Post by Aggie One on Sept 5, 2012 21:56:43 GMT -5
Time to Tweak Week
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
Well, week one is in the books, so are all of the off the field distractions, hopefully the last time for mass player suspensions, and all of the first game rust and miscues are now fading rapidly into the past.
N. C. A&T dropped its opening game to Big South opponent Coastal Carolina 29-13 on the road last week running at about half speed on both offense and defense due to two major factors – 1) dealing with the continuing problem of not having a full preseason practice camp and 2) missing six key players from its lineup.
Coach Rod Broadway was adamant in his weekly press conference that his team was operating at a steep disadvantage due to the NCAA regulations but still felt his team had a legitimate chance to win.
However, the Aggies simply had too many small errors that were not effort related but more about not having quite enough prep time on issues of lining up straight, not being in the proper spot on set calls and positioning and timing errors, a direct by product of shortened practice time.
“Its no an excuse but it like beating your head up against a wall and I’m getting tired of it. We, as a coaching staff, have got to do a better job of coaching and really make every second of our practice count to have our guys ready because everyone we play will that advantage over us and we can’t use that as an excuse. I believe we’re still are a pretty good football team and we’ll show it next time out. We just need to work harder and get better and we’ll be just fine.”
Due to the one game suspension to starter Lewis Kindle, A&T opted to start true freshman quarterback Kwashaun Quick, who played like as you would expect a freshman to play with three interceptions due to inexperience and he overthrew 2 almost certain TDs by being over anxious and having his feet properly planted.
Still, Quick acquitted himself extremely well for his first time out on the college scene with 155 passing yards including a 23-yard touchdown pass and another 48 yards on the ground to his credit.
A&T’s offensive line, although it produced solid pass protection for most of the night failed in its prime responsibility in getting the push off line for the running game to get started.
Much of the credit for that had to do with a well-conceived run blitz package by the Chanticleers that was designed to stop All-MEAC running back Mike Mayhew.
That was the key component to their win which was to make A&T dependent on the freshman quarterback to try to make plays that he is not yet ready to make through the passing game.
Defensively the Aggies were only a mirror of themselves from year ago when they dominated the league in stopping rushing attacks. Despite having ten starters returning, Broadway pulled no punches.
“We just didn’t stop the run. When we failed to do that (especially in the second half ) it opened us up over the top. We have to stop the run to be successful and we’re just going to have to pick it up and get it done. This was a game we should have won.”
A major bright spot for the Aggies was the play of freshman wide receiver Marquis Gorham who set a school record for a freshman with six receptions in his first collegiate game. There was the return of junior corner D’Vonte Graham who picked off two passes after a year away for disciplinary reasons.
Freshman place kicker and punter Zach Cigmila who wowed the entire crowd of 9,468 fans in attendance with his crushing kickoffs (66.5yards per avg.) and booming five second hang time punts and also went 2-3 on his FG attempts in his debut.
Even though the Aggies came up short,, the trained football eye could see this will be a better A&T than last year once it is at full strength. With a little more “preseason” seasoning which it should get in its next game out against Division –II opponent West Virginia State, Broadway is expecting to see the type of team that he believes he has talent wise.
Kickoff is set for this Saturday night a 6 p.m. at Aggie Stadium in the home opener of what should be a very friendly 2012 schedule of seven home games.
****************************************************
The biggest improvement for any football team has usually been between week one and week two. The Aggies will be facing 1-0 West Virginia State, a 34-31 victor over CIAA opponent Johnson C. Smith, last weekend at home in Institute, WV.
In a game where the Yellow Jackets lost most of the statistical battles, they hit on several big plays early that staked them to a 21–point lead before holding off a furious rally by the Golden Bulls in fourth quarter of that game.
WVSU is a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WVIAC). They are led by seasoned seniors quarterback Ricky Phillips (6-2,195), running back Aubura Taylor (5-8,190) and receiver Ervin Kent (6-0,200).
Phillips is a dual threat and a very effective scrambler and passer who has set numerous school records for the Yellow Jackets and is a smart field general in operating their run and shoot offense. Blocking for him will be Curtis Haskins (6-5,340), Alex Prieto (6-2,280) and Zach Lambert (6-2,290).
