Box Score
CHARLESTON, SC, November 17, 2007 – North Carolina A&T football coach Lee Fobbs saw Saturday where he wants to be for future Saturdays.

 There was no mistaken it. S.C. State displayed more depth; more talent and more experience in a 51-7 win over the Aggies in the Low Country Classic from Hagood Stadium on the campus of The Citadel.

 “They came to play,’’ said Fobbs. “They lined up and came at us with precision all afternoon. There is no other way to put it. You have to take your hat off to (S.C. State head coach Buddy Pugh), he has a fantastic program. It was good for me and my coaches to see that today. Now we know how far we need to go to get to that level.”

 The Bulldogs were not ashamed about displaying their advantages over the Aggies. S.C. State tailback William Ford rushed for a single-game school record 322 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. Bulldogs quarterback Cleveland McCoy added 95 yards rushing, 134 yards passing, a rushing touchdown and two touchdown passes.

 Meanwhile, the Bulldogs only allowed the Aggies 181 yards total offense, while the Bulldogs offense compiled 632 yards of offense, the most ever gained against an Aggies team.

 “This is not a team you want to fall behind against early,’’ said Fobbs. “We’ve done a great job the last couple of weeks of protecting the football. We didn’t do that today.”

 Fifty-one seconds into the game, a Herb Miller fumble led to a 31-yard fumble return by S.C. State’s Travis Henderson to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. On their first offensive possession, the Bulldogs took 3:09 and drove the ball 85 yards on seven plays to take a 14-0 lead on a Evans Capers 3-yard touchdown.

 The Bulldogs increased their lead to 20-0 as Bulldogs receiver Terrance Smith did a 180 degree adjustment on a pass from McCoy to score on a 37-yard touchdown pass. But the Aggies who have found themselves down 17-0 and 18-0 the last two weeks respectively before mounting comebacks, took advantage of a Brandon Colbert interception return of 54 yards to the Bulldogs 21-yard line. Three plays later, running back Chaz Truesdale ran up the middle of the Bulldogs defense without trouble to cut the Bulldogs lead to 20-7.

 Ford took over from there. On the Bulldogs next possession he scored on a 76-yard touchdown run to help S.C. State go into the locker room with a 27-7 lead. After 175-yard first half, Ford had runs of 52, 39, 18 and 14 to secure his 300-yard plus performance.

 Despite having several fourth-quarter leads throughout the season, Saturday’s loss meant the Aggies second straight 0-11 season and the continuation of a losing streak that has now reached 27 games.

 “It’s the ‘R’ word,’’ said Fobbs, referring to recruiting. “There will not be much time for turkey dinners next week. We have to get out on the road and continue the process of getting this turned around.”

 The Aggies 1,000-yard rusher Michael Ferguson will return next season, needing 906 yards rushing to become the Aggies all-time leading rusher. The Aggies also got a chance to redshirt many of the offensive linemen they recruited last season. They should go along nicely with returnees Juan Williams and Desmoine Ware.

 The Aggies will have to replace their top two receivers from the 2007 season in Curtis Walls and Michael Caldwell.

 On the defensive side, leading tackler Andre Thornton will be an experienced junior next season along with Robert Russell. Safeties Brandon Croley and Brandon Colbert return next season after decent seasons in 2007. But Fobbs knows and wants to address depth along the Aggies defensive line.

 “People want results and not excuses,’’ said Fobbs. “We want the same thing. We want to win as much as our fans do and it’s time we showed it.”