Aggies Come Up Short In Charlotte
By Tyler Ball, Guest Analyst
Published: September 6, 2022

CHARLOTTE, NC – After all the preseason discussion and 60 minutes of action concluded at Bank of America stadium, one team stood tall. Unfortunately, that team happened to be the North Carolina Central Eagles which rode the experience and execution of Davius Richard to a 28-13 victory at the Duke Mayo Classic over archrival N.C. A&T.

Richard completed 20 of 32 passes for 200 yards and two scores while rushing for 54 yards and two scores, accounting for all of Central’s 28 points. His numbers only begin to tell the story. Credit must be given to new Eagle defensive coordinator Courtney Coard, who put together a solid defensive game plan to keep the Aggies’ run game bottled up and force redshirt freshman Zach Yeager to beat them with his arm. This was not a surprise, as 60 days ago Coard, the Aggies’ former co-defensive coordinator, was making preparations against his current team. Enough about the Eagles, though, many of you saw the game. Let’s find out what went wrong.
 

Quarterback

It was interesting that Yeager was chosen to be the starter over incumbent Jalen Fowler, but COVID-19 reared its ugly head and forced Fowler to miss 10 days of fall camp. Head coach Sam Washington discussed a two-quarterback system in the press conference on Tuesday, but in the end, did not feel the need to pull Yeager, especially after the team fell behind by two scores. Several fans questioned the types of passing plays called but I do not feel that was the issue. Short, precision passing is what is needed to make a tempo offense work, and several times he was able to execute. Other times, particularly when he moved outside the pocket, he seemed to rush his throws.

He finished 23 of 48 for a freshman record 275 yards to break Wayne Campbell’s old record. Yeager’s ability to get outside of the pocket can be dangerous to opponents, though. He ended up being the leading rusher for A&T with 59 yards on six carries, including a 33-yarder where he made a defender miss and cruised through the middle of the field. Of course, once the Aggies reached the redzone, things got tight. Several jump balls to the end zone were called, but ball placement is what needs to be improved. The interception was a low, late, inside throw over the middle, where critical errors can happen. There will be more opportunities like the 55-yard bomb he connected with Jamison Warren for the Aggies’ only touchdown.

You don’t expect to throw 48 passes in your first career start, in fact, only one QB in Aggie history ever reached 49 attempts (Maseo Bolin). It’s not a fair assessment if we do not include the factor of a lack of running game, even when the game was within a single score. I expect Yeager to be better as the season moves forward and he receives more reps in practice as the starter. This leaves the question of the two quarterback system, though. Did the game dictate the decision to keep Yeager in place, or was that the plan overall, especially since next week’s tilt at #1 North Dakota State is a homecoming of sorts for him?
 

Running Backs

What happened here? Even in the bluedeathvalley.com preview, redshirt freshman Charlie Dixon, a powerful back, was expected to make his debut. Dixon never touched the field. Not having Dixon available seemed to create havoc on the game plan, because when the Aggies were just one score behind, the offensive play calling was skewed toward passing the ball.

Credit to NC Central for anticipating the Aggies wanting to establish the run, and not allowing much among the front seven. Bayshul Tuten (7 rushes for 20 yards, 7 receptions for 55 yards) looked very capable to be a playmaker when he touched the ball as a receiver, and several times he needed to make one tackler miss to create a big play. The biggest play, a 36-yard touchdown, was called back by a holding penalty. I like those opportunities for the Aggies and eventually a few will go their way.

A&T was credited for 16 rushing attempts but seven of them were quarterback scrambles. This left eight called runs to running backs (Wesley Graves had one) and one well-read flanker sweep to Taymon Cook that went nowhere. For right now, I am going to treat this as an anomaly until we know Dixon’s status.
 

Wide Receivers

Welcome back, Zach Leslie! Leslie (5 catches, 87 yards) returned in a big way Saturday and looked like his old self from the Celebration Bowl days. Leslie drew the assignment of NCCU’s best defensive back, Brandon Codrington, and had the advantage most of the day. Seeing the flanker screen return to the playbook with Leslie was a refreshing memory for Aggie fans. The receiver on the opposite side, preseason All-Big South Jamison Warren had six catches for 90 yards including the 55-yarder, which he simply ran by the corner and the late arriving safety and made the play. A new “Jump Ball U” member, Ger-Cari Caldwell, made his first career catches, but he had a couple of chances to get his first TD in the red zone. He and Yeager will have to get the timing right in the future. as the placement of the ball allowed Eagle defenders to disrupt each play. I like the addition of another big target to the arsenal.
 

Offensive Line

Overall the offensive line did what it was asked to do. Pass blocking for 55 called passing plays without a sack allowed is an incredible feat. Yeager felt little pressure as he threw passes at every level and even scrambled to create more time. The unfortunate holding call on the Tuten run was a part of a few penalties that killed opportunities to score. I am going to attribute the line penalties to first game jitters. The short passing game is not the issue here and I like the direction of that type of play calling. But where was the running game to provide balance? This goes against the “we do chicken” adage that the Broadway/Washington era has lived by for a decade. The offensive line is set up to dominate the line of scrimmage, but they have to be given the opportunity, especially in a rivalry game you have to win. It’s difficult to assess this ever evolving position right now.

EDIT: We have learned that a complete shuffle of the offensive line happened due to Lawrence Lagrone’s absence. At least three positions were affected, including Dacquari Wilson and Cesar Romero moving to guard and center, respectively.
 

