Never has conventional wisdom been so unfair. N.C. A&T head coach Alonzo Lee started freshman quarterback Lewis Kindle, and then proceeded to start other freshmen in various positions against the No. 3 team in black college football.  Despite going young, the Aggies were inches away from upsetting a Rattlers team that features 24 seniors.

Kindle (6-1, Atlanta, Ga., Westlake) threw for 206 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 16-for-30 passing in a 31-27 defeat at Bragg Memorial Stadium. Kindle also carried the ball 11 times for 54 yards and a touchdown. In addition to Kindle, the Aggies (5-5, 3-4 MEAC) started two freshmen at linebacker, a freshman at free safety, a freshman at running back, a freshman at tight end and a freshman at wide receiver.

“We went against an outstanding team today,'' said Lee. “We are a young team that is growing each and every week. Today, we went against the No. 2 team in the conference and made some big plays. We just have to get to a point where we are making enough big plays to win.”

The 4^th down-and-2 from the FAMU 23-yard line with 1:04 remaining in the game was the grandest play of them all. Early in the fourth quarter, Tallahassee native and freshman running back Dontavious Payne took a toss sweep to the right and scored on an 8-yard run. The Aggies went with the same play on the late fourth down.

Payne took the pitch, made a dash to the outside and tried to leap over Rattler defenders for the first down. Instead, he was met in the hole harshly by Fabian Wilson, who dropped Payne somewhere between the 22 and 21-yard lines. Lee asked officials to measure for the first down, but the decision was already made that Payne came up short of the first down marker. The Rattlers (7-2, 5-1 MEAC) took over possession and ran the clock out.

“I felt we had the first down,'' said Lee. “We didn't get a measurement because the sticks were already moved. That was a bitter taste for me to swallow, but we're moving on.”

The Aggies will move on with confidence of knowing even with their youth they had an experienced team in trouble on that experienced team's home field.

After falling down 17-7 on a Trevor Scott 31-yard field goal in the second quarter, the Aggies received a break when Scott hit sophomore Mike Mayhew out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff. The Aggies took over at their own 43. They put together a four-play drive that ended with senior tight end Brett Fisher running wide open down the middle of the field and catching a pass from Kindle that resulted in a 22-yard touchdown.

Seconds later, Rattler running back Eddie Rocker was hit in the backfield and stripped of the football. Senior defensive end Tyre Glasper scooped up the loose ball and returned it 18 yards to the Rattler 23 with 6:06 remaining in the first half. On the next play, Kindle found an open Terrence Whitaker at the Rattler 14. Whitaker broke a tackle, turned up field and scored on 23-yard touchdown reception to give the Aggies the lead at 21-17. 

“I thought Lewis played an outstanding game,'' said Lee. “For a true freshman to come into this environment and play as well as he played was definitely impressive.”

Kindle and the Aggies took their four-point lead into the locker room not realizing the disappointments that lay ahead in the third quarter. It started with the Aggies being turned away on a 4^th-and-3 from the FAMU 26. It continued when Payne lost a fumble at the Aggies 32.

Things started looking better when the Rattlers' Philip Sylvester fumbled on the next play to give the Aggies the ball back. Unfortunately, another exchange took place as Payne fumbled again three plays later to give the Rattlers possession at the Aggies 40. This time Sylvester made them pay with a 40-yard touchdown run to give the Rattlers the lead for good.

“Turnovers kind of bit us in the second half,'' said Lee. “We were able to strike back a couple of times defensively, but then we would come right back with a turnover. You never want to turn the football over, but you certainly don't want to turn it over right after they give you the ball back.”

Special teams gave the Rattlers a 31-21 lead as LeRoy Vann returned a punt 51 yards for a touchdown. It was his fifth return of the season, tying the NCAA Division I FCS record set by Aggie Curtis Deloatch in 2001. Vann followed up his record-breaking return by muffing his next return, giving the Aggies the ball at the FAMU 40.

Six plays later the Aggies scored on Payne's toss sweep to move to within four after kicker Wallace Miles missed the extra point. The Rattlers tried to add to their lead on a Scott 46-yard field goal attempt, but Jarrell Herring blocked his third kick of the season to give the Aggies a chance at the win with 6:35 to play. A fake punt that resulted in a 16-yard run on 4^th-and-7 by Jeremy Graham kept the Aggies hopes alive. But it was the second fourth down of the drive that dashed those hopes.

“The sky's the limit for N.C. A&T,'' said Lee. “We are just chipping the tip of the iceberg right now. We have sophomores and freshmen really out there fighting for us. We'll be a team to be reckoned with. We're taking a few lumps and bruises right now, but I guarantee you, we're going to be all right in the future.”