Post by Aggie One on Sept 6, 2007 21:23:23 GMT -5
To Live or Die in L. A.
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
Normally there aren’t a lot of good things one can take away from a 28-7 opening season loss like the one that North Carolina A&T took against Winston Salem State. The Aggies never got started offensively until midway of the third quarter after a Rams botched a punt return with a fumble just inside their own forty.
The passing game never materialized to any degree and the running game was sporadic at best. The Aggies also gave up over 300 yards on the ground on defense and the secondary got burnt twice in the red zone on the same quick slant pass play.
With that being said, there isn’t any solace in so-called “moral victories” but this game was much different than it was in 2006 and the Aggies despite their inconsistency had their chances to push WSSU if not for a couple of key interceptions early that made for two easy scores and while missing a golden scoring opportunity that finally swung the momentum to the Rams for good and 14 point swing in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, A&T is small at the ends. Everyone knows that fact but better speed to the ball will have to compensate for the lack of bulk. The Aggies did tackle fairly well and delivered blows when given the opportunity.
The young defensive tackles played much better in the middle than most fans had expected but the lack of size on outside run defense remains a problem. The secondary must recognize their assignments in the red zone especially in the man to man match ups on the corners.
But even though they gave up some gaudy statistics in the opener, the defense made enough plays to keep the Aggies in the game well into the fourth quarter.
On offense, A&T was streaky. The offensive line although better is no where near where they need to be. Holes would open but closed as fast as they appeared and although the initial blocks were made they weren’t held on.
A&T’s backs were generally okay in their first game out but they must hit the holes with more authority and not look up field until they get there. Tiptoeing into a hole will make for a very short season health wise if you’re a running back.
Herb Miller has the potential to be an effective quarterback but he needs to settle down, slow his pace and let the game come to him. Two ill advised throws basically gave Winston their first two touchdowns.
A third tipped pass in the end zone would have been better served if it had been just thrown away despite a sight impaired officiating crew. Miller's desire to want to to make plays needs to be tempered with understanding where he is on the field and the situation facing him. When he was settled, he made good throws and good decisions. When he wasn’t A&T stalled and stalled badly.
A&T did find one guy that may be irreplaceable as the year goes on in David “Speedy” Robinson. The diminutive 5-7, 170 dynamo showed why he is on scholarship with some breathtaking moves and surprising power that befuddled the Ram defense on A&T’s lone scoring drive.
The one demonstratively different thing about this loss was that the Aggies were competitive almost all this game and fought adversity, something that was not in their playbook a year ago.
There were some glaringly areas that the Aggies struggled with but most of those are actually correctable and A&T has the talent to work with plus there will be ample time to improve upon this outing as the season goes along.
Frankly there was never any hope of that happening in 2006, but the nucleus is now there for improvement, to be even more competitive, and yes to even win a few a games before this team goes too much further down into the meat of the schedule.
***************************************************
Los Angeles. You name it, they have it - Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, all the major movie and TV studios, movie stars, celebrities, night clubs, 5-star restaurants, lifestyles of the rich and famous. What a setting for a HBCU football classic.
Probably other than the usual obligatory press conferences and team visits to one or two promoter arranged tourist stops, the only real part of the City of Angels that the Aggies will see this week will be in nearby Pasadena at the Rose bowl, the site for this week’s game against Prairie View. And that may be good thing considering this program hasn’t won a game since mid October 2005.
I watched Prairie view against Texas Southern after getting home last Saturday night and a couple of things struck me. They have a quality running quarterback but not a great offense. They have a aggressive defense but they give up a lot of yards between the twenties.
Texas Southern tacked up over 400 yards in total offense out gaining Prairie View 3-1 offensively. So how did the Panthers roll to a 35-14 win despite those kind of numbers? They did it by converting 5 turnovers turned into easy points.
So what must the Aggies do to have a chance of winning? Play the first half of this week’s game like they did the second half of last week and eliminate the mistakes. A&T must contain the quarterback option and stay with their receivers in man to man coverage on defense.
The offensive line needs to stay on their blocks, not turn the ball over and get smart play at the quarterback position on offense. The Aggies have a realistic chance to give PV some real problems. It’s about that simple but simple is easier said than done.
Oh yeah fellows, a couple of notes, Halle Berry is now off the market and stay out of the cement pond. Football is the sole thing you guys need to concentrate on this week.
Be patient and execute.
