Post by Aggie One on Nov 10, 2006 20:20:43 GMT -5
Out With the Old and In With the New
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
This week has been marked a lot of new beginnings and the closure for a great many things. This weekend’s final home football game will mark the end of the careers for ten seniors at N.C. A&T. This contingent, the smallest group of seniors since 1989, has depleted in numbers since they first graced the A&T campus in 2002.
That original group numbered 23 players but attrition through both coaching changes, academic shortcomings, and various other reasons has left the A&T football program with its youngest and greenest squad in its history. Although small in numbers the few seniors that are available have played with a great deal of guts in what has been an extremely difficult and trying year. The upside of this year is that 85 players will be returning next year with nearly all of them having significant playing time including 47 freshmen so the learning curve should be dramatically different next fall with some anticipated key off season recruiting acquisitions added to the mix.
My hat is off to them as they take the field tomorrow afternoon because they didn’t tuck their tails and run when things went south this year. They have stayed through three coaching changes in their four years. They enjoyed the success of a championship season as true freshmen and have suffered in an almost disheartening struggle to break the longest losing streak now in all of 1-AA football.
So here’s to you guys for staying with it and with that I compliment you in putting your university and your team mates ahead of your personal wants and desire. You guys deserve a win.
************************************************
Bluedeathvalley.Com offers a hearty welcome to newly appointed Chancellor Stanley Battle who comes to Aggie Land after serving as president the last three years at fellow MEAC member Coppin State University in Baltimore. Md.
Hopefully it won’t be long before chancellor Battle sits down with athletic director Dee Todd and head coach Lee Fobbs to discuss, plan, and initiate a strong fund raising effort to add the estimated $2 million dollars needing to be added to the athletic budget which would bring A&T up to the mean average for most consistently successful football programs on the 1-AA level.
Judging from his acceptance comments at today’s press conference, Battle seems emphatic that the university be represented at the top of its game no matter the venue and academics is job one for him as he assumes the reigns one of the flag ships in the UNC system. With his experience in the areas of fundraising and capital improvements perhaps that can translate into good things over the next few years for Aggie football. A&T desperately needs that front office leadership in raising its athletic budget significantly.
Hopefully he’ll be in attendance for tomorrow afternoon’s home finale against Elon to have a first hand look for himself at A&T’s vastly improved facilities and introduce himself to the A&T faithful and get his first taste of Aggie Pride.
***************************************************
This is the last meeting between Elon and A&T for the foreseeable future as the Aggies have opted to replace the Phoenix with Charleston Southern with a new home-home series to commence next fall kicking off in Charleston, S.C. during week two.
A&T and Elon are currently tied in this series at 4 wins apiece so the rubber match might have to suffice for while as bragging rights until their paths cross again somewhere far down the road. While both teams have new head coaches, new schemes, and personnel, the Phoenix have managed to garner three wins on the season while the Aggies have struggled through a 0-9 nightmare.
Elon has forgone its once potent ground oriented attack for a new spread offense that looks to create mismatches and give it quick strike capabilities. The Aggies are hoping to put together a long stretch of mistake free football in a season full of miscues and bobbles that always seem to crop up in key moments in games early.
For instance the Aggies put the ball 4 times into the red zone last week and no points then losing more ground with just plain bad special team play on two kickoff returns that constantly put the defense on its heels.
One day before this season is over with, the Aggies are going to start converting some of the red zone chances and get a break or two defensively and not give up that big play or complete that tackle for loss in a game. This will probably as good of a time as any to defy the odds and salvage a real positive for a season gone by the wayside.
Better sense tells me make Elon a three TD favorite but haw what the hell. Let’s go for the upset or at least the near upset in front of home folk one last time before A&T hits the hardwood. The Aggies will be in this one near the end for the first and probably only time this year.
Elon 28
N.C. A&T 20
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
This week has been marked a lot of new beginnings and the closure for a great many things. This weekend’s final home football game will mark the end of the careers for ten seniors at N.C. A&T. This contingent, the smallest group of seniors since 1989, has depleted in numbers since they first graced the A&T campus in 2002.
That original group numbered 23 players but attrition through both coaching changes, academic shortcomings, and various other reasons has left the A&T football program with its youngest and greenest squad in its history. Although small in numbers the few seniors that are available have played with a great deal of guts in what has been an extremely difficult and trying year. The upside of this year is that 85 players will be returning next year with nearly all of them having significant playing time including 47 freshmen so the learning curve should be dramatically different next fall with some anticipated key off season recruiting acquisitions added to the mix.
My hat is off to them as they take the field tomorrow afternoon because they didn’t tuck their tails and run when things went south this year. They have stayed through three coaching changes in their four years. They enjoyed the success of a championship season as true freshmen and have suffered in an almost disheartening struggle to break the longest losing streak now in all of 1-AA football.
So here’s to you guys for staying with it and with that I compliment you in putting your university and your team mates ahead of your personal wants and desire. You guys deserve a win.
************************************************
Bluedeathvalley.Com offers a hearty welcome to newly appointed Chancellor Stanley Battle who comes to Aggie Land after serving as president the last three years at fellow MEAC member Coppin State University in Baltimore. Md.
Hopefully it won’t be long before chancellor Battle sits down with athletic director Dee Todd and head coach Lee Fobbs to discuss, plan, and initiate a strong fund raising effort to add the estimated $2 million dollars needing to be added to the athletic budget which would bring A&T up to the mean average for most consistently successful football programs on the 1-AA level.
Judging from his acceptance comments at today’s press conference, Battle seems emphatic that the university be represented at the top of its game no matter the venue and academics is job one for him as he assumes the reigns one of the flag ships in the UNC system. With his experience in the areas of fundraising and capital improvements perhaps that can translate into good things over the next few years for Aggie football. A&T desperately needs that front office leadership in raising its athletic budget significantly.
Hopefully he’ll be in attendance for tomorrow afternoon’s home finale against Elon to have a first hand look for himself at A&T’s vastly improved facilities and introduce himself to the A&T faithful and get his first taste of Aggie Pride.
***************************************************
This is the last meeting between Elon and A&T for the foreseeable future as the Aggies have opted to replace the Phoenix with Charleston Southern with a new home-home series to commence next fall kicking off in Charleston, S.C. during week two.
A&T and Elon are currently tied in this series at 4 wins apiece so the rubber match might have to suffice for while as bragging rights until their paths cross again somewhere far down the road. While both teams have new head coaches, new schemes, and personnel, the Phoenix have managed to garner three wins on the season while the Aggies have struggled through a 0-9 nightmare.
Elon has forgone its once potent ground oriented attack for a new spread offense that looks to create mismatches and give it quick strike capabilities. The Aggies are hoping to put together a long stretch of mistake free football in a season full of miscues and bobbles that always seem to crop up in key moments in games early.
For instance the Aggies put the ball 4 times into the red zone last week and no points then losing more ground with just plain bad special team play on two kickoff returns that constantly put the defense on its heels.
One day before this season is over with, the Aggies are going to start converting some of the red zone chances and get a break or two defensively and not give up that big play or complete that tackle for loss in a game. This will probably as good of a time as any to defy the odds and salvage a real positive for a season gone by the wayside.
Better sense tells me make Elon a three TD favorite but haw what the hell. Let’s go for the upset or at least the near upset in front of home folk one last time before A&T hits the hardwood. The Aggies will be in this one near the end for the first and probably only time this year.
Elon 28
N.C. A&T 20