Defensive Line

This line has a LOT of potential. Take away a 30-yard misdirection run by Davius Richard and the Aggie defensive line spent a lot of time in NCCU’s backfield. The two Eagle running backs, Latrell Collier and J’Mari Taylor, combined for 16 yards on 19 carries. Richard himself was not much better but the timing of his short runs were critical. Of his 12 carries, seven were for first downs, including two touchdowns.

True freshman defensive tackle Caleb Jones was solid in his debut and added a sack. Janorris Robertson (5 tackles, 3 solos) Henry Daniel (3 tackles), Shomari Wallace (3 tackles) and Harrell (3 tackles) were impactful as the line got stronger as the game went on.

Despite the fact the Eagles dominated time of possession, the Aggies kept coming, a tribute to the depth they have. This unit will have to generate more third down pressure, which is not the easiest task in this era of football. Another factor that would help would be the offense not going “three-and-out” and spending so much time on the bench.
 

Linebackers

NCCU attacked every weakness of the Aggies’ zone, ensuring matchups of the slot receiver against a linebacker. This put the Aggies at a disadvantage all evening long. TyQuan King (11 tackles, 4 solos) was the most active defensive player for the Aggie linebackers and made Richard aware of his presence with a tackle for loss and forced a sack by Devin Harrell. Jacob Roberts (13 tackles) was all over the field, but how do you counter him? The Eagles called a wheel route to J’Mari Taylor and Roberts got there late for a 23-yard gain on a 3rd and 3, which led to the Eagles go-ahead touchdown. New starting rover Avarion Cole was beaten on the Richard touchdown thrown to E.J. Hicks for NCCU’s final score.

The issue is a scheme issue, similar to last year. Whenever a critical play was needed, Richard could find the open man sitting beneath the linebackers but in front of the safety.I believe that it is time to bring some pressure against opponents. While our line proved that pressure can be generated with just four rushers, it was all too infrequent and somewhat predictable. The Aggie coaching staff needs to improve by putting these guys in better position to make plays on the ball, instead of trailing other receivers.

Secondary

Karon Prunty (8 tackles, 3 solos) made his debut, and did not have many opportunities to be a factor defensively. Richard managed the game by attacking the Aggie zone. He threw away from Prunty’s side and kept the secondary off balance with short and intermediate passing. The secondary played not to get beat deep, and in the process, gave up several key third down passes. I can imagine that the game film analysis will reveal how to tighten the zone. It was frustrating to watch the defensive backs give chase to NCCU wideouts and TE’s other the middle. Can this unit be better? There is potential here, but I’m willing to wait to see what happens after every 3rd down situation.

Special Teams

Caleb Brickhouse did not have a punt blocked on Saturday. The punter was the backup placekicker, Elliot Kadans. The wedge was broken and the punt was taken off Kadans foot. This is a simple scheme correction and I’m not too worried about it. Brickhouse boomed a 54 yard punt and averaged 41.5 yards on his two kicks. New kick off return man Aaron Harris was solid, but had a clear path to perhaps the end zone all ended when he ran into his own man. Taymon Cook made an awesome play by picking up a loose ball on the kickoff and returning the kick 27 yards. Harris and Cook make a formidable group of return specialists. They seem to be one block away from breaking one open. Andrew Brown resumed his role as the top kicker and connected on field goals of 42 and 49 yards. The unit as a whole is a good one once again.

Intangibles

Because of the long passing drives the Aggies had in the second half, the Aggies actually outgained the Eagles in yardage 357-269. But NCCU dominated the time of possession, keeping the ball for a whopping 34 minutes, and were very methodical in scoring. This means that the Eagles beat the Aggies at their own game plan. For all the scoring drives, the Eagles were 9 for 10 on third down. It’s highly difficult to be a great team defense when you cannot get off the field. I mentioned Courtney Coard, but he got some assistance from former Aggie defensive back Tony McRae, who joined the staff a couple of weeks ago. But I also attribute the Eagles success to the unimaginative and predictable play calling. After the game, Richard said directly that “[NC Central] knew what to expect.” This has not been the only time a player has commented to how well game film translates to the field far too well on the Aggies.

In a period of uncertainty, it was imperative to win against NC Central. Not only has the arch rival improved off the field, they have improved in recruiting as well. As I walked in the opposite direction leaving the stadium, many fans uttered the words “you can’t lose to Central.” When that phrase is spoken, a good idea of the topic in question, the status of the head coach, is called into question. I am not the one to do such a thing, but after the humility the Aggies were fed by the Big South last season, this loss felt like the dose of cod liver oil that was given to children to eliminate the common cold. It has a bitter taste for sure. Included in that spoonful were the nine penalties for 95 yards. Two of them extended drives on defense and two killed drives on offense.


What compounds this ugliness we saw, is that we are assured more is to come. As the entire FCS world knows, the Aggies will travel to Fargo, North Dakota, to battle the division’s Goliath in #1 North Dakota State next week. The truth is this game was supposed to be played in 2020, when the Aggies were much more fortified with the experienced talent to compete with the Bison. Let’s not forget that the following week, the Aggies will make a trek down I-85 to face Duke in a rematch of last year’s game. Then in week four, A&T will face another longtime rival, S.C. State, in the home opener at Truist Stadium. This team is not going to get another confidence boost for a while, so we will see what they are made of. I can only hope that whatever internal issues there are among the team, whether it is Covid related or personnel related, can get resolved quickly.

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