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GREENSBORO — Three games into the football season, the job of leading the Aggies' offense is still up for grabs. Whoever does better in practice this week — senior Carlton Fears or freshman Lewis Kindle — will start Saturday night when N.C. A&T (2-1) plays at Coastal Carolina (1-2).

Fears and Kindle both played in a 24-14 home loss to Hampton on Saturday night, and both struggled.

Fears, the starter in each of the first three games, was 8-of-16 passing for 110 yards. He threw his second touchdown pass of the season to finish a six-play, 70-yard drive that put the Aggies ahead 7-0. But Fears also had seven three-and-out possessions and threw his first interception.

Trailing 17-7, Kindle came on in the fourth quarter. He ran his first collegiate play in the shadow of his own goal post, handing off to Mike Mayhew for a 1-yard gain. His first pass was incomplete and his second was intercepted and returned 5 yards for a touchdown.

"You always have to get your experience," Kindle said. "Mine happened to be on our own 2-yard line. It's just a learning experience. You learn from everything you do, and you get better from it. That's all you can do."

Kindle finished 4-of-11 passing for 28 yards.

So who plays this week?

"It'll be determined," coach Alonzo Lee said. "Actually, it was determined in practice last week (leading up to the Hampton game). We made that move last week. Everyone asks, 'Well, coach, do you have a quarterback controversy?' No. We have a quarterback competition. Bottom line."

Inconsistency has kept Fears from locking up the job. On 14 drives inside the opponents' 25-yard line, the Fears-led offense has produced five touchdowns.

"You have to evaluate: Believe the film," Lee said. "You can't get hung up on a guy because he's a senior. I've won a lot of games with young guys coming in and making it happen. I think that opened Carlton's eyes. I think he'll come back out and fight hard (in practice). If he doesn't, I have no fear in me of playing that young trigger."

Kindle isn't scared, either.

"With any position on the field, if the coach calls on you to make plays for the team, then that's what you have to do," Kindle said. "The quarterback position is looked at a little bit more because you run the whole offense."

If Kindle wins the job this week, Lee said he would simplify the offense to allow the freshman to play faster.

Experience gives Fears an edge, and the senior does have a head start on winning the job. But there is no guarantee.

"If you don't go out and ply your trade on your job, you'll get fired," Lee said. "It's the same thing on a football field. We're going to be as fair as we can be. We have to evaluate each and every day. The position is named 'quarterback.' It's not named 'Carlton.' ... We don't have names on any positions.

"The objective is production. It's not about a guy. No one is bigger than the program."

CATCH THE BALL: Fears and Kindle have struggled in the passing game, but Lee said they haven't got much help from the Aggies' receivers.

"It's not just those guys" at quarterback, A&T's coach said. "We've got to catch the football when it's in our area."

Lee said he counted six dropped passes in the Hampton game, many on critical third-down plays. The Aggies were 3-for-14 on third-down conversions, 0-for-2 on fourth down.

If that trend continues, look for freshmen Larry Raper and Buster Cooper to see more playing time over veteran receivers.

Freshman tight end James Thomas has already taken some playing time from senior Brett Fisher, although Thomas has done it by blocking better.

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com