Post by Aggie One on Oct 12, 2006 21:31:07 GMT -5
No Excuse, No Reason
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
The A&T defense decided to show up in last week’s 32-0 loss. Defense? In a shutout loss by 32 points? Yes folks, the defense did indeed show up. Being how things have gone for thus far this season and with the buzzards circling overhead like “Bad Luck Shelprock”, North Carolina A&T’s offense, although still erratic but somewhat effective, decided this was their time to take a week off.
The Aggies played probably their best game of the year on defense making two red zone stops back to back and held Morgan to a scoreless fourth quarter and only trailing 11-0 with a 1:27 to go before halftime literally gave the game away with unforced turnover after turnover by an offense that seemed to have left its mind in the locker room before kickoff.
Morgan State took full advantage of a collage of offensive blunders – bad snaps, wrong quarterback reads, muffed kickoffs, and getting stuffed on nearly every running play to snuff out any chance of staying in contention with a Morgan State team that in this writer’s opinion was competent but frankly just was not all that impressive or physically superior despite their upset of Bethune Cookman the week before on the road.
If it could have been worse, the Aggies, for the first time this season lost their composure and started getting flagrant dead ball fouls that either put them further in the hole on offense or just made the field shorter for a Morgan offense that found its rhythm in the second half and blasted A&T right out of its own stadium on a dreary cold and rainy day before the 4,000 or so fans that braved the weather conditions.
For the first time this year, I, as a journalist and an admitted A&T loyalist, was disgusted with the breakdown of decorum I saw late in the third quarter. Coach Lee Fobbs was equally perplexed with what he witnessed as well in his post game news conference comments that he would address that problem in no uncertain terms He will need to. That type of acting out can spread through a team like a cancer and destroy any team concept.
Fobbs has preached discipline from Day One and last Saturday’s display it had to really get under his skin. He was throwing a conniption fit flowing one bonehead personal foul penalty. Yeah players are emotional and football is not intended for the faint of heart or untested manhood but smart teams play with their heads instead of testosterone. Those that do will become successful as they mature, and develop. Those that don’t will stay at the bottom.
Forever.
Okay I vented. Take a deep breath.
Now let’s look around the MEAC and also A&T’s game with Delaware State who currently rest in a tie for second place with South Carolina State. BCC is now beginning a swan dive after losing two straight, at home, after getting riddled with offensive injuries to its backfield in the last two weeks and now have become an also ran looking to be a spoiler instead of a contender.
Two time defending champion Hampton has a big one coming up this weekend against Norfolk State and if they get that one, it will be all over in the MEAC for 2006 by the midseason point. That was something that no one had expected or had predicted in preseason given the hype behind SCSU, FAMU, DSU, and BCC going in with all the 1-A transfers and stellar recruiting classes that were talked about all summer that each had gobbled up.
So much for parity.
Dover, Delaware will be the scene for this week’s quest for that elusive first victory that the Aggies need to build some confidence and break what has now become a 10-game losing streak, the longest in school history. DSU is a potent offensive football team, capable of putting up a lot of points in a hurry with one of the better passing games in the conference and a defense that bends but doesn’t break.
It’ll be cold off the Atlantic Ocean this week and unless the A&T defense can repeat its first half performance for four quarters but now more importantly unless the offense suddenly re-appears with a actual running game and not turn the ball over, there isn’t a whole lot A&T will be able to do this week to reverse its fortunes.
The best chance just may be next week against Howard for homecoming, a team too reminiscent of the A&T team of last year. But the Aggies will show and up and hopefully will have the game face on this time on both sides of the ball.
Delaware State 38
N.C. A&T 13
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
The A&T defense decided to show up in last week’s 32-0 loss. Defense? In a shutout loss by 32 points? Yes folks, the defense did indeed show up. Being how things have gone for thus far this season and with the buzzards circling overhead like “Bad Luck Shelprock”, North Carolina A&T’s offense, although still erratic but somewhat effective, decided this was their time to take a week off.
The Aggies played probably their best game of the year on defense making two red zone stops back to back and held Morgan to a scoreless fourth quarter and only trailing 11-0 with a 1:27 to go before halftime literally gave the game away with unforced turnover after turnover by an offense that seemed to have left its mind in the locker room before kickoff.
Morgan State took full advantage of a collage of offensive blunders – bad snaps, wrong quarterback reads, muffed kickoffs, and getting stuffed on nearly every running play to snuff out any chance of staying in contention with a Morgan State team that in this writer’s opinion was competent but frankly just was not all that impressive or physically superior despite their upset of Bethune Cookman the week before on the road.
If it could have been worse, the Aggies, for the first time this season lost their composure and started getting flagrant dead ball fouls that either put them further in the hole on offense or just made the field shorter for a Morgan offense that found its rhythm in the second half and blasted A&T right out of its own stadium on a dreary cold and rainy day before the 4,000 or so fans that braved the weather conditions.
For the first time this year, I, as a journalist and an admitted A&T loyalist, was disgusted with the breakdown of decorum I saw late in the third quarter. Coach Lee Fobbs was equally perplexed with what he witnessed as well in his post game news conference comments that he would address that problem in no uncertain terms He will need to. That type of acting out can spread through a team like a cancer and destroy any team concept.
Fobbs has preached discipline from Day One and last Saturday’s display it had to really get under his skin. He was throwing a conniption fit flowing one bonehead personal foul penalty. Yeah players are emotional and football is not intended for the faint of heart or untested manhood but smart teams play with their heads instead of testosterone. Those that do will become successful as they mature, and develop. Those that don’t will stay at the bottom.
Forever.
Okay I vented. Take a deep breath.
Now let’s look around the MEAC and also A&T’s game with Delaware State who currently rest in a tie for second place with South Carolina State. BCC is now beginning a swan dive after losing two straight, at home, after getting riddled with offensive injuries to its backfield in the last two weeks and now have become an also ran looking to be a spoiler instead of a contender.
Two time defending champion Hampton has a big one coming up this weekend against Norfolk State and if they get that one, it will be all over in the MEAC for 2006 by the midseason point. That was something that no one had expected or had predicted in preseason given the hype behind SCSU, FAMU, DSU, and BCC going in with all the 1-A transfers and stellar recruiting classes that were talked about all summer that each had gobbled up.
So much for parity.
Dover, Delaware will be the scene for this week’s quest for that elusive first victory that the Aggies need to build some confidence and break what has now become a 10-game losing streak, the longest in school history. DSU is a potent offensive football team, capable of putting up a lot of points in a hurry with one of the better passing games in the conference and a defense that bends but doesn’t break.
It’ll be cold off the Atlantic Ocean this week and unless the A&T defense can repeat its first half performance for four quarters but now more importantly unless the offense suddenly re-appears with a actual running game and not turn the ball over, there isn’t a whole lot A&T will be able to do this week to reverse its fortunes.
The best chance just may be next week against Howard for homecoming, a team too reminiscent of the A&T team of last year. But the Aggies will show and up and hopefully will have the game face on this time on both sides of the ball.
Delaware State 38
N.C. A&T 13