Defensively, you’ll find that WVSU uses a lot of 3-4 sets along with variation of a base 50 . Their strength is at linebacker with Tyler Long (6-0,210), Dominique Matthews (6-2,190), and T. J. Austin (6-1,215). Up front, the Jackets sport decent size and good athleticism with linemen Ken Starr (6-3,275) and Jarrett Zirkle (6-4,250).
The Jackets are a very capable and veteran offensive team while rebuilding their defense from scratch from a year ago when they went 1-9 as a team.
The kicking game is something that long time Head Coach Earl Monroe has said kept him up at night last year opting many times to go for fourth down situations rather than attempting field goals. The Jackets did bring in two freshmen kickers in Sean Hayton and Cory Broughton in hopes of correcting the breakdowns in that area. The jury is still out on that question.
Not much is known about State in these parts but they will be here this weekend and will be back again next week against Elon. Fans will see an entertaining game as the Jackets like to fill the air with footballs and put points on the board.
Defensively they gave up points in bunches in 2011 and appear to be headed in that direction after last week’s effort over Smith. A&T has been working overtime this week to correct their anemic offensive effort of last week and are concentrating on regaining the form of the strong defense that was its trademark in Broadway’s first year as head coach.
On paper, this game seems to be a fair matchup based on last week’s performances of both teams. However, A&T plays against a much stronger Division and against much tougher competition and have a much deeper talent pool that the Jackets are used to facing. The fact is that the Aggies feel like that they must redeem themselves and get out of the box quickly over the next four weeks.
So expect A&T to play with a genuine sense of urgency that may just be too much for WVSU to handle on their first road trip in one of the toughest and most notoriously places to play on the road in both the MEAC and the FCS. Expect this coaching staff to get this team off a fast start and a fast finish in would should be a dominating performance over their Division II foe.
Again the key theme this week – Play With Urgency! See you at the tailgating area and enjoy the game.
PREDICTION
N.C. A&T – 49
West Virginia St. - 6
by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
Well, week one is in the books, so are all of the off the field distractions, hopefully the last time for mass player suspensions, and all of the first game rust and miscues are now fading rapidly into the past.
N. C. A&T dropped its opening game to Big South opponent Coastal Carolina 29-13 on the road last week running at about half speed on both offense and defense due to two major factors – 1) dealing with the continuing problem of not having a full preseason practice camp and 2) missing six key players from its lineup.
Coach Rod Broadway was adamant in his weekly press conference that his team was operating at a steep disadvantage due to the NCAA regulations but still felt his team had a legitimate chance to win.
However, the Aggies simply had too many small errors that were not effort related but more about not having quite enough prep time on issues of lining up straight, not being in the proper spot on set calls and positioning and timing errors, a direct by product of shortened practice time.
“Its no an excuse but it like beating your head up against a wall and I’m getting tired of it. We, as a coaching staff, have got to do a better job of coaching and really make every second of our practice count to have our guys ready because everyone we play will that advantage over us and we can’t use that as an excuse. I believe we’re still are a pretty good football team and we’ll show it next time out. We just need to work harder and get better and we’ll be just fine.”
Due to the one game suspension to starter Lewis Kindle, A&T opted to start true freshman quarterback Kwashaun Quick, who played like as you would expect a freshman to play with three interceptions due to inexperience and he overthrew 2 almost certain TDs by being over anxious and having his feet properly planted.
Still, Quick acquitted himself extremely well for his first time out on the college scene with 155 passing yards including a 23-yard touchdown pass and another 48 yards on the ground to his credit.
A&T’s offensive line, although it produced solid pass protection for most of the night failed in its prime responsibility in getting the push off line for the running game to get started.
Much of the credit for that had to do with a well-conceived run blitz package by the Chanticleers that was designed to stop All-MEAC running back Mike Mayhew.
That was the key component to their win which was to make A&T dependent on the freshman quarterback to try to make plays that he is not yet ready to make through the passing game.
