Now It's For Real

by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
Sept. 14, 2008


A&T and Winston Salem State had a big time defensive stare down contest last Saturday night, waiting for one or the other to blink first. The Rams did just that and A&T poked them right in the eye with a hard earned 14-8 win to break a two year drought against WSSU.

With neither offense really getting into much of a rhythm, it took a classic “Iron Mike” Ferguson 12 yard touchdown over three Ram defenders inside the 10 yard line to give A&T a commanding 14-6 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Rams who always seem to find resuscitation against A&T when facing certain defeat, fought back in earnest, thanks largely in part to a brilliant 35-yard breakaway run from speedy running back Rod Fluellen. He was able to take the ball down to the Aggies' 3-yard line with just over three minutes to go.

It was then that most of the 21,500 fans in attendance thought they were about to see a repeat of the dogma that had A&T in its grip for most of the 2007 season - letting an opponent slip out of harms way and into another improbable come from behind win.

But as I have often said both publicly and privately in the preseason, 2008 is a different year and this is a much different football team that what many fans and skeptics had come to expect in the last years.

This time, the Aggies had more than enough juice to conjure up the ghosts of the once famed ‘Blue Death” defense of the 1990’s. A&T was able to stuff a much larger Ram offensive line and dropped their runners in their own backfield three times in a row.

WSSU’s fate was finally sealed when on fourth down, with the A&T coaching staff guessing right on WSSU Coach Kermit Blount's tendencies in the red zone, assigned backup true freshman defensive tackle Micah Stanfield to roll right with quarterback Jarrett Dunston. He executed his assignment perfectly by not only getting the sack but causing a fumble to give the Aggies the ball and lock down their second straight win of the season.

A late precautionary safety taken by A&T’s punt team accounted for the final score but the reputation of folding late in \close games that had haunted the Aggies five times previously the year before had been exorcised.

For the second week in a row A&T found something new that had eluded them theses last two years.

In week one it was finding the victory column for the first time in over two years. In week two it was playing a tough close defensive football game against a quality opponent, building and maintaining a lead, and then making the defensive stops at the key point in the game that was necessary to seal the deal.

They had found their heart, they have had their metal tested in the clutch, and they had answered the call. So now those outstanding questions about this team are now mute and have finally been put to bed as well.

2-0. It feels, well if I do say so, kind of strange; almost like trying on an tailored Italian silk suit after shopping for years at the Goodwill Store.

It's a totally different experience .... but man does it feel oh so good.


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This week will be another test of another element that dogged the Aggies in 2007 and that must be passed when A&T travels to Norfolk State this weekend - its pass defense.

Norfolk State is one of the big four contenders to win the MEAC this season behind South Carolina State, Delaware State, and Hampton.

The Spartans have rebuilt their program in just three short years under head coach Pete Adrian with a dominate and often times frightening passing game and a power inside running game with big backs to compliment their offense perfectly.

Everyone remembers how the Spartans rolled into Greensboro last season and dished out of the worst second half beatings that A&T suffered all of last year in a 50-20 shellacking while blistering the A&T secondary for nearly 400 yards in passing and five touchdowns.

Last weekend Norfolk lost to the University of Kentucky, 38-3, who at best is a middle to lower echelon Southeast Conference foe. They hung tough through the first half trailing 21-3 before the Wildcats decided to forgot their sputtering air attack and decided simply to run the ball down the throat of an undersized defensive line in the second half.

They allowed the Spartans just 92 yards in total offense for the night by simply taking way what NSU likes to be best - throwing the football.

NSU has a potential All-American in former Maryland transfer and Gibsonville, NC native in end Dennis Marsh (6-2,285) and a core defense that is very solid but not quite yet knocking on the door of being in the class of a SCSU.

A&T knew going into the season that its defense would be its strong suit and so far the Aggies have not disappointed having only given up ten points and just over 250 yards per game defensively.

They must continue that level of play against an explosive Spartan squad that is probably the best overall offensive unit in the conference including that of defending MEAC champion Delaware State.

A&T must also be able to run the football against Norfolk. Everyone on their defense will be keyed on Mike Ferguson so it makes it imperative that Ferguson's running mate Dione McNair is 100 percent or very close to it this weekend after sitting last week with an ankle injury.

A&T has demonstrated far more success offensively when it is able run both backs simultaneously in their 2 and 3 back sets or is able substitute them freely as they did against Johnson C Smith. This opens up many more options for offensive coordinator John McKenzie’s offense and makes the Aggies a much more balanced team.

This is a hard game to put your hands around in trying to get a feel on who may have an advantage. Norfolk is experienced and deep but just like WSSU, it is breaking in a new quarterback who has not found his proper timing while still learning the offense on the fly in big game situations.

For A&T, they must control the tempo of this game and make this game a grind it out affair. Norfolk State is not a team you want to get into a track meet with. The Aggies lose in that kind of matchup.

Establishing ball control and staying away from turnovers will be crucial. That means A&T must run the football and mix in the occasional intermediate pass or surprise to keep NSU off balance and guessing while not allowing them to put 8 or nine people into the breach.

On defense, realistically, A&T will give up some passing yards during the evening but if they can disrupt the Spartan passing attack just enough at critical moments and continue to play the run as strongly as it has in its two previous outings then the Aggies could be 3-0 by this time next week.

A tall order indeed. But no one in the MEAC is unbeatable this season and no game is a given for anyone. This game is going to be close, I mean really close and it will go down to the wire.

The better and more physical defense will eventually prevail with a just smidgen of a little special teams help thrown in along the way.

This can be the first real upset inside the MEAC this season and these Aggies seem like the type of team now that just might be able to pull it off.


PREDICTION

N.C. A&T - 22

Norfolk St. - 20