Box Score
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., November 3, 2007 – Surely a team with a 1,000 yard rusher, several fourth-quarter leads throughout the season and no turnovers the last two weeks has a win during the season.

But for some reason that team – the North Carolina A&T football team – remained winless in 2007 with a 24-21 loss to Florida A&M at Bragg Stadium during the Rattlers 2007 homecoming.

It was another week in which the Aggies teased the faithful with another performance good enough to end the Aggies agonizing losing streak. But again the Aggies’ opponent scored in the final moments of the ball gameto snatch away the potential victory.

“It’s hard to explain,’’ said N.C. A&T head coach Lee Fobbs. “But that’s the thing, you keep searching, you keep trying until you find the answers.

The only way I know how to find the answers is to go back to the practice field. This football team has a lot of promise. I know a lot of people don’t want to believe that, but it’s true. We’re going to get there. We just have to keep working.”

On Saturday, the Aggies certainly showed they have some players in place to turn things around. Quarterback Herb Miller played perhaps his best game of the season, using his feet and his arm to do damage to the Rattlers. The sophomore out of Winston-Salem, N.C., had 41yards rushing and a touchdown on five carries. Miller was also 7-for-10 for 76 yards a touchdown.

Meanwhile, junior running back Michael Ferguson rushed for 170 yards on 22 carries and a scored a touchdown. Ferguson’s performance put him over 1,000 yards for the season, becoming just the fifth different Aggie back to accomplish the feat, and making it just the sixth time it has been done in the history of the Aggies program.

Ferguson has 1,099 yards on the season, which stands as the fourth-best rushing performance in a season by an Aggie. He still has one game to play.

“I wish I had 20 more like him,’’ said Fobbs. “I’ve said since I got here he has all the tools of a great running back. The young man has come through for us all year long. He’s just an iron man as far as I’m concerned. He’s put us in position to score all year long. I’m glad he is on our side.”

Ferguson broke free for his fourth run of 50 yards or more when early in the fourth quarter on Saturday he ran 51 yards to the Rattlers 15-yard line with the game tied at 21. On the next play, Speedy Robinson was stopped for a 5-yard loss. On 2^nd -and-15, left guard Enoch Cohen was called for holding pushing the Aggies back to the Rattler 30.

Ferguson rushed for 18 yards on 2^nd-and-25, and he ran for four yards on 3^rd-and-7. It set up a 25-yard field goal attempt for the Aggies. Kicker Eric Houston missed wide left as the Aggies came away with zero points. Fobbs remembered the game two weeks ago when the Aggies had first-and-goal at Howard and came away with no points.

“It was just a bad hit,’’ said Fobbs about the missed field goal.” Eric knew it. Looking at last week’s ball game and the Howard ball game, our third down conversions weren’t very good. In the red zone we haven’t been very good. The bottom line is when you get those opportunities you have to take advantage of them. It’s tough when you get the ball down there and don’t put it in the end zone. We’ve got to find a way to be better.”

The Rattlers took over at their own 20 and drove the ball 79 yards to the Aggies 1. But on 2-and-goal from the 1, Rattlers running back Anthony Edwards tried to jump over the pile at the line of scrimmage. Aggies safety Nick Clement ran by and stripped the ball loose and Andre Thornton recovered for the Aggies at the 1.

After an Aggies three-and-out, the Rattlers got the ball back at the Aggies 45. But the Aggies defense stiffened, forcing a Rattler punt. But again, the Aggies went three-and-out, giving the Rattlers the ball at their own 46. Eight plays later, the Rattlers offense put kicker Wesley Taylor in position to kick a 33-yard field goal.

Taylor, who missed a 17-yard field goal last week in the last seconds of the game, connected this time to give the Rattlers a 24-21 lead with 45 seconds remaining in the game.

On their last drive of the game, the Aggies advanced the ball to the Rattlers 44, but a desperation heave by Shelton Morgan fell harmlessly to the ground to give the Rattlers the victory. The Aggies were 1-for-9 on third down conversions.

"In the end it’s about putting a whole ball game together,’’ said Fobbs. “We felt like we had momentum, we felt like things were going our way. Even after we had to sit out 30-40 minutes, the kids wanted to play. We got first downs, but the time we really needed the first downs, we weren’t able to get them.”

The delay Fobbs was referring to was a nearly hour delay after halftime concluded. Fobbs told his team to return to the locker room after the Florida A&M band continued to play on the Aggies sideline after the second half was supposed to start.

“I certainly wasn’t going to put them in a bad environment,’’ said Fobbs, who was also upset because fans were throwing things on the field. “It was an unfortunate incident, but I wasn’t going to put my kids in a bad situation.”