GREENSBORO - Saturday's Homecoming game was a tale of two first-time starters at quarterback. Both played well. But one turned the ball over once, while the other turned the ball over twice.
Therefore in the end, the edge went to Morgan State redshirt freshman quarterback Delonte Williams over N.C. A&T sophomore Ricky Lewis as Williams and the Bears defeated the Aggies 27-14 at Aggie Stadium. It was the Aggies seventh straight homecoming loss.
Williams scored three rushing touchdowns and threw for 100 yards and an interception on 7-for-12 passing. Meanwhile, Lewis rushed for 47 yards on eight carries, and added a new dimension to the Aggies offense that seemed to have Morgan State back on its heels even when he didn't carry the football.
But the former local high school hero out of Dudley also had two vital fumbles - one occurred deep in N.C. A&T territory, while the other hit the ground as the Aggies were driving deep in MSU territory in the fourth quarter.
"It was a great experience,'' said Lewis about his first career start. "But I noticed that college football is way faster than high school football. I had fun, but I didn't leave it all out on the field. I had two turnovers."
Lewis' first drive as a starter included him completing his first and only pass of the game, a 6-yard swing pass to Dominique Drake. The drive also included a 31-yard run by Mike Mayhew. But the drive ended with fifth-year senior Shelton Morgan throwing an interception on a 3rd-and-1 from the MSU 24-yard line.
The Bears turned the miscue into a 10-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 17-yard touchdown run by Williams. After the missed extra point, the Aggies took possession at the MSU 31. On the first down play, the center-quarterback exchange between Lewis and Brenton Walker went awry, leading to a fumble recovery by Chris Eugene at the Aggies 27.
Williams turned that turnover into a 10-yard touchdown, and all of sudden, the Bears had 12 points off of Aggie turnovers as the two-point conversion failed.
"It was another game where turnovers and miscues bit us pretty good,'' said North Carolina A&T head coach Alonzo Lee. "You can't turn the ball over on a consistent basis and expect to win."
Thanks to one of the best kick returners in the nation in junior Justin Ferrell, the Aggies had an answer. Ferrell's return gave the Aggies the ball at their own 47. Morgan turned the good field position into a 17-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman tight end Devon Stewart. Stewart caught the pass underneath and fought his way through several Bear defenders to get into the end zone.
On offense, however, Morgan State (3-3, 2-1) continued to capitalize on the Aggies depleted defensive line. With two more D-Linemen out, Williams had time to throw and the Bears had room to run. A 21-yard completion to Jephte Cherenfante and a 26-yard run by Jourdan Brooks set up a 1-yard run by Williams.
Before the half, the Bears would also score on 67-yard drive that included a 33-yard completion to Cherenfante. Cherenfante ended the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
In between those two scores, Ferrell broke through for a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was his third TD return of the season, breaking a school record. It was the Aggies fourth kick return for a touchdown as they headed into the locker room down 27-14 at the half.
The Aggies had their opportunities to rally in the second half. The Aggies defense forced four punts, and cornerback Quay Long returned an interception 17 yards to the MSU 29. But five trips inside the MSU 20 yielded only one touchdown. The most heartbreaking missed chance was a Lewis fumble that ended a 13-play, 75-yard drive at the MSU 15.
"We got down in the red zone and had some open receivers that we flat didn't hit,'' said Lee. "We have to be able to finish. We had a turnover down there. We had 2nd-and-short, and then had a false start penalty. Things like that cost you. We were there (red zone) enough in the second half to win."
The Aggies (0-6, 0-3) will try to win again on Saturday, Oct. 16 when they travel to Dover, Del., to face Delaware State at 1 p.m.
