North Carolina A&T Aggies

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NORTH CAROLINA -- The biggest void new Aggie head coach Lee Fobbs and his staff must fill along the defensive line is finding someone to replace two-time All-MEAC selection Rickie Lewis. Lewis led all MEAC defensive line in tackles for two straight seasons including many tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Even with Lewis, the Aggies allowed almost 5 yards per carry last year and over 200 yards per game on the ground. Although they didnt have huge stats, the Aggies will miss the talent, athleticism and versatility of Marshall Glenn and Brandon Trusty. Both Glenn and Trusty were in the top 5 in rushing, passing and receiving on the team. The biggest intangible will be the loss of their leadership on a very young and inexperience Aggie offensive unit this year. Trusty was by far the team's leading receiver with 63 catches last season. The key to success this year on offense for the Aggies is their quarterback position. Coach Fobbs will have a tough job this year with three freshman quarterbacks on the roster- two of them are redshirts. Fobbs will have to implement a new system with inexperienced quarterbacks along with an offense that hasn’t ranked higher than fifth in the MEAC in the last four seasons. The two men likely to battle to be the number one quarterback will be Wayne Campbell and Herb Miller. Miller was the No. 1 quarterback in the spring and started the Aggies annual Spring Game in April. The rest of the story by L.A.Batchelor labatchelor@peoplepc.com

[RonMexico]

this one will be out of hand in the 1st 5 minutes.

L'Ronte'

[shof]

this one will be out of hand in the 1st 5 minutes.

L'Ronte'

You know, I hope you are right. We should win this game and get some reserves in too. Bottom line for me - win, stay healthy, and don't look past these guys just because we have more BIG games right around the corner.

[ATXCajun]

You know, I hope you are right. We should win this game and get some reserves in too. Bottom line for me - win, stay healthy, and don't look past these guys just because we have more BIG games right around the corner.

Defense decimated by graduation. Didn't perform well with the seniors anyway. New coach. Presumably a new system. Not many positives in that article. Hopefully the new coach brings a new attitude and gives these guys something to get excited about.

I appreciate these guys making a road trip that helped us fill a hole in our schedule. If it does get out of hand, hopefully they will be able to work on some of the things they want to work on as well.

[RedCajun]

This is the same Coach Fobbs who was a GA at UL a couple of years ago right? I believe I heard he was the coach there.

[El Sidonio]

As y'all know from the article, it appears as though we should have this game in hand soon. BUT, for the same reason we know that both aLm and aTm better be on their toes is the same reason we should as well. That being said, I look forward to this first home game.

God Bless

GEAUX UL RAGIN CAJUNS!!!!!!!!!!

[ulforlife]

should be a FANTASTIC home-season opener

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HAMPTON, Va., September 16, 2006 – If he couldn’t get a win, the next best thing North Carolina A&T head football coach Lee Fobbs wanted was to see improvement. The score may not indicate it, but Fobbs got his second choice. No. 10 Hampton totaled 405 yards of total offense, and got 204 yards and three touchdowns from Kevin Beverly to down the Aggies 48-14 in MEAC play on Saturday. The Aggies fell to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the MEAC, while the Pirates improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the MEAC. “I think we’re on track,’’ said Fobbs. “We lost to a good football team, one of the best D-I-AA programs in the nation. But we looked better at certain aspects of the game than we did two weeks ago. Of course, we made some mistakes here and there that we need to correct, but it’s a growing process.” Among the Aggie improvements was forcing turnovers, moving the football and cutting down on penalties. But the key aspect of the game Fobbs liked was the play of redshirt freshman quarterback Herb Miller. Miller was 10 of 16 through the air for 93 yards and one interception. He was most effective on the ground, where he ran for 67 yards on 13 carries and scored twice. “Miller played a tough, physical ballgame,’’ said Fobbs. “That’s what we wanted from him and that’s what we got. Overall, I thought our guys played tougher, played a little smarter, but there were some plays early that turned the ballgame in their favor.” The rest of the story

[BirdofParadise]

This is the same Coach Fobbs who was a GA at UL a couple of years ago right? I believe I heard he was the coach there.

No. The GA here was coach Fobbs son, Roderick.

