The streak is over. A&T finally got a chance to celebrate a blowout victory over Johnson C. Smith after more than two and a half years of futility

Losing Streak Comes To End With Rout Over JCSU

By Semaj Marsh
Bluedeathvalley.com
September 1, 2008


 GREENSBORO – As the final minutes rolled off the Aggie Stadium game clock on August 30, you could sense by the bounce and banter on the home sideline that the reality of the moment was beginning to set in.

Finally, after more than two years of pain, frustration and heartbreak, the Aggies were headed back into the win column, thanks to a dominating 44-12 romp over Johnson C. Smith

The victory ended A&T's 27-game losing streak - which had been the longest in the nation – and finally gave the gold-clad fans in attendance a chance to express the very pride their school has become synonymous with.

Still, in the game’s waning moments, A&T's players had one last mission to accomplish before the night could truly be complete – the ceremonial dumping of Gatorade on their head coach.

“Jamison Hedgepeth was actually the one who did it,” admitted junior linebacker Andre Thornton who led the A&T defense with seven tackles on the night. “I think (defensive end) Tyre Glasper helped out too. Jamison came up and said that once it got under four minutes he wanted me to go talk to Coach (Lee) Fobbs so I could distract him.”

Thornton said he backed out at the last minute after remembering how focused his head coach always remained until the final gun, but moments later Fobbs was officially doused by Hedgepeth and company to the delight of  everyone on the sideline.

The Gator-aide bath was an emotional tribute for the embattled Fobbs, who earned his first career victory as a head coach. After going winless in his first two seasons at A&T and having had to endure rumblings this off-season about his future, Fobbs said he was glad to finally get the monkey off his back.

“It’s good that I don’t have to continue to talk about it each week,” Fobbs said. “I’ll enjoy  this win tonight but tomorrow we all have to get back to work.”

And while his players came through for him on the field that night, Fobbs said their execution of the Gator-Aide toss left a lot to be desired.

“What Gator-Aide? That was nothing but ice,” he joked. “That was really cold. I’ll probably be sick tomorrow.”

Against Johnson C. Smith, A&T racked up 448 yards of total offense and out-gained JCSU in first downs 27 to 16. After suffering a fumble on the game's opening series, the Aggies responded but putting together touchdowns drives on four of their next five possessions. The Aggies would cruise to a 37-6 lead at halftime and never looked back

A&T quarterback Herb Miller enjoyed perhaps the most efficient performance of his career, throwing for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 13-of -22 passing. Playing in his first game under new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach John McKenzie, Miller displayed a great deal of poise in the pocket and improved accuracy.

“I thought he played well,” said Fobbs. “He did a nice job of protecting the football and throwing the ball away when the receivers were covered. Now you can see what I’ve been saying all summer about the maturity of Herb Miller.”

The Aggies were led on the ground by senior running back Michael Ferguson who finished with 100 yards on 15 carries and a pair of touchdowns. He now needs 807 more yards to surpass Maurice Hicks as the school’s all-time leading rusher. Ferguson split time in the backfield with junior running back Dione McNair who added 97 rushing yards and a touchdown. Quintin Cosby came in during mop-up time and had 41 yards and a touchdown run.

“I’ve said all along that we were about three or four deep at the running back position,” Fobbs said. “We knew last year that McNair had the ability to run the football liked he showed tonight. He was been plagued by injuries in this past, but he really worked hard this off-season and now its paying off.”

Sophomore defensive back Dashaun Graham was the special teams MVP for the Aggies on the night, blocking a fourth quarter punt and also returning a blocked punt 14 yards to set up A&T’s first score of the game.

Next up, the Aggies will face a decidedly tougher opponent this Saturday when they play host to rival Winston-Salem State. The Rams have won the last two meetings in this series, including a 28-7 victory in Winston-Salem last year. Kickoff is set for 6 PM.

“I was pleased to see us do some good things tonight, but we’re still not quite there yet,” Fobbs said. “The potential for this team to really click is there, but we need to cut down on the penalties and mental errors. However, I’m really pleased by the effort of our kids tonight.”