Ricky Lewis Jr.(Dudley HS) gets the start, but turnovers prove costly to Aggies in Homecoming loss to Morgan State

from www.ncataggies.com:

GREENSBORO – Saturday’s Homecoming game was a tale of two first-time starters at quarterback. Both played well. But one turned the ball over once, while the other turned the ball over twice.

Therefore in the end, the edge went to Morgan State redshirt freshman quarterback Delonte Williams over N.C. A&T sophomore Ricky Lewis as Williams and the Bears defeated the Aggies 27-14 at Aggie Stadium. It was the Aggies seventh straight homecoming loss.

Williams scored three rushing touchdowns and threw for 100 yards and an interception on 7-for-12 passing. Meanwhile, Lewis rushed for 47 yards on eight carries, and added a new dimension to the Aggies offense that seemed to have Morgan State back on its heels even when he didn’t carry the football.

But the former local high school hero out of Dudley also had two vital fumbles – one occurred deep in N.C. A&T territory, while the other hit the ground as the Aggies were driving deep in MSU territory in the fourth quarter.

“It was a great experience,” said Lewis about his first career start. “But I noticed that college football is way faster than high school football. I had fun, but I didn’t leave it all out on the field. I had two turnovers.”

Lewis’ first drive as a starter included him completing his first and only pass of the game, a 6-yard swing pass to Dominique Drake. The drive also included a 31-yard run by Mike Mayhew. But the drive ended with fifth-year senior Shelton Morgan throwing an interception on a 3rd-and-1 from the MSU 24-yard line.

The Bears turned the miscue into a 10-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 17-yard touchdown run by Williams. After the missed extra point, the Aggies took possession at the MSU 31. On the first down play, the center-quarterback exchange between Lewis and Brenton Walker went awry, leading to a fumble recovery by Chris Eugene at the Aggies 27.

Williams turned that turnover into a 10-yard touchdown, and all of sudden, the Bears had 12 points off of Aggie turnovers as the two-point conversion failed.

“It was another game where turnovers and miscues bit us pretty good,” said North Carolina A&T head coach Alonzo Lee. “You can’t turn the ball over on a consistent basis and expect to win.”