AGGIES VS. GOLDEN BULLS PREGAMEAGGIES FACE DIVISION
II FOE JOHNSON C. SMITH
One former CIAA school and one current CIAA school will do battle to
open the season Saturday as North Carolina A&T hosts Johnson C. Smith at
6 p.m., from Aggie Stadium. The Aggies will roll out their new live web
streaming broadcast with the team of Walter T. Johnson (play-by-play)
and legendary Aggies quarterback Alan Hooker. A year ago, the Aggies
suffered through their second straight winless season as they finished
0-11 and upped their school-record losing streak to 27. Johnson C.
Smith, which resides in Charlotte and plays in Division II's CIAA
conference, went 3-7 last season. Among those games were losses to two
Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) schools in
Savannah State (10-24) and Charleston Southern (20-44). The teams are
meeting for the first time in 15 seasons. The last time the Aggies faced
Johnson C. Smith they were victorious 52-7 at Aggie Stadium. Lee Fobbs,
Jr. begins his third season as the head coach of the Aggies. Fobbs is
0-22 over his first two seasons, but the progress in his program in
2007. The Aggies led going into the fourth quarter in five different
games a year ago before falling short. Based on the close calls from
last season and the 19 seniors Fobbs brings into the 2008 season, all
signs indicate the Aggies will an excellent shot to end their annoying
losing streak. Fobbs returns 15 starters - 7 offense, 6 defense and two
specialist. Among the returning starters for the Aggies include
all-conference running back Michael Ferguson. Ferguson had the
fourth-best rushing season in Aggies history in 2007 and comes into the
season 906 yards shy of becoming the Aggies all-time leading rusher.
Trying to help Ferguson gain the record will be a new-look offensive
line that includes Marshall transfer Sergio Glenn at right guard
and first-year starter Alex Harper at left tackle. Veterans
Juan Williams and Jonathan Carter also return. The Aggies are
young at wide receiver with Chaz Dawson (12 rec. 149 yards)
returning as the leading receiver. The Aggies also return three
outstanding defenders in preseason all-conference selections in LB
Andre Thornton, SS Brandon Colbert and DE Tyre Glasper.
Thornton (82 TT, 8.5 TFL), a Charlotte native, has led the Aggies in
tackles the last two seasons and has 145 career stops. Colbert (63 TT, 8
TFL, 2 INTs) had a breakout season in 2007, finishing second on the team
in tackles. Glasper led all Aggie defensive linemen (33 TT) in tackles
and added five quarterback hurries. The Aggies have an experienced
linebacker corps with redshirt junior Jamison Hedgepeth and
fifth-year senior Brandon Long. The secondary is also experienced
led by Ihsan Shaheed who led the Aggies in interceptions last
season with three.
OPPONENT BREAKDOWN
Johnson C. Smith comes into the game looking for one of the biggest
wins in the program’s history. The Golden Bulls will be looking to upset
the Aggies with the quarterback play of senior Carlton Richardson.
Richardson’s favorite target is receiver Jeremy Franklin who caught 39
passes for 737 yards and six touchdowns last season. Richardson can also
get outside the pocket and make things happen. He rushed for 336 yards
and two touchdowns in ‘07.
AGGIES vs. GOLDEN BULLS: On the
Record
Date/Time: Saturday, Aug. 30 at 6
p.m.
Location: Greensboro, N.C. (Aggie Stadium - 21,500)
Webcast: www.ncataggies.com
Radio: WNAA - 90.1 FM in Greensboro, N.C.
The Series: Aggies lead, 33-8-2
Series Notes: N.C. A&T and JCSU are meeting for the 44th time on
the gridiron…The Aggies have won the last 14 contests…The average margin
of victory for the Aggies in those 14 games is 19.2 points per game…The
last time the two teams played was in 1993…The Aggies won 52-7 in the
most lopsided game in the series' history…The Golden Bulls did beat the
Aggies after the Aggies left the CIAA...It was a 15-11 win in
1973...Johnson C. Smith is the first Division II opponent the Aggies
have played since losing to N.C. Central 23-22 in 2005.
KEYS TO AN AGGIES WIN
Be Prepared. If the N.C. A&T football team doesn't understand anything about Saturday's game against Johnson C. Smith, they need to understand this...It's a big game for the Golden Bulls. A win over a Division I FCS team, even one that has lost 27 straight, would be a huge feather in the cap for JCSU's program. The Aggies need to be prepared for a team coming in playing inspired football and looking for an upset.
Mistake-free. The Aggies went from a team that a minus-5 turnover margin in 2006 to a team that was even in the turnover category last season. As impressive as that is, the Aggies truly can't afford to give the Golden Bulls easy opportunities to score. If the Golden Bulls want an upset, the Aggies must make sure they have to do it the hard way.
Defense. New offensive coordinator John McKenzie has gotten most of the attention during the off-season because yes, offense sells tickets. But on Saturday, it could be new defensive coordinator Tayrone Odums' defense that makes the difference. There is always a huge unknown when a team is running a new offense. If preseason camp is any indication, the Aggies defense is capable of holding things down if the offense struggles early.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS
|
|
OFFENSE |
|
|
Position |
Aggies |
Golden Bulls |
|
WR |
Giorgio Lowrance |
Kenny Strickland |
|
LT |
Alex Harper |
Rashaun Curry |
|
LG |
Jonathan Carter |
Michael Burroughs |
|
C |
Brent Walker |
Devin Backman |
|
RG |
Thomas Hearn |
Artis Carter |
|
RT |
Enoch Cohen |
Stephen Seard |
|
TE/WR |
Michael Christen (TE) |
Markus Gray (TE) |
|
WR |
Chaz Dawson |
Jeremy Franklin |
|
QB |
Herb Miller |
Carlton Richardson |
|
FB/WR |
Eugene Parnell (FB) |
Maurcus Woolford |
|
TB |
Michael Ferguson |
Kevin Allen |
|
|
DEFENSE |
|
|
Position |
Aggies |
Golden Bulls |
|
DE |
Tyre Glasper |
Elijah Ashley |
|
DT |
Kreg Carter |
B.L. Williams |
|
DT |
Adam Beal |
Mikale Blanden |
|
DE |
Jarrell Herring |
Tre Gamble (DE) |
|
MLB |
Brandon Long |
Garrison McCormick |
|
OLB |
Jamison Hedgepeth |
Michael Morgan |
|
OLB |
Andre Thornton |
Alex Wilson |
|
CB |
Josef Peek |
Ameer Salahudin |
|
CB |
Ihsan Shaheed |
Jonathan Metcalf |
|
FS |
Nick Clement |
Steven Williams |
|
SS |
Brandon Colbert |
Andre Saxon |
|
|
SPECIAL TEAMS |
|
|
Position |
Aggies |
Golden Bulls |
|
P |
Lee Woodson |
Sebry Nuru |
|
K |
Eric Houston |
Julius Wright |
|
H |
Carlton Fears |
Joshua Battle |
|
LS |
Eugene Parnell |
N/A |
|
KOR |
Michael Pace |
Jonathan Metcalf |
|
PR |
Quinton Cosby |
Joshua Battle |