A&T STATISTICAL LEADERS: QB Jalen Fowler (17-for-25, 234 yards 1 TD, 2 INTs); WR Jamison Warren (5 rec., 103 yards, 1 TD); WR Korey Banks (5 rec., 63 yards); ROV Richie Kittles (7 tackles, 6 unassisted). 

HAMPTON STATISTICAL LEADERS: QB Jett Duffey (17-for-28, 285 yards, 2 TDs, 8 rush att., 47 yards); RB Elijah Burris (16 rush att., 86 yards 1 TD); WR Romon Copeland (3 rec., 112 yards, 1 TD); WR Jadakis Bonds (4 rec., 82 yards); DE JehDon Jenkins (3 tackles, 2 unassisted, 2 sacks, 2.5 TFLs); DB Camron Henderson-Green (7 tackles, 5 unassisted) DB Stanley Garner (2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 pass breakup).

 WHY A&T DIDN'T GET THE "W": The Aggies inability to run the ball has all of a sudden become a problem. For the second straight week, the Aggies played without their change of pace back Kashon Baker. Jah-Maine Martin and Bhayshul Tuten combined to rush for 52 yards on 16 carries, and the Aggies lost 32 yards rushing on five sacks. Over a four-game period between the Duke and North Alabama games, the Aggies averaged 221.5 yards per game over that span. They have rushed for a combined 122 yards over the past two weeks. 

 WHY HAMPTON GOT THE "W": A&T preaches stop the run, win the kicking game and don't turn the ball over. The Aggies did none of those things particularly well on Saturday, but the most shocking of the three was the Pirates ability to run the ball. The Pirates rushed for 156 yards on 35 carries for 4.5 yards per carry. Hampton's 4.5 yards per carry is the most yards per carry the Aggies have surrendered this season. It is the most yards per carry the Aggies have given up since Alcorn State averaged 8.4 yards per carry in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 15, 2018. 

CRUCIAL: A&T trailed 20-9 after a 72-yard throw and catch from Hampton quarterback Jett Duffey to Romon Copeland in the third quarter. In desperate need of a score, the Aggies took possession at their 7-yard line, with seven minutes remaining in the third. The Aggies got out of the hole and had a 1st-and-10 from Hampton 48. Quarterback Jalen Fowler escaped the pocket and picked up the first down with his feet with a 13-yard romp. But as he went to the ground, he fumbled the ball forward, giving Hampton the ball at its own 28 with 3:27 remaining in the third. Nine plays later, the Pirates were faced with 4th-and-4 from the Aggies 37. After a timeout, the Pirates decided to convert the fourth down. Duffey found Jadakis Bonds on a short curl route for the first down. Elijah Burris ran it in from 31 yards out on the next play to give the Pirates a commanding 27-9 lead in the fourth quarter.

 THE STORY: HAMPTON, Va. – North Carolina A&T football is finding itself in unfamiliar places. A program that has won at least nine games every year since 2014 is now 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Big South Conference after a 30-9 loss to the Hampton Pirates at Hampton's Armstrong Stadium on Saturday. 

Known as Running Back U., the Aggies have struggled to run the ball the past two weeks, compiling just 122 yards on 50 carries. The Aggies turned the ball over three times against the Pirates. One turnover occurred while the Aggies were in the red zone. Hampton turned the other into a touchdown, and the final turnover resulted in a Hampton field goal. 

The Aggies did not stop the run on Saturday, which seldom happens against a conference opponent, to make things even more baffling. The Pirates averaged 4.5 yards per carry in compiling 156 yards rushing. 

"How dod you measure frustration," said A&T coach Sam Washington. "It's very frustrating. It's daunting. When you're going through something like this, you have to be careful what you convey to your kids because it's tough on everybody. But we've got to keep playing, and we've got to keep getting better." 

Adding to the Aggies problems on Saturday was Hampton quarterback Jett Duffey. He seemed to have an answer for everything the Aggies defense threw at him. The Pirates converted 9 of 15 third downs, and many times he escaped the Aggies pressure to make a big play downfield. 

They say you live by the blitz, and you die by the blitz," said Washington. "He caught us blitzing a couple of times, and he was able to escape and make some big plays, particularly with his feet but also by throwing the ball."

On Hampton's first drive of the game, Duffey completed 4 of 5 passes, including a 30-yard touchdown strike to his favorite receiver in Jadakis Bonds to give the Pirates an early lead. 

The Aggies appeared to have the answer as Jalen Fowler (6-foot-4, 235, QB, R-JR, Spartanburg, S.C.) completed his first three passes as he moved the Aggies to the Hampton 9-yard line. But Fowler threw a jump ball into the end zone on a 3rd-and-goal that the wrong guy, namely Hampton's Devonta Davis, came down with the ball for the interception. 