But who says that always constitutes offensive production. The Aggies did take advantage of the opportunities Howard presented, and it did result in the Aggies scoring a season-high 30 points in a 30-19 win over the Bison at Hughes Stadium. The Aggies won in the nation's capital for the first in 11 years, and they ruined the Bison's homecoming.

“I was really excited about our offense today,'' said Lee. “We got some solid running from our running backs; they really found the creases tonight. “We didn't squander golden opportunities to put points on the board when they turned the ball over. I think that's the sign of an offense that's starting to come around.”

Two weeks ago, the Aggies offense scored on just one of its four opportunities inside Morgan State's 20-yard line. On Saturday, the Aggies were 4-for-4 inside the Bison's red zone. The N.C. A&T offense also produced its first 100-yard rusher of the season as freshman Dontavious Payne compiled 113 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

Sophomore running back Mike Mayhew put the game away with a 45-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“Howard does a great job with its blitz game,'' said Lee. “We knew we could still run the ball even though they tried to pack the box on us a few times. They gave us a 4-4 or goal line look. When we came off the ball and put a body on people we were still effective. We would still like to back them off with our passing game.”

As Saturday's game entered the second quarter, offensive output was not the only concern for N.C. A&T. With the game tied at 7, the Bison moved the ball effectively against a strong Aggies defense by putting together a 13-play, 68-yard drive that included a 15-yard run by Brandon Drayton and 15-yard reception by Drayton. Drayton's reception gave the Bison the ball at the Aggies 13.

The Aggies defense stiffened to hold the Bison to a 30-yard field goal by Dennis Wiehberg. After a 3-and-out by the Aggies, a 19-yard run by Andra Williams set up a 33-yard field goal to give the Bison a 13-7 lead with 1:24 remaining in the first half.   

“We could really feel that bye week early on,'' said Lee. “We didn't do a whole lot of hitting during our time off. When we went out there in the first half and the live action got to us a little bit. As we got back in tune with the speed of the game we were able to make some improvements. We had to up the tempo and play our brand of football.”

The Aggies brand of football in 2009 is forcing teams into errors and turnovers. Payne opened the second half with a two-yard touchdown that was set up by his own 49-yard run to the Bison 21. After taking the lead for good on Payne's run, the Aggies took advantage of Howard's issues with its long snapper and punter.

Howard punter Patrick Wolff had a snap launched over his head, which gave the Aggies the ball at the Bison 14 with 8:07 remaining in the third quarter. It set up a milestone for the Aggies leading receiver Wallace Miles. After three plays resulted in minus-2 yards, Miles lined up as the Aggies field goal kicker and booted a 32-yarder for his first career make, and a 17-13 Aggies lead.

Howard's punting issues continued into the fourth quarter. On a 4^th-and-5 from the Bison 19, Wolff had the snap rolled to his feet. It led to the Aggies getting the ball at the Bison 5. A play later, Payne ran through the middle of the Bison's defense for a touchdown and a 24-13 lead.

With the Aggies offense taking advantage of Howard miscues, the Aggies defense began making sure the Aggies offense kept the ball. Aggies safety Justin Ferrell intercepted at Floyd Haigler pass at the Aggies 1 with 6:05 remaining in the game. The bad field position for the Aggies led to the Bison starting its next drive at the Aggies 32.

Three plays later, the Bison cut into the Aggies lead as Willie Carter broke an Aggies tackle on his way to a 30-yard touchdown reception from Haigler. The two-point conversion failed to keep the Aggies lead at five, 24-19.

After Mayhew's score, Ferrell sealed the win for N.C. A&T with another interception at the Aggies 1. It was Ferrell's fifth interception of the season, putting him three INT's short of tying the single-season school record at eight.

“We came out flat which allowed them to run the football a little bit,'' said Ferrell. “We had to get serious and buckle down to stop the run. That forced them to pass the ball, and that's not really their strong suit.”

The Aggies are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the MEAC, and they are still mathematically alive for the MEAC Championship. N.C. A&T is back in action on Saturday when it hosts its own homecoming against Bethune-Cookman at 1:30 p.m., from Aggie Stadium.