Warning: Cross Road Ahead

by Craig R. Turner
bluedeathvalley.com
Sept. 25, 2008

After facing two of the top three teams in the MEAC on back to back road trips to the Virginia Tidewater area, N.C. A&T returns to the friendly confines of Aggie Stadium this week to face a first time foe in Coastal Carolina, a member of the Big South Conference.

The Aggies have finished the first third of their season and stand a respectable 2-2. They enjoyed wins against J.C. Smith (a blowout) and arch rival Winston Salem State (a squeaker), but suffered a close loss to Norfolk State and a blowout thumping by powerful Hampton. There are some questions that still remain about A&T and just how much improvement has been made since 2006.

Two key questions will probably be answered Saturday night. First, where do the Aggies stand right now as a football team and in what direction are they headed going into the next four game stretch? Depending upon your point of view, its been a bag of mixed signals. Some will say that this team has made great strides posting a .500 mark thus far after 27 straight losses while others remain skeptical especially after the 44-7 rout that A&T suffered at the hands of the Pirates last week.

The mental psyche of this team is fragile and a loss here would unravel a lot of what was accomplished in its first four games. But a win over an established FCS program from a power conference would do wonders, not only for the Aggies but the entire MEAC. A victory would probably set some sort of momentum for a team entering a series of very winnable games over the next four weeks.

Coastal Carolina finds itself in somewhat of a similar situation, having lost big time to BCS bound Penn State on the road and then dropping a heartbreaker to FCS power Colgate at home after a complete defensive meltdown in the second half. The Chanticleers quickly rebounded with an expected 27-6 win over out-manned Monmouth and then blasted Towson State 31-3 at home just last week ago.

Coastal is not a stranger to MEAC competition, having previously swept S.C. State in a home and home series while splitting with Delaware State in their two meetings in recent years. The Chanticleers have a workmanlike offensive team that usually puts up points off of long, grinding-type drives. Their punting and kicking games are excellent.

However, injuries have been mounting up in recent weeks for Coastal. Not only on defense but offense as well, including the very questionable status of the very sore ankle of starting quarterback Zach McDowell. McDowell was extremely accurate last week against Towson, going 17-for-26 for 233 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

This will be a game time decision for Coach David Bennett who is in his sixth year after leaving a Catawba program that he built into a D-II power in Salisbury. It would not surprise me to see him hold Mcdowell out in this non-conference affair.

A&T must rediscover its defensive identity after surrendering 71 point in its last two games. The special teams play has been simply, in a word, awful in the last two games and was directly responsible for nearly half of those points.

A&T must also go this week without leading rusher Michael Ferguson in the lineup because of an ankle sprain. That means backup Dione McNair will get his first start of the year and one might expect a running back by committee approach by Lee Fobbs who may reach deeper into his depth chart for the first time this year.

Quarterback Herb Miller sat out last week with a slight concussion so expect Carlton Fears to go once again this week, backed by Shelton Morgan. However, Miller might see action if he gets medical clearance. In any event, don’t be surprised to see A&T go to the air quite a bit against Coastal Carolina both often and early.

This will be a hard game to predict an outcome for due to the extra added element that inclement weather may likely play a part. Brisk winds and light rain are expected off and on for most of the evening.

A slip here or a bobble there could have a major impact on what most people expect and believe will be an easy Chanticleer victory . But then again, no one thought Oregon State would or could dominate top-ranked Southern Cal after they were embarrassed early on by both Penn State and Stanford.

This game should be a low scoring affair since both these teams love to run and play simple defense. If A&T’s defense steps up to the plate this week, the Aggies get some decent play out of their special teams, and are able to stop the turnover flood gate of the last two weeks, then this game will be extremely competitive.

It’s a winnable game for A&T but the Aggies will have to find the resolve to forget last week, eliminate mental mistakes, and play good fundamental assignment defense against a conservative power running team. I suspect that being off the road this week will make a difference in the play on the field.

PREDICTION:

Coastal Carolina 17

N.C. A&T 19