The Aggies started their 2011-football campaign with a

convincing 38-7 blowout of the Virginia University of Lynchburg

Dragons at Aggie Stadium on Sept. 3.

The Aggies started their 2011-football campaign with a convincing 38-7 blowout of the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons at Aggie Stadium on Sept. 3.

The game marks the first season opener win for the Aggies since 2009 and the first victory for first year head coach Rod Broadway.

In the first quarter, neither team could muster any significant yardage, and both offenses looked sluggish.

Early in the second quarter, wide receiver Torrian Warren had a 21-yard punt return.  The first play of the drive, running back Mike Mayhew exploded into the defensive secondary with a 48-yard run.

Two plays later Mayhew fumbled at the VUL 8-yard line.

After compiling 68 rushing yards, Mayhew was helped off the field with what appeared to be a lower leg injury in the second quarter.

The Aggies focused on defense, primarily blitz packages that kept the Dragon’s offense stagnant and quarterback Emmanuel Yeager under immense pressure.

Eventually, Yeager would be subbed out of the game for backup quarterback Delonte Williams, who was a more efficient scrambler than Yeager.

Late in the second quarter, Aggie quarterback Lewis Kindle orchestrated a 4-play, 60-yard drive capped with a 58-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ricky Lewis, giving the Aggies a 7-0 lead.  Lewis would finish the game with two touchdown receptions and a total of 100 yards.

“It’s great to have an athlete like Ricky to throw to…it makes my job a lot easier,” said Kindle.

The Aggies held a 10-0 lead at halftime after the Kindle-Lewis connection and a late second quarter Garcia-Camacho field goal.

Justin Ferrell opened the second half with a 29-yard kick return.  On the first play, Kindle threaded the needle with a 52-yard bullet pass to receiver Wallace Miles for a touchdown.

NC A&T went up 24-0 with a 1-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.

The Dragons finally got on the board with an 11-yard touchdown pass with 4:48 left in the third quarter.

The scoring ended late in the fourth quarter when Kindle delivered a bomb pass to the dynamic speedster Larry Raper, who made a spectacular juggling catch on his way to pay dirt.

The Aggie defense, lead by safety Ferrell and linebacker Tony Clodfelter, continued to create pressure and cause confusion amongst the Dragons offense.

Clodfelter, who led the Aggies with 6 tackles and a sack, said, “I try not to do much thinking and just react to what I see.  I work hard through the week and leave it all on the field when it’s game time.”

Throughout the game, the Aggie defense forced a total of eight fumbles, three of which they recovered.

The Aggies showed great improvement in every aspect of their team. 

The defensive unit seemed to be operating through instinct and reaction, which is a sign of good preparation.

Defense will determine the level of success that the Aggies will see this year.

On offense the chemistry between quarterback Lewis Kindle and wide receiver Wallace Miles was evident the entire game.  Miles’ precise route running and great hands proved him to be Kindle’s most reliable target on offense.

Miles finished the game with seven receptions and a game-high 152 receiving yards.

The blazing speed of wide receivers Lewis and Raper only made the Aggie’s air game even more explosive.

It will be imperative that the Aggies decrease the number of turnovers they commit. “We were fortunate to win like we did with that many turnovers,” said coach Broadway.

Sophomore quarterback, Lewis Kindle, displayed great poise as he dissected the Dragons defense to the tune of 341 yards and five total touchdowns (4 passing, 1 rushing).

“We made adjustments at the half and came back out and exposed their defense,” said Kindle when asked about his evaluation of the VUL defense.

The Aggies (1-0) will travel to Boone, NC, where they will play the Appalachian State Mountaineers (0-1) at 3:30 on Saturday, Sept. 10.

The Mountaineers lost to Virginia Tech Sept. 3 in a 66-13 blowout.

 

• Kayln Hoyle, contributor