JSU, don't you wish you had this man as your coach?


And what does it matter that you lost a few players?

They sucked anyway. You just said they were 4-8 in the MEAC.
 
If we were in the SWAC East right now we would be no worse than tied for first place also.

We are 1-1 with a win over JSU and a loss to SU.
 



Aggies' progress getting attention

10-30-03

By JEFF CARLTON, Staff Writer
News & Record


GREENSBORO -- George Small didn't promise any overnight fixes when he took over as N.C. A&T's football coach last winter.

He certainly didn't expect anyone to talk up the Aggies as a MEAC title contender going into the final month of the season. Yet, here they are, winners of seven of their first eight games, traveling Saturday to Bethune-Cookman with a lot on the line.

Now. Not next year or the year after.

"It's starting to sink in a little bit that, hey, we've got a shot at this thing," Small said.

With his young team developing ahead of schedule, Small hopes fans don't get carried away and start talking national championship anytime soon.

Bethune-Cookman, currently ranked ninth in NCAA Division I-AA, entered the season as the preseason league favorite and the No. 1 black-college team. With a loss to Morgan State, the Wildcats trail Hampton and 19th-ranked A&T in the loss column in the MEAC standings.

They get both teams at home in the next two weeks. A&T, picked to finish sixth in the MEAC, plays Hampton on Nov. 15 at Aggie Stadium.

"We do control our own destiny," Bethune coach Alvin Wyatt said, "and so does A&T."

To hear Wyatt tell it, Lou Holtz style, the Wildcats have little chance of repeating as MEAC champion. A&T and Hampton have more talent. They're bigger and faster. They have better facilities. And so on.

"You look at A&T on the field," Wyatt said, "offensively and defensively, that's a scary situation to be going into."

Small isn't quite so ebullient in describing the Aggies' assets. His defense has been stingy (253 yards per game) and ranks second in I-AA with 17 interceptions. But he still finds plenty to criticize when grading film on Sunday mornings.

Even after A&T beat Florida A&M 22-16 two week ago, Small said only three or four players on defense graded out well.

The defense's challenge Saturday is Allen Suber, the run-pass threat who has made Bethune-Cookman the top-ranked offense -- 36.4 points and 400.1 yards a game -- in the MEAC. Suber left last year's game in Greensboro when he suffered a sprained foot on the opening drive.

"He's about 90 percent of their offense," Small said. "He's a tremendous athlete and a running option. You can't afford a lot of mistakes with this guy because he's seen it all."

Marshall Glenn will start at quarterback for A&T with Randal Rankins sidelined by a knee injury. Rico Watkins also could see significant playing time.

Frank Patterson will start at tailback after rushing for 94 yards in Saturday's 27-7 victory over Howard. Micheaux Hollingsworth, also a part of the Aggies' tailback rotation, wasn't able to practice early in the week while feeling the effects of food poisoning.

Bethune's defense boasts two players, linebacker Steve Baggs and safety Tor-El Robinson, who were selected this week to play in the inaugural I-AA All-Star Classic on Dec. 30. Small also is impressed by Ohio State transfer Jamal Muhammed, a linebacker.

"Their numbers aren't that far off ours," Small said of a Wildcats defense that ranks third in the league behind Hampton and A&T.

Speaking of close numbers, this series has been ridiculously close since A&T beat the Wildcats in 1996 by the ridiculous score of 73-7. The Aggies have a one-point win and a two-point win, an overtime loss and two one-point losses.

That last one came a year ago on a touchdown pass from Suber's backup to safety Rashean Mathis with 1:13 left.

A&T has come a long way in a short time since that 13-12 setback.

"We're trying to get as much out of the kids as we can," Small said, "and they're giving us a great effort."




Contact Jeff Carlton at 373-7065 or [email protected]

I-AA NO. 19 N.C. A&T at NO. 9 BETHUNE-COOKMAN

When: 4 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Municipal Stadium, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Records: N.C. A&T 3-0 MEAC, 7-1 overall; Bethune-Cookman 3-1, 6-1.

