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GREENSBORO -- Simplify. Chill.

Did somebody say something about Homecoming?

That's the seemingly contradictory mandate currently facing the N.C. A&T Aggies, who say they need to dial down the emotional meter in the name of better first-half focus after Saturday's upset loss to previously winless N.C. Central. Philosophy butts heads with reality this week because Morgan State's football team is coming to town and, yes, there are rumors of ancillary festivities.

"Homecoming is another opportunity for us to execute our game plan," assistant head coach Kenneth Ray said Monday. "And, yes, it's obvious that Homecoming is a big game for the fans. I said, 'for the fans.' For us as players and coaches, it's the next game on our schedule, which is always the biggest game."

Ray presumably was echoing the sentiments of his boss, head coach Lee Fobbs, who was unavailable for comment because his wife was hospitalized and scheduled to undergo surgery. Fobbs has expressed hope that he'll return to work this week.

The schedule has been an interesting one for A&T. One week after coming up short against Central, it takes on the challenge of breaking a four-year Homecoming losing streak.

While no Aggie easily tolerates losing to the Eagles, the timing of the 28-27 loss could prove helpful. A&T fell behind 21-0, cut its deficit to one point with 9:56 left and couldn't finish the job.

"We felt our kids were almost too high on emotion," Ray said. "We were almost lost. You're going to be emotional, but you've also got to be able to start fast. By the time we got it going in the third and fourth quarters, it just wasn't enough."

A&T (2-4, 0-2 MEAC), which has lost four straight, endured the unpleasant screening of the Central game film, which it will have to study more like a documentary than a horror flick.

"We saw we beat ourselves," linebacker Brandon Long said. "A tackle missed here, an assignment missed there. We've just got to get more practice in this week and avoid mistakes."

A&T's best news last week was the development of walk-on running back Nigel Tomlin, a sophomore who began preseason a half-dozen spots down the depth chart but advanced with a 113-yard, two-touchdown day against the Eagles. Ray said Tomlin, who came to A&T from Staten Island, N.Y., virtually unrecruited and unknown, has surpassed Dione McNair and will get the start if Michael Ferguson can't go Saturday. Ferguson, still hindered by a high ankle sprain, was limited to two carries against Central.

The Aggies have lost their past two games by 14 total points, and failure to capitalize sufficiently on possessions inside the opponent's 5-yard line can explain much of their futility.

A healthy Ferguson would help, of course, but the Aggies also know that falling behind by double-digit margins has left them no room for error.

The best course of action, they said, is to personalize Saturday's game. The opponent is a group of Bears from Baltimore, not a parade route. Those Bears, by the way, have been known to spoil A&T Homecoming in recent years. They also beat Central 49-7 a few weeks ago.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com