N.C. A&T's plight a familiar one for Lavan

Photo: DSU Head Football Coach Al Lavan

By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal

Struggling Aggies remind DSU coach of early years with Hornets

DOVER -- Al Lavan saw the symptoms of a bad football team when he watched video last weekend.

Delaware State's football coach said he saw games lost despite players trying their best. He saw an athletic group that lacked talent to compete week after week in an evenly matched conference like the MEAC.

Lavan said he can't help being reminded of his Hornets in 2004, his first season at DSU, whenever he sees video of his next opponent, North Carolina A&T.

The winless Aggies, who host DSU on Saturday at Aggie Stadium in Greensboro, N.C., have lost all 17 games under second-year coach Lee Fobbs.

Lavan took over in 2004, one season after the Hornets finished 1-10. He said there are a lot of similarities in the Hornets of old and the Aggies of today.

"Our first year, we needed better players, but what we really needed was confidence," Lavan said. "That's what coach Fobbs needs. And it's the hardest thing to get."

Lavan started the 2004 season 0-4 but finished 4-7. His first victory was against nationally ranked Hampton, similar to the scenario that Fobbs faces against the No. 17 Hornets.

"Really, wins and losses don't indicate anything," Lavan said. "That year, we had to keep showing our players how they were getting better. It's not always strictly a matter of effort."

Fobbs, who played at Grambling under Eddie Robinson, was hired from Texas A&M after the 2005 season where he served as running backs coach.

Despite his pedigree, Fobbs has been subject to heavy scrutiny at A&T, a university with loud and demanding alumni.

Fobbs said, despite the lack of wins, he is sticking to his long-term plan of recruiting high school athletes and playing them now. He said his overall assessment of the program and its needs has gone unchanged.

"If you believe in something, you have to keep teaching it," Fobbs said. "If you don't, then you really didn't believe in it in the first place."

The Aggies' 0-11 season in 2006, and subsequent calls for his removal, even prompted Fobbs to add a unique supplement to his 2007 team media guide.

Under the words, "Stay positive," Fobbs wrote a message to fans and alumni, asking them to forget the winless season and for added patience in the upcoming year.

"I believe we're taking the right route with regard to our building progress," Fobbs said Tuesday. "We have the right attitude and that's important. It's taking longer than we thought, but we're still happy to be out there."

But it hasn't gotten any easier. Besides the team's 0-6 record, the Aggies have lost by hefty margins, such as a combined score of 109-34 in two losses against Hampton and Norfolk State. Fobbs' team ranks last in total defense (372.2), turnover margin (minus-5), rushing defense (208.8) and is next-to-last in total offense (282).

It's not all bad. Junior running back Michael Ferguson is ninth in the nation in rushing with 124.5 yards per game. Within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Ferguson is behind only Chad Simpson of Morgan State, the country's fifth-ranked rusher.

Lavan, as he is reminded of his own struggles in his debut season, has tried to share the potential pitfall this game presents. The Hornets are 3-0 to start the league season for the first time since 1993 and are tied for their highest-ever national ranking.

"What you have to do is play them like they're the best in the conference," DSU sophomore defensive lineman Tyron Hurst said. "Everyone from here is the top team. If you look at it like that, you won't be upset."

DSU at N.C. A&T, 1:30 p.m. Saturday