Defensively the Aggies were only a mirror of themselves from year ago when they dominated the league in stopping rushing attacks. Despite having ten starters returning, Broadway pulled no punches.
“We just didn’t stop the run. When we failed to do that (especially in the second half ) it opened us up over the top. We have to stop the run to be successful and we’re just going to have to pick it up and get it done. This was a game we should have won.”
A major bright spot for the Aggies was the play of freshman wide receiver Marquis Gorham who set a school record for a freshman with six receptions in his first collegiate game. There was the return of junior corner D’Vonte Graham who picked off two passes after a year away for disciplinary reasons.
Freshman place kicker and punter Zach Cigmila who wowed the entire crowd of 9,468 fans in attendance with his crushing kickoffs (66.5yards per avg.) and booming five second hang time punts and also went 2-3 on his FG attempts in his debut.
Even though the Aggies came up short,, the trained football eye could see this will be a better A&T than last year once it is at full strength. With a little more “preseason” seasoning which it should get in its next game out against Division –II opponent West Virginia State, Broadway is expecting to see the type of team that he believes he has talent wise.
Kickoff is set for this Saturday night a 6 p.m. at Aggie Stadium in the home opener of what should be a very friendly 2012 schedule of seven home games.
****************************************************
The biggest improvement for any football team has usually been between week one and week two. The Aggies will be facing 1-0 West Virginia State, a 34-31 victor over CIAA opponent Johnson C. Smith, last weekend at home in Institute, WV.
In a game where the Yellow Jackets lost most of the statistical battles, they hit on several big plays early that staked them to a 21–point lead before holding off a furious rally by the Golden Bulls in fourth quarter of that game.
WVSU is a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WVIAC). They are led by seasoned seniors quarterback Ricky Phillips (6-2,195), running back Aubura Taylor (5-8,190) and receiver Ervin Kent (6-0,200).
Phillips is a dual threat and a very effective scrambler and passer who has set numerous school records for the Yellow Jackets and is a smart field general in operating their run and shoot offense. Blocking for him will be Curtis Haskins (6-5,340), Alex Prieto (6-2,280) and Zach Lambert (6-2,290).
Defensively, you’ll find that WVSU uses a lot of 3-4 sets along with variation of a base 50 . Their strength is at linebacker with Tyler Long (6-0,210), Dominique Matthews (6-2,190), and T. J. Austin (6-1,215). Up front, the Jackets sport decent size and good athleticism with linemen Ken Starr (6-3,275) and Jarrett Zirkle (6-4,250).
The Jackets are a very capable and veteran offensive team while rebuilding their defense from scratch from a year ago when they went 1-9 as a team.
The kicking game is something that long time Head Coach Earl Monroe has said kept him up at night last year opting many times to go for fourth down situations rather than attempting field goals. The Jackets did bring in two freshmen kickers in Sean Hayton and Cory Broughton in hopes of correcting the breakdowns in that area. The jury is still out on that question.
Not much is known about State in these parts but they will be here this weekend and will be back again next week against Elon. Fans will see an entertaining game as the Jackets like to fill the air with footballs and put points on the board.
Defensively they gave up points in bunches in 2011 and appear to be headed in that direction after last week’s effort over Smith. A&T has been working overtime this week to correct their anemic offensive effort of last week and are concentrating on regaining the form of the strong defense that was its trademark in Broadway’s first year as head coach.
On paper, this game seems to be a fair matchup based on last week’s performances of both teams. However, A&T plays against a much stronger Division and against much tougher competition and have a much deeper talent pool that the Jackets are used to facing. The fact is that the Aggies feel like that they must redeem themselves and get out of the box quickly over the next four weeks.
So expect A&T to play with a genuine sense of urgency that may just be too much for WVSU to handle on their first road trip in one of the toughest and most notoriously places to play on the road in both the MEAC and the FCS. Expect this coaching staff to get this team off a fast start and a fast finish in would should be a dominating performance over their Division II foe.
Again the key theme this week – Play With Urgency! See you at the tailgating area and enjoy the game.
PREDICTION
N.C. A&T – 49
West Virginia St. - 6
