GREENSBORO – A pay per view boxing match might end in a disappointing first-round knockout. A movie with numerous A-list actors might still be boring. 

But the North Carolina A&T vs. N.C. Central football game is guaranteed to give paying customers their money's worth.

Saturday night's game at Aggie Stadium was no different. Senior quarterback Carlton Fears connected with sophomore receiver Wallace Miles for a 24-yard touchdown pass to give the Aggies a 23-17 double overtime win over the Eagles.

Fears threw for a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles were led by senior receiver Will Scott who also had a career day with five catches for 179 yards and a touchdown.

The hotly contested game marked the fifth time in the last six matchups the Aggie-Eagle game was decided by a touchdown or less. It was also the third time in the last 12 contests the game ended in overtime. As Miles leaped over the end zone, it secured the Aggies third straight overtime win. Their last extra period win came on Oct. 8, 2005 at FedEx Field against Morgan State.

“It looked like they were in man coverage,'' said Miles, who caught four passes for a career-high 101 yards and two touchdowns. “I just ran my route like (wide receiver coach Marshal Glenn) taught us. I came across the middle and Carlton put the ball right there.  My man (Aggies receiver) Larry Raper came in and made a beautiful block for me so I could get into the end zone. I don't think I'll ever, ever have a feeling like that again.”

There was tons of drama before Miles' game-wining score. But the actual craziness started when NCCU quarterback Michael Johnson connected with Scott for a 20-yard gain to the Aggies 10-yard line with the Eagles trailing the Aggies 17-14 with 5:02 remaining in regulation.

Three weeks ago, the Aggies had a thrilling goal line stand against Norfolk State. They found themselves in the same stingy mood on Saturday. On 3^rd-and-goal from the 18-foot line, Aggies safety Vernon White sliced through NCCU blockers to stop Tim Shankle for a 2-yard loss. Freshman kicker Frankie Cardelle tied the game with a 20-yard field goal with 2:36 remaining.

It appeared the Eagles would get a chance to win the game in the closing minutes as the Aggies faced a 3^rd-and-18 from their own 38 with a little more than a minute remaining. But senior receiver Giorgio Lowrance was able to go up high and bring down a 33-yard reception that kept the Aggies hopes of a last-second victory alive.

Three plays later, a 5-yard Mike Mayhew run put the ball on the NCCU 20 with 11 seconds remaining. But freshman Patrick Courtney's 37-yard field goal came up short, sending the game into overtime.

In collegiate overtimes, the ball is placed at the opponent's 25, and each team is guaranteed at least one possession. The first possession of overtime went to the Aggies. An unsportsmanlike penalty on a 3^rd-and-8 gave the Aggies a first down at the Eagles 14. But the Aggies gained only two yards in three plays, setting up a 29-yard field goal from Courtney. His kick went wide left, leaving the Eagles with a chance to win the game.

“We have a lot of confidence in Patrick,'' said Fears. “We believe in him. We have to encourage him to work harder because he is an important part of this team. We are not going to turn our back on him.”

On their first possession of overtime, a face mask penalty helped the Eagles move the ball to the Aggies 10 before brining on Cardelle who narrowly missed a 49-yard field goal earlier in the game. This kick would be much shorter – 27 yards – and it was for the game. The Aggies had an answer for Cardelle's foot. They didn't let the ball get anywhere near the upright.

Senior Jarrell Herring came charging through to block Cardelle's kick, forcing overtime. Herring's blocked kick marked the fourth time in five games the Aggies have either blocked a field goal or extra point.

“I wanted to block it, but we went block right,'' said Herring. “I was singled up against the guard. I just imposed my will on him. I wasn't going to let him block me.”

The Eagles took first possession in the second overtime. An unsportsmanlike penalty on the Eagles was called after the blocked field goal. Therefore, NCCU had to start its drive on the Aggies 40. The Eagles moved the ball to the 35 and sent Cardelle back out to attempt a 52-yard field goal. Cardelle's kick went through the upright, but it didn't count because his team called timeout before he kicked it.

“There is a lot of blame you can accept as a coach,'' said NCCU head Mose Rison. “But like I told the guys, the coaches are not out there committing 15-yard penalties to start us at the 40 instead of 25. We have to be smarter than that.”

Rison had a change of heart after the inopportune timeout. The Eagles went for it on 4^th-and-5, but this time Johnson's pass sailed past Scott to end the Eagles possession. Two plays later, Miles was in the end zone.

“There is no doubt that (Winston-Salem State and NCCU) are huge rivals for North Carolina A&T dating back to the CIAA years,'' said Lee. “It's an outstanding feeling to beat both those teams. But I would love to win them all. Every game is a rivalry to me.”

The historic rivalry that dates back to 1924 didn't start out as another storybook confrontation. The Aggies jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead on a Tony Coles 1-yard touchdown. A Courtney 34-yard field goal put the Aggies ahead 17-0. But just before halftime, the momentum switched in the Eagles' favor.

A roughing the punter call gave the Eagles new life. Scott followed with a 63-yard reception off of a screen play that set up Saeed Abdul-Azeez's 2-yard touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, a slant pattern by Scott went for a 73-yard touchdown to cut the lead to three, and it set up the classic finish.

“Any time you can wake up on Sunday morning and you're in the left-hand column, the win column, it's easier to wake up,'' said Lee.