GREENSBORO, July 31, 2012 - The 2012 North Carolina A&T
football season starts in 31 days. The Aggies will have to take a few more
preparatory steps before traveling to Conway, S.C., to face Coastal Carolina on
Saturday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m.
The Aggie football players will report to preseason
camp on Friday, Aug. 3. Their first official practice will be Saturday, Aug. 4 at
4 p.m. On Sunday, Aug. 12, the Aggies will hold a picture/media day at 9 a.m.,
inside Aggie Stadium. Six days later on Aug. 18, the Aggies annual Fun Fest Day
to kickoff the 2012 season will start at 10 a.m., at the Aggie Stadium parking
lot.
"We're looking forward to it," said second-year
A&T head coach Rod Broadway. "We're excited. Hopefully, we can make
improvements as a football team and get better. That's the key, constant improvement."
The Aggies had a four-win improvement from 2010 to
2011, as they went 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the MEAC. The progress is starting to
be recognized.
Senior running back Mike Mayhew was recently named preseason
MEAC Offensive Player of the Year and the Aggies return 10 starters from a
defense that was ranked eighth nationally. Three of those starters on defense -
senior defensive end Tony Mashburn, junior strong safety Travis Crosby and junior
linebacker D'Vonte Grant - joined Mayhew on the preseason All-MEAC team. Junior
right guard Nathan Isles and senior defensive tackle Brandon Young were
preseason second teamers.
A few milestones reached could also signal growth
for the Aggies football program. Mayhew is 139 yards shy of breaking the school's
all-time rushing record. He could also join Hampton's Alonzo Coleman and Howard's
Harvey Reed as the only backs in MEAC history to record three straight 1,000 yard
seasons. In addition, quarterback Lewis Kindle has a chance to become the only
quarterback in school history to throw for more than 2,000 yards in consecutive
seasons.
"I think everyone gets excited at the start of a
new season," said Broadway. "It's our job as coaches to hold that excitement.
If you hold it, they can see themselves getting better. Hopefully, that
translates into us winning some football games. I think we have a core group of
guys who understand how we want to get things done. Guys are really putting
forth the effort and going for it."
Preseason Schedule
Date Event Time
August 3 Players
Report All Day
August 4 Practice 4 p.m.
August 5 Practice 7 p.m.
August 6 Practice 9 a.m.
August 7 Practice 9 a.m.
August 8 Practice 9 a.m.
August 9 Practice 9
a.m. and 7 p.m.
August 10 Practice
9 a.m.
August 11 Practice 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
August 12 Media/Picture
Day 9 a.m.
August 13 Practice
9 a.m.
August 14 Practice 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
August 18 Fun
Fest 10 a.m.