Prediction
Prairie View 27
N.C. A&T 20
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
Normally there aren’t a lot of good things one can take away from a 28-7 opening season loss like the one that North Carolina A&T took against Winston Salem State. The Aggies never got started offensively until midway of the third quarter after a Rams botched a punt return with a fumble just inside their own forty.
The passing game never materialized to any degree and the running game was sporadic at best. The Aggies also gave up over 300 yards on the ground on defense and the secondary got burnt twice in the red zone on the same quick slant pass play.
With that being said, there isn’t any solace in so-called “moral victories” but this game was much different than it was in 2006 and the Aggies despite their inconsistency had their chances to push WSSU if not for a couple of key interceptions early that made for two easy scores and while missing a golden scoring opportunity that finally swung the momentum to the Rams for good and 14 point swing in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, A&T is small at the ends. Everyone knows that fact but better speed to the ball will have to compensate for the lack of bulk. The Aggies did tackle fairly well and delivered blows when given the opportunity.
The young defensive tackles played much better in the middle than most fans had expected but the lack of size on outside run defense remains a problem. The secondary must recognize their assignments in the red zone especially in the man to man match ups on the corners.
But even though they gave up some gaudy statistics in the opener, the defense made enough plays to keep the Aggies in the game well into the fourth quarter.
On offense, A&T was streaky. The offensive line although better is no where near where they need to be. Holes would open but closed as fast as they appeared and although the initial blocks were made they weren’t held on.
A&T’s backs were generally okay in their first game out but they must hit the holes with more authority and not look up field until they get there. Tiptoeing into a hole will make for a very short season health wise if you’re a running back.
Herb Miller has the potential to be an effective quarterback but he needs to settle down, slow his pace and let the game come to him. Two ill advised throws basically gave Winston their first two touchdowns.
A third tipped pass in the end zone would have been better served if it had been just thrown away despite a sight impaired officiating crew. Miller's desire to want to to make plays needs to be tempered with understanding where he is on the field and the situation facing him. When he was settled, he made good throws and good decisions. When he wasn’t A&T stalled and stalled badly.
A&T did find one guy that may be irreplaceable as the year goes on in David “Speedy” Robinson. The diminutive 5-7, 170 dynamo showed why he is on scholarship with some breathtaking moves and surprising power that befuddled the Ram defense on A&T’s lone scoring drive.
The one demonstratively different thing about this loss was that the Aggies were competitive almost all this game and fought adversity, something that was not in their playbook a year ago.
There were some glaringly areas that the Aggies struggled with but most of those are actually correctable and A&T has the talent to work with plus there will be ample time to improve upon this outing as the season goes along.
Frankly there was never any hope of that happening in 2006, but the nucleus is now there for improvement, to be even more competitive, and yes to even win a few a games before this team goes too much further down into the meat of the schedule.
***************************************************
Los Angeles. You name it, they have it - Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, all the major movie and TV studios, movie stars, celebrities, night clubs, 5-star restaurants, lifestyles of the rich and famous. What a setting for a HBCU football classic.
Probably other than the usual obligatory press conferences and team visits to one or two promoter arranged tourist stops, the only real part of the City of Angels that the Aggies will see this week will be in nearby Pasadena at the Rose bowl, the site for this week’s game against Prairie View. And that may be good thing considering this program hasn’t won a game since mid October 2005.
I watched Prairie view against Texas Southern after getting home last Saturday night and a couple of things struck me. They have a quality running quarterback but not a great offense. They have a aggressive defense but they give up a lot of yards between the twenties.
Texas Southern tacked up over 400 yards in total offense out gaining Prairie View 3-1 offensively. So how did the Panthers roll to a 35-14 win despite those kind of numbers? They did it by converting 5 turnovers turned into easy points.
So what must the Aggies do to have a chance of winning? Play the first half of this week’s game like they did the second half of last week and eliminate the mistakes. A&T must contain the quarterback option and stay with their receivers in man to man coverage on defense.
The offensive line needs to stay on their blocks, not turn the ball over and get smart play at the quarterback position on offense. The Aggies have a realistic chance to give PV some real problems. It’s about that simple but simple is easier said than done.
Oh yeah fellows, a couple of notes, Halle Berry is now off the market and stay out of the cement pond. Football is the sole thing you guys need to concentrate on this week.
Be patient and execute.
Prediction
Prairie View 27
N.C. A&T 20