TV: None.
 
Small isn't quite so ebullient in describing the Aggies' assets. His defense has been stingy (253 yards per game) and ranks second in I-AA with 17 interceptions. But he still finds plenty to criticize when grading film on Sunday mornings.

Even after A&T beat Florida A&M 22-16 two week ago, Small said only three or four players on defense graded out well.
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See this if the difference between A&T and JSU. You are 2-7 and your head coach smirks like he just won the Super Bowl or something. We are 7-1 and Small is still not satisified with the play of our defense.
 
Originally posted by bornthrilla
LP, is Small still gonna destroy our program?
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I am certain that he is. Rembember what he did at KSU?? The man can't recruit. Hayes recruited some good talent his last two years....Small is benefitting. Oh well...the meltdown will begin in about 9 months.
 
You need to be worried about how Bell is gonna recruit for JSU next year. Your team is about to finish 2-10, your school looks like a warzone, and the hate and animosity around your program is so thick right now you could cut it with a knife.

Your program is in some real bad shape.
 
People want to play for JSU because we are JSU. We even have a different philosophy on recruiting with Bell. Bell redshirted 7 of his 8 recruits from last year...Kennebrew is playing well as a freshman....we know what we need....we now have a coach that knows how to put players in their right positions based on what they can do. Please don't worry about JSU.
 
Originally posted by bornthrilla
And you feel good about that?
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Just like the football team....I know where it is going. You say some dumb things sometimes. How can 100M dollars of construction be a bad thing?
 
:mad:

What is this about?? Why do you talk about your own brother?? Dont down me, support me.
 



LP, this is the kind of article you wish the were writing about your coach:

Aggies' quick turnaround a Small accomplishment
1st-year coach changed players' attitudes, results with discipline
SARAH ROTHSCHILD
Staff Writer

George Small inherited an N.C. A&T football team that finished 4-8 last season and tied for last in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

In his first year as coach, he has helped return the team to national prominence.

The Aggies (10-1, 6-0), are atop the MEAC with one game left in the regular season, and they have clinched the league title and a Division I-AA playoff berth.

They play their regular-season finale at 2 p.m. today against rival S.C. State (7-4, 4-2) at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte.

Small took over following the dismissal of Bill Hayes, who was 106-64-1 in 15 years at A&T.

Small, an A&T alumnus and former offensive and defensive lineman and captain for the Aggies, said he reinvigorated the storied program by insisting players push aside their egos and play fundamentally sound football.

"It wasn't as hard as people may think," he said. "I think the guys were looking for some type of change. They were looking for someone to lead them."

Small has done that, guiding them to No. 13 in the I-AA poll. The Aggies are riding an eight-game winning streak, after losing to Southern on Sept. 13.

Osita Alaribe, a senior defensive lineman, said the team's success under Small has not come as a surprise.

"Last year it just went downhill because the discipline wasn't there," Alaribe said. "We always had the talent." Curtis Deloatch, a senior cornerback, said the Aggies could contend for a I-AA championship, something he once considered out of reach. He credited Small for the team's confidence and turnaround this season.

Small's dedication extends beyond the field, his players said.

"He's not just a football coach, but also a father figure to some of us, like myself," Deloatch said.

During his five-year NFL career and more than 20 years as a college coach, Small played and worked under some of the most prominent coaches in college and professional football, including Dan Reeves, Bill Parcells, Chuck Noll, Bill Belichick, Eddie Robinson and Jim Tressel.

Small was the defensive coordinator for Robinson, one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history, at Grambling State in 1994. The wisdom Robinson bestowed still remains with Small.

"He said, `Love your kids, take care of your kids. Just show them that you love them,' " Small said.

First-year athletics director Charles Davis, who hired Small, said the coach's dedication is evident in the players' attitudes.

"We didn't have a `star,' and we've had one of the greatest years ever," Davis said. "The team bought into winning together, losing together and competing together. ... We just kept growing, and the more the kids believed, the harder it is to beat them."
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