North Carolina A&T injuries and absences along with two big Winston-Salem State plays late in the game led the Rams to a 21-14 win over The Aggies football team Saturday night at Aggie Stadium. WSSU quarterback Kameron Smith's 7-yard touchdown run with 41 seconds remaining in the game made the difference for the Rams.
"I thought we played well defensively,'' said N.C. A&T head coach Alonzo Lee. "But in the end when it counted, we had a big penalty and two missed tackles that cost us in the last drive."
Junior Justin Ferrell did all he could to help overcome the Aggies problems. Ferrell not only had 10 tackles from his safety position, but he also returned a kickoff 76 yards for his first career touchdown. Ferrell's run, which was setup by some vicious blocks, tied the game at 13.
"We have a great return set up for him,'' said Lee. "He is looking to score every time he gets it."
An excessive celebration penalty forced the Aggies to kick the extra point from 35 yards. Freshman Sullivan Shidler had already missed field goals from 43 and 31 yards earlier in the game. Therefore, WSSU head coach Connell Maynor (a former All-American quarterback at N.C. A&T) felt comfortable making Shidler kick the long extra point instead of having the penalty assessed on the kickoff.
Shidler answered the challenge with a line drive kick through the uprights to send the sellout crowd into an uproar as the Aggies took a 14-13 lead.
An Aggies defense that played without four starters it expected to have when summer camp opened, remained strong. N.C. A&T's "D" forced two fourth-quarter punts from the Rams, including a three-and-out. Then there was the third and final drive of the game by the Rams, where all indicators seemed to suggest the Aggies would stop their Piedmont Triad rival again.
That is until a 15-yard penalty helped the Rams move the ball to their own 44-yard line. Two plays later on a 3rd-and-9, the Aggies had Tyrone Goldston trapped five yards in his own backfield. Somehow Goldston escaped and picked up 13 yards for a Rams first down. Another missed tackle on the next play allowed Smith to sprint 38 yards to the Aggies 4.
Two players later, Smith rolled out to the right side, left the pocket and headed toward the pylon for the game-winning score. A two-point conversion gave the Rams a 7-point lead. Smith, who replaced starter Octavio Hawkins in the third quarter, rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. He also threw for a touchdown.
"He's a good runner, and we were aware of that,'' said Lee. "But give him credit. He made some great plays with his legs at the end that made the difference. We had opportunities to make big plays. But the big plays we failed to make, they made on the exact same plays."
Big plays and unfortunate incidents were a combination the Aggies couldn't overcome. N.C. A&T played without at least seven starters it expected to have when preseason camp opened. Among those starters were quarterback Lewis Kindle and preseason first-team All-MEAC cornerback Quay Long. In addition, center Thomas Hearn and running back Larry Raper left the game with injuries.
Long is expected back next week. Meanwhile, Kindle's knee injury received a second opinion during the week. A special brace was made for him. Lee said he wants to give Kindle a couple of weeks to get accustomed to the brace before evaluating Kindle's chances of playing again during the 2010 season.
"We definitely missed our quarterback regardless of how you look at it,'' said Lee.
The Aggies did have 2009 MEAC Rookie of the Year Mike Mayhew in the lineup. On a 12-play, 56-yard drive in the first quarter, Mayhew carried the ball nine times. He finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown that led to a 7-0 Aggies lead. Mayhew rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. His score was the only points produced by the Aggies offense despite the fact that N.C. A&T forced four WSSU turnovers.
The Aggies will try to regroup against Norfolk State 4 p.m., Saturday from William "Dick" Price Stadium in Norfolk, Va. It will be the first of four straight games away from Aggie Stadium for N.C. A&T.