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LAFAYETTE — Rickey Bustle views his team’s 2006 season much the same way he looks at a football game — it’s four quarters, not one. That’s the reason he isn’t pushing any panic buttons in the wake of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s 0-2 start. “Those were two measuring sticks that we just got finished playing that were tough for us,” said Bustle, alluding to the Cajuns’ 45-3 loss at LSU and their 51-7 loss at Texas A&M. “The rest of these 10 games, I think you’re going to able to better see where you’re at.” The first of those 10 remaining games will be Saturday when the Cajuns open their home season at 4 p.m. against Division I-AA opponent North Carolina A&T. The Aggies have struggled as well, losing their first two games while being outscored 89-28. Saturday’s game will be followed by non-conference games against Eastern Michigan and Houston. The Cajuns, preseason favorites in the Sun Belt Conference, then begin league play Oct. 18 in a nationally-televised game at Florida Atlantic. “That (LSU and A&M) was the first quarter of our season,” said Bustle. “The next three opponents that we’re playing are non-conference games; it’s the second quarter. And then we’ll have the second half of our season where we get into conference play. “We’ve got 10 games left to play and I think we’ll be on a lot more even playing field. We’ve just got to put those (first) two games behind us.” The rest of the story By GLENN QUEBEDEAUX Special to The Advocate

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They've had two losses to open the season, neither of which were close. They haven't been able to mount a consistent offense, averaging less than 205 yards per game in those two losses. They're desperate for a solid performance, much less a win. Sound familiar? North Carolina A&T holds two losses to Division I-AA partners Winston-Salem (41-14) and Hampton (48-14). Now, the Aggies will play their second-ever game against a Division I-A opponent when they come to Cajun Field Saturday to meet the 0-2 and equally-struggling University of Louisiana squad. "Lafayette is no different from Hampton, or N.C. A&T, or any other team," said Aggie linebacker Davion Hemphill, who leads NCA&T with 20 tackles through two games. "A team is a team. Eleven individuals go out and play. I have to get my assignment done and push my teammates to get their assignments done." The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

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North Carolina A&T plays its official homecoming game on Oct. 21, and the Aggies will have a lot of chances to improve on their 0-2 start between now and then. Saturday's game against UL's Ragin' Cajuns shouldn't be one of those chances, but homecoming for the Aggies' head man starts today when A&T touches down at Lafayette Regional Airport. Lee Fobbs knows that airport. He probably knows every airport, every highway and every back road in Louisiana. "It's home for me," Fobbs said this week. "It'll always be home. My profession has taken me a few places and I've enjoyed every moment and I continue to enjoy it. But it's a pleasure to come back home." Fobbs coached in Louisiana for two decades, on both the prep and collegiate levels, before leaving LSU for a job at Southern Mississippi in 1995. He's since been on staffs at Minnesota, Baylor, Alabama and Texas A&M before finally getting a college head coaching opportunity last December when A&T came calling. Fobbs was the running backs coach at A&M, a place where traditions run deeper than just about anywhere in college athletics. The Cajuns saw up close and personal - try 51-7 and five rushing scores - what kind of athletes Fobbs was mentoring in College Station. He's watched the video of the UL-A&M game more times than he can count, mostly for scouting purposes. But more than once he caught himself eye-balling his former Aggies. The rest of the story Dan McDOnald dmcdonad@theadvertiser.com

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GREENSBORO -- The N.C. A&T Aggies are venturing to their coach's home state this weekend to play a Division I-A football opponent. While that sounds cool, it's not certain to become a trend. More relaxed bowl-eligibility rules at the I-A level are creating more matchups between the nominal big guys and I-AA schools, and A&T surely doesn't mind the exposure that such games create. That's particularly true while A&T tries to complete a $100 million capital campaign in 2008. But for the Aggies, playing I-A foes -- even the seemingly benign Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns -- is like deciding to become a pilot. You don't just climb into the cockpit without proper training. "Down the road, as we build the program, it will be good for us," coach Lee Fobbs said. "But we want to be smart about the times and situations in which we do it." Truth be told, this is a tough time for the Aggies to play a team with 85 scholarships. This year, A&T has 53 scholarship recipients. That number will grow closer to the NCAA Division I-AA maximum of 63 if Fobbs strings recruiting classes together and retains the players he signs, but that's a long-term project. Fobbs grew up in Monroe, La., played at Grambling and coached high school and college football in the state. On some levels, Saturday's game against the Cajuns is appealing. But it came about for more reasons than geography. The rest of the story By Rob Daniels Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 rdaniels@news-record.com

[UL Ragin Cajun]

Field painted for Saturday's game

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LOUISIANA La. — The University of Louisiana at Lafayette experienced the favorable side of a lopsided score Saturday. After being outscored 96-10 in its first two games, the Cajuns celebrated their 2006 home opener, routing North Carolina A&T, 48-7, before 15,041 at Cajun Field. The outcome took longer than expected after game officials delayed the start by 45 minutes and mandated another 30-minute halt in the first quarter because of nearby lightning strikes. UL coach Rickey Bustle said it was obvious how he felt following the win. “It was awesome. The (first two) teams we played didn’t cut us any slack,” Bustle said. North Carolina A&T (0-3) had 195 offensive yards against the Cajuns, who scored on their first five offensive possessions. The Aggies, from Division I-AA Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, finished with 195 total offensive yards, while ULL gained 408. The rest of the story By BOB ARDOIN Special to The Advocate