A&T Aggies Looking For Win Against Coastal Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA A&T (0-0, 0-0) at COASTAL CAROLINA (0-0, 0-0)

Date: September 1, 2012
Time: 6 p.m.
Stadium: Brooks Stadium
Series: Coastal leads, 3-0
Radio: WNAA 90.1 FM; Campus Radio Station: Spencer Gwynn (play-by-play), Al Swann (color); Billy Covington (color), Mel Swann (halftime host).

CHIT CHATTER: North Carolina A&T is looking for its first win over a non-HBCU since beating Elon 19-17 on Sept. 25, 2004. The Aggies have lost their last seven games against non-HBCU's, including three straight losses to Coastal Carolina. The Aggies will also be looking for just their second road win in nine tries. Their last road win came against Morgan State on Oct. 1, 2011. A&T is making its second trip to Conway, S.C., in four years. Their last trip occurred on Sept. 26, 2009 during Mike Mayhew's freshman season. The rookie rushed for 84 yards on 11 carries in the 28-7 loss.

From the other coach:
Coastal Carolina head coach Joe Moglia on the Coastal offense
"Our Offense is coming along, not as much depth in offensive line. We've had inconsistency in regards to our specialists."

Moglia on A&T
"North Carolina A&T has an outstanding tailback and they put a big full back in front of him. At the end of the last football season, they really became a powerful team. They really have a lot of skilled athletes offensively and defensively."

It's A "Lock": Junior linebacker D'Vonte Grant still has a lot to prove. He is mainly out to prove that last season was no fluke. At first glance, Grant doesn't look like a big, bad scary linebacker. But once he is in his pads, he is as fearless as any linebacker in the FCS. Grant (5-11, 205, Charlotte, N.C.) led the Aggies in tackles and was considered one of the best newcomers in the FCS after being a finalist for the Jerry Rice award. No one will be surprised by his success this season after he earned a spot on the MEAC's defensive preseason team. Another solid season even though there will be more attention paid to him, will show despite his size, he can still be an effective linebacker.



Potential Gameday Star power: North Carolina A&T: Junior safety Travis Crosby lives around the football. He is accustomed to making big plays whether the ball is in the air or on the ground. He will play a big part in trying to slow down the Chanticleers offense. Coastal Carolina: Senior quarterback Aramis Hillary threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns in the Chanticleers 31-14 win over the Aggies in 2011 at Aggie Stadium. No other opponent threw for that many yards against the Aggies throughout last season. Hillary, who was 18-for-24 in the game, has many of his weapons back including junior receiver Matt Hazel, who caught two of Hillary's touchdown passes.

The Magic Number For A&T: 0: In the Aggies previous three meetings against Coastal Carolina, they have failed to score a single point in the first half. If the Aggies are able to strike early against the Chanticleers, it could go a long way in helping the Aggies earn their win in three tries against the Chanticleers.



Fantasy League Pick: If this were a fantasy league ballgame, a solid guy to play would be senior receiver Larry Raper. Raper runs a 4.34 in the 40-yard dash, making him one of the fastest players on the team. For Aggie fans, Raper's speed is no surprise. What will make him an offensive threat this season are two other added elements to his game - size and leadership. Raper has put in the work to replace Wallace Miles as the Aggies No. 1 receiver by adding muscle and determination during the offseason. All that hard work may pay off Saturday night in Conway, S.C.

FROM THE NOTES

The Monster Mash
North Carolina A&T had one of the best run defenses in the country last season. The Aggies ranked seventh in rush defense and eighth in overall defense. A big part of the Aggies success came behind the leadership of senior defensive end Tony Mashburn. Mashburn made 12.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 2011. As a team, the Aggies held five of their opponents to under 50 yards rushing last season. In three of those games, the Aggies held their opponents to under 10 yards rushing.



Broadway Openers
North Carolina A&T head coach Rod Broadway is entering his 10th season as a head coach. He spent four seasons apiece at N.C. Central and Grambling. He is 5-4 in season openers as a head coach. He was 1-3 at Grambling when playing a season opener with two of those losses coming to Division I FBS teams. At N.C. Central, he was 3-1 in games that opened the season with his only loss coming to North Carolina A&T in 2003. Last season the Aggies opened with a 38-7 win over Virginia University of Lynchburg.

Mayhew Carries The Load
Mike Mayhew native is just 10 carries shy of becoming the school's all-time leader in rush attempts as well. He was only one of 25 backs with at least 150 carries in the Football Championship Subdivision to rush for more than 100 yards per game. In 2010, Mayhew carried the ball a school record 221 times. The following year, he outdid himself by breaking his own record with 231 rushing attempts. Mayhew has recorded 25 or rushing attempts eight times in his career. He is averaging 131.8 yards in those games.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Delaware State Hornets eager to get ball rolling

DOVER, Delaware - Delaware State University has won five out of its last seven football openers. But considering the Hornets haven’t had a winning season since 2007, that kickoff momentum has not been carrying through the rest of the campaign.

Delaware State hopes to change that trend starting today when it kicks off the 2012 season at Alumni Stadium against Virginia Military Institute in a nonconference tilt at 2 p.m.

“This is why we do what we do,” said Kermit Blount, beginning his second season as the Hornets’ head coach. “This is what we’ve been waiting for. It gives the kids the opportunity to play somebody with different-colored jerseys and gives a chance to match wits with a good staff from VMI.”

Delaware State defeated VMI 24-21 in Lexington, Va., in the first game between the teams last season. Nick Elko threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and Justin Wilson had a pair of TD catches to lead the Hornets’ 346-yard offensive attack.



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Stillman hopes maturity leads to improvement

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | After going 7-4 last season, Stillman coach Teddy Keaton is looking for this year’s squad to compete for the SIAC title. However, Keaton refuses to let his team rest on the successes of the 2011 season.

“Last year is last year. I’ll put that in the scrapbook. Every year, a team has a different identity. As far as camp goes right now, they’ve done a great job in the offseason of getting better, getting stronger, understanding execution, doing it the right way.”



This year’s team plans on using the experience built up by last year’s freshmen and some talented newcomers to achieve their goals.

“Right now, they’ve demonstrated the maturity level. A lot of the kids who played last year were freshman, now they’re sophomores, and there’s a mixture of juniors in there. They’ve matured into their role, they’re understanding the offense and understanding the defensive schemes.

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Expectations high as WSSU Rams hit field

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina - One of the most highly anticipated seasons in recent Winston-Salem State football history will start at 6 p.m. today when WSSU plays UNC Pembroke at Bowman Gray Stadium.

The Rams are coming off a program-best 13-1 season and are No. 9 in the American Football Coaches Association's preseason rankings.

"We've got a veteran team coming back, and we've replaced the guys we lost with some quality players, and right now they are performing well," coach Connell Maynor said. "I think because our offense and defense are both so experienced, it's really hard to make plays in practice. I think they are ready to play outside competition."

Maynor predicted a two-touchdown victory earlier this week against a UNCP team that has lost two straight to WSSU — 34-7 in 2011 and 21-7 in 2010, both at Pembroke.



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ECSU Vikings do extra prep for opener

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina - Waverly Tillar wanted to be sure his Elizabeth City State football team would be on firm footing when the Vikings make their season debut at Newberry College today.

The Wolves play on artificial turf and Tillar was concerned that the ECSU players, who practice and play on natural grass, might get distracted by the different surface, so he took the team to East Carolina last Sunday to work out on a similar field.

“We’ve got a bunch of new guys and I wanted to get those turf jitters out of them so they would feel more comfortable,” Tillar said. “The game is much faster on turf. You have to give them a chance to get accustomed to it.

“Playing faster than normal, guys can ...

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Livingstone College band ready for football season

SALISBURY, North Carolina - When the Livingstone College Marching Blue Bears take the field tonight at Alumni Memorial Stadium, their size alone will impress you. When they start playing "In the Stone," one of Earth, Wind & Fire's biggest hits, you're probably going to be blown away. In fact, you might think members from the Grammy-winning group's horn section have donned Livingstone uniforms and are out there on the field, too.

Marching bands have long been the essence and ethos of the black college experience. More than a century ago, Alabama A&M's chancellor recruited W.C. Handy to join the faculty and direct the band, orchestra and vocal music programs. Over time, the tunes played by HBCU marching bands have evolved from classical music to more popular music - notably soul and R&B.

It's not uncommon for halftime shows to include songs by Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Average White Band, Frankie Beverly & Maze, The Gap Band and other popular artists. Sometimes, even musical show tunes wind their way into the performances.

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NCCU Eagles look to cut turnovers, penalties

COACH HENRY FRAZIER III

DURHAM, North Carolina — A year ago, N.C. Central was on the road in New Jersey to play Rutgers in the Eagles’ season opener as a Football Championship Subdivision team. Rutgers, an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision team, beat NCCU 48-0.

The Eagles start the season today (6 p.m., WNCU 90.7-FM) at home against Fayetteville State, a Division-II school from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, in which NCCU competed before rejoining the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

NCCU coach Henry Frazier III admitted that there is some added pressure for hosting a Division II squad in Game 1. NCCU doesn’t have the upper hand just because it’s on a higher level, Frazier said.

“Man, we went 2-9 (in 2011) — ain’t no upper hands,” Frazier said. “When you’re coming off 2-9 (and) you’re 0-5 at home, you can’t look a that. I don’t think no one should be around here talking about upper hands.”

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