Box Score
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., October 26, 2006 – North Carolina A&T’s youth was on display for all the world to see on two ESPN channels. The Aggies made two crucial mistakes inside the 20 to that could have turn the game in another direction. Instead, the Wildcats defeated the Aggies 70-7 in MEAC action during a live Thursday night televised game on ESPNU and ESPN2.

A high school football game was cancelled on ESPN2, which permitted the game to be televised on both stations. The change didn’t change the fact the Aggies (0-8, 0-6) are trying to rebuild with youth against MEAC teams who are experienced. .

"When you have the ball as much as they did, quite naturally the game is going to come out the way it did,’’ said head coach Lee Fobbs.

The Wildcats (5-3, 3-2) compiled 603 yards of total offense and had seven different players score. Aggies sophomore running back Michael Ferguson had a career-high 108 yards on 23 carries. Wildcats quarterback Jimmie Russell had 89 yards rushing and two touchdowns and threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Wildcats receiver Eric Weems had six catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.

We let opportunities slip out the palms of our hands, and once that happened we couldn’t slow them down,” said Fobbs. “Their team speed was too tough for us to stop.”

The surprising element of the game is that the game didn’t start in a blowout direction. The Aggies actually took their first lead of the season with 10:56  to play in the first quarter when Wayne Campell hit Trey Green in the flats for an 11-yard touchdown.

N.C. A&T’s lead didn’t last long as Weems responded with a 69- yard kickoff return to the Aggies 27-yard line. Four plays later, Jonathan Summers caught a 12-yard pass from Russell to tie the game with 9:07 remaining in the first quarter. The Aggies didn’t seem impacted by the quick Wildcats score.

On the ensuing drive, Campbell was aided by a 12-yard pass to Curtis Walls, a 19-yard run by Ferguson and a 15-yard face mask penalty that helped the Aggies move the ball to the Wildcats 20.

But a pass to the end zone was under thrown to Curtis Walls and Bethune-Cookman’s James Monds intercepted the pass for a Bethune-Cookman touchback.  A 30-yard pass play to Weems, and a 55-yard pass play to Corey Council resulted in a 14-7 Wildcats lead.

Russell scored on an 8-yard run in the second quarter to give Bethune-Cookman a 21-7 lead. The Wildcats did not exclusively stay with Russell, however. Backup quarterback Jarrod Rucker’s 27-yard run set up a 3-yard touchdown by P.J. Smith.

Not ready to surrender, the Aggies mounted an impressive drive following Smith’s touchdown. Campbell connected with Walls twice on 18-and-13-yard completions. Ferguson had runs of 13 and 16 yards on the drive, and the Aggies converted a 4^th-and-2 from the Wildcats 37. Ferguson’s 16-yard run put the ball on the Wildcats 1. Looking to cut the Wildcats lead in half, Green marched up the middle, but fumbled, squandering an Aggies scoring opportunity and opening up the door for Bethune-Cookman’s offensive explosion.

“We had two crucial turnovers in the first half, an interception and a fumble that I thought turned the game,’’ said Fobbs. “We can’t say we didn’t have our opportunities. We didn’t take advantage, and you can’t do that against a team like Bethune-Cookman.”

The Aggies will have a nine-day layoff before facing Florida A&M at home on Nov. 4, starting at 4 p.m. For tickets call (336) 334-7749.