WINSTON-SALEM
–
Odds
haven't been in North Carolina A&T's favor the previous five
seasons.
Too many injuries. Too much attrition. Too many bad bounces.
As the
Aggies entered their annual Battle of I-40 with arch-rival
Winston-Salem
State, the odds didn't look any better. N.C. A&T's football team
had to
rely on a number of first-year players. The No. 1 kicker was not able
to
play and neither was starting safety Terrence Webb.
The
difference Saturday night, however, was the Aggies actually prevailed
despite their circumstances. Senior quarterback Carlton Fears threw
for
131 yards on 17-for-31 passing, and he added 78 yards rushing and a
touchdown to lead the Aggies to a 19-10 win over the Rams at Bowman
Gray
Stadium.
It was
the first career win for Aggies head coach Alonzo Lee. He becomes just
the fifth Aggies head coach to win his debut.
“We
look like we're in good shape,'' said Lee. “In the fourth quarter we
were still striving. Winston has a great football team, there is no
doubt it. If we can stop inflicting wounds on ourselves we're going to
be a pretty good football team.”
Coupled
with the issues the Aggies had going into the game, they faced quite a
few obstacles during the game. The Aggies offense did compile 285
yards
of offense, which is a moral victory for an offense that struggled
mightily last season. But even with the vast improvement, on four
separate occasions, the Aggies advanced inside the Rams' 20-yard line
but came away with no points.
On one
of those occasions, the Aggies did not convert a fourth down. They
also
had the first-half clock run out before they were able to set up for a
field goal.
“I was
trying to take some pressure off my freshman kicker,'' said Lee about
Patrick Courtney. “We had to find out our freshman kicker had to step
up
about a week ago. He came into camp with an injury, so he just started
kicking August 23rd. We tried to take some pressure off him
by gambling. Each time, I thought we could make it.”
Courtney had a hernia injury throughout preseason camp. Lee said he is
still a little gun shy, but believes he will get better as the season
progresses and his confidence grows. But Lee needed Courtney to come
through Saturday night.
A bad
snap over the head of Rams punter Landen Thayer, gave the Aggies the
ball at the Rams 10 with 9:23 remaining in the game. Three plays
later,
with two missed field goals already on Courtney's stat sheet, Lee
turned
to his young kicker. Courtney responded by booming a 25-yard field
through the upright for a 13-10 Aggies lead.
Another
young player – defensive lineman Brandon Young – came up with the play
that put the Aggies in position to clinch the victory. The Aggies
flushed Rams quarterback Branden Williams out of the pocket. In his
haste to get away from Aggie defenders, Williams dropped the football
and had it recovered by Young at the Rams 18. Fears collected 17 yards
on the drive, and sophomore running back Mike Mayhew finished off the
drive with a 1-yard touchdown with 1:55 to go.
Until
the Aggies offense was able to put points on the board to put the Rams
away, it was the Aggies defense and special teams that kept the Rams
frustrated. Mayhew had a 67-yard kickoff return. Long had a 44-yard
punt
return and a blocked field goal, and punter Alex Grubb pinned the Rams
inside their own 20 twice.
Meanwhile, the Aggies defense held the Rams to just 90 yards of
offense
and forced two turnovers. “It was a hard-nosed game,'' said senior
defensive end Tyre Glasper. “Those boys didn't want to give up. We
believe in our scheme. We know our scheme works. We know we're a hard,
physical defense.”
The
Aggies will play their home and conference opener Saturday, Sept. 12
at
6 p.m., against Norfolk State.
“We're
a freshman-sophomore team,'' said Lee. “I believe we're only going to
get better. First-game jitters happen on every level, from the NFL on
down. Coming out with those first-game jitters, the team that makes
the
fewest mistakes is going to win.”
