Blacknbengal
Well-Known Member
Aggies hope aerial attack brings success
8-29-02
By JEFF CARLTON, Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO -- They've listened, they've watched and they've practiced.
In three days, the players on N.C. A&T's offense will find out if their makeover from overpowering rushers to rapid-fire throwers was a success.
The Aggies, who open the season Sunday in the Aggie-Eagle Classic, say they're eager to put their new spread offense to the test against an N.C. Central defense that is one of the stingiest in Division II.
Even if they have smoothed all the rough edges, a few blunders on the practice field were inevitable during the one month they were given to undergo the transformation.
"Because I had run in this offense at Clemson, the coaches thought I had it down pat," said sophomore Micheaux Hollingsworth, who transferred to A&T a year ago. "But, when I was at running back, I made the mistake of running an in- instead of an out-route. I still caught the ball but crashed into a receiver."
Hollingsworth and freshman Frank Patterson were moved from running back to wideout in recent weeks. The new offense features a lot of four- and five-receiver alignments with one back. The position changes give the Aggies a deep receiving corps.
The Aggies have seen this offense -- or some form of it -- before: MEAC foe Florida A&M runs the spread. Steve Spurrier's Florida teams scored at a dizzying pace with the system and sent many of their quarterbacks and receivers on to the NFL.
Running back Cornelius Gary expects the offense to put a lot of points on the board.
"Everybody's anxious to see," Gary said. "I don't think the crowd really knows what they're in for. It's going to be something."
A&T coach Bill Hayes had been contemplating a change to the spread offense since Maurice Hicks, the school's all-time leading rusher, closed out his career last fall. He got more serious about it after discussing the system with two of his former A&T assistants, Kevin Wilson and Linwood Ferguson, at the NCAA coaches convention in January.
Wilson left Northwestern in December when he was named coach of the offensive line and running game at Oklahoma. Ferguson had one of the most prolific offenses in Division II last year as Midwestern (Texas) State's head coach. His team threw for 325 yards a game. (At the same time, A&T averaged 176 rushing yards compared to 138 in the air.)
"The thing that Kevin sold me on was he developed this offense from things he learned at A&T running the wing-T," Hayes said.
The running plays closely resemble wing-T plays. Add in a quarterback in the shotgun and four wideouts, and you have a happy marriage of run and pass.
"It's something old but something new," Hayes said. "It's borrowed from the wing-T, and hopefully, it won't be blue.
Hayes' coaching staff had the spread offense on the drawing board when offensive coordinator Allan Gerber left for Randolph-Macon (Va.) College in late July.
In stepped Ferguson, who knows the system inside and out. He arrived as offensive coordinator the day before players reported for summer camp.
"We were going to do it ourselves," Hayes said. "We were not going to replace Allan because I didn't want to hurry into doing anything. We were going to move to this offense in-house."
Junior receiver Jamal Jones, who led A&T with 32 catches last year, was thrilled when the team was told of the change.
"It won't just be the running backs who have a chance to make some plays," Jones said. "We're going to be spread out and put more pressure on the defense. They're going to get the ball in our hands and give us a chance to make plays."
Ferguson said the idea is to create as many one-on-one matchups as possible, whether it's a wideout against a cornerback, a running back versus a linebacker or the quarterback making something happen on a draw.
When A&T takes the Carter-Finley Stadium field Sunday against N.C. Central, the Aggies will try to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers. For it to work at a nice, quick pace, the play calls have to travel rapidly from the coaches' box to the sideline to the field, and the QB, whether Jason Battle or Jason Douglas, has to deliver.
It's not as simple as handing the ball to Hicks. But it's a new year. Time for a change.
"When you don't make change," Hayes said, "you die."
8-29-02
By JEFF CARLTON, Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO -- They've listened, they've watched and they've practiced.
In three days, the players on N.C. A&T's offense will find out if their makeover from overpowering rushers to rapid-fire throwers was a success.
The Aggies, who open the season Sunday in the Aggie-Eagle Classic, say they're eager to put their new spread offense to the test against an N.C. Central defense that is one of the stingiest in Division II.
Even if they have smoothed all the rough edges, a few blunders on the practice field were inevitable during the one month they were given to undergo the transformation.
"Because I had run in this offense at Clemson, the coaches thought I had it down pat," said sophomore Micheaux Hollingsworth, who transferred to A&T a year ago. "But, when I was at running back, I made the mistake of running an in- instead of an out-route. I still caught the ball but crashed into a receiver."
Hollingsworth and freshman Frank Patterson were moved from running back to wideout in recent weeks. The new offense features a lot of four- and five-receiver alignments with one back. The position changes give the Aggies a deep receiving corps.
The Aggies have seen this offense -- or some form of it -- before: MEAC foe Florida A&M runs the spread. Steve Spurrier's Florida teams scored at a dizzying pace with the system and sent many of their quarterbacks and receivers on to the NFL.
Running back Cornelius Gary expects the offense to put a lot of points on the board.
"Everybody's anxious to see," Gary said. "I don't think the crowd really knows what they're in for. It's going to be something."
A&T coach Bill Hayes had been contemplating a change to the spread offense since Maurice Hicks, the school's all-time leading rusher, closed out his career last fall. He got more serious about it after discussing the system with two of his former A&T assistants, Kevin Wilson and Linwood Ferguson, at the NCAA coaches convention in January.
Wilson left Northwestern in December when he was named coach of the offensive line and running game at Oklahoma. Ferguson had one of the most prolific offenses in Division II last year as Midwestern (Texas) State's head coach. His team threw for 325 yards a game. (At the same time, A&T averaged 176 rushing yards compared to 138 in the air.)
"The thing that Kevin sold me on was he developed this offense from things he learned at A&T running the wing-T," Hayes said.
The running plays closely resemble wing-T plays. Add in a quarterback in the shotgun and four wideouts, and you have a happy marriage of run and pass.
"It's something old but something new," Hayes said. "It's borrowed from the wing-T, and hopefully, it won't be blue.
Hayes' coaching staff had the spread offense on the drawing board when offensive coordinator Allan Gerber left for Randolph-Macon (Va.) College in late July.
In stepped Ferguson, who knows the system inside and out. He arrived as offensive coordinator the day before players reported for summer camp.
"We were going to do it ourselves," Hayes said. "We were not going to replace Allan because I didn't want to hurry into doing anything. We were going to move to this offense in-house."
Junior receiver Jamal Jones, who led A&T with 32 catches last year, was thrilled when the team was told of the change.
"It won't just be the running backs who have a chance to make some plays," Jones said. "We're going to be spread out and put more pressure on the defense. They're going to get the ball in our hands and give us a chance to make plays."
Ferguson said the idea is to create as many one-on-one matchups as possible, whether it's a wideout against a cornerback, a running back versus a linebacker or the quarterback making something happen on a draw.
When A&T takes the Carter-Finley Stadium field Sunday against N.C. Central, the Aggies will try to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers. For it to work at a nice, quick pace, the play calls have to travel rapidly from the coaches' box to the sideline to the field, and the QB, whether Jason Battle or Jason Douglas, has to deliver.
It's not as simple as handing the ball to Hicks. But it's a new year. Time for a change.
"When you don't make change," Hayes said, "you die."
