this week, I'm pretty good with movements and stuff."
While no single player can heal what ails Division I-AA's worst offense, Ferguson's return to full speed is a start. After he suffered a knee injury Sept. 2, coach Lee Fobbs was cautious.
"The worst thing," Fobbs said, "is to have a kid come back too soon from an injury. And then he's gone again."
With Ferguson in a limited role, the Aggies' ground game has struggled, to put it gently. Not until last Saturday, the season's fifth game, did a runner surpass 100 yards for the season. Quarterback Herb Miller leads the team in rushing, and that's not really the long-term plan.
"If I'm at my top, I can help the team as much as possible," said Ferguson, who combined for 93 yards on 19 carries in the past two games.
Saturday's 32-0 home loss to Morgan State, which extended the longest losing streak in A&T history to 10 games, wasn't totally worthless. Ferguson ran 11 times for 66 yards and gave some indication that he can become a primary option.
"We saw flashes of him," Fobbs said.
During the past three weeks, Ferguson's participation in practice has gradually increased. Scout-team players, who are ordered not to hit runners' legs under any circumstances, were limited even further in contact on Ferguson, a sophomore from Northern Durham. But his effort against Morgan State, which included the Aggies' longest run of the season, a 19-yarder, suggested that it's time to throw caution -- and a certain color of jersey -- to the wind.
"I don't think he liked it anyway," Fobbs said of the limited contact.
A&T (0-3, MEAC, 0-5) expects to see a stacked defensive front at Delaware State (2-1, 3-2) and will make adjustments, but Fobbs said radical change at this stage is counterproductive.
"By changing week after week, the kids never get a concept of what we do," he said. "We'll change up some formations, but we can't do so much that we fool ourselves."
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO -- Michael Ferguson always liked blue and gold anyway. So that red mesh practice jersey, the one that marked him a protected man? He'll happily toss it aside this week.
N.C. A&T's top running back, injured in the opener against Winston-Salem State, expects to be 100 percent healthy Saturday when the Aggies play at Delaware State in a continuing a quest for their first victory of the year.
"Last week, I was a little stiff," said Ferguson, who has averaged 4.9 yards on 20 carries this season. "But this week, I'm pretty good with movements and stuff."
While no single player can heal what ails Division I-AA's worst offense, Ferguson's return to full speed is a start. After he suffered a knee injury Sept. 2, coach Lee Fobbs was cautious.
"The worst thing," Fobbs said, "is to have a kid come back too soon from an injury. And then he's gone again."
With Ferguson in a limited role, the Aggies' ground game has struggled, to put it gently. Not until last Saturday, the season's fifth game, did a runner surpass 100 yards for the season. Quarterback Herb Miller leads the team in rushing, and that's not really the long-term plan.
"If I'm at my top, I can help the team as much as possible," said Ferguson, who combined for 93 yards on 19 carries in the past two games.
Saturday's 32-0 home loss to Morgan State, which extended the longest losing streak in A&T history to 10 games, wasn't totally worthless. Ferguson ran 11 times for 66 yards and gave some indication that he can become a primary option.
"We saw flashes of him," Fobbs said.
During the past three weeks, Ferguson's participation in practice has gradually increased. Scout-team players, who are ordered not to hit runners' legs under any circumstances, were limited even further in contact on Ferguson, a sophomore from Northern Durham. But his effort against Morgan State, which included the Aggies' longest run of the season, a 19-yarder, suggested that it's time to throw caution -- and a certain color of jersey -- to the wind.
"I don't think he liked it anyway," Fobbs said of the limited contact.
A&T (0-3, MEAC, 0-5) expects to see a stacked defensive front at Delaware State (2-1, 3-2) and will make adjustments, but Fobbs said radical change at this stage is counterproductive.
"By changing week after week, the kids never get a concept of what we do," he said. "We'll change up some formations, but we can't do so much that we fool ourselves."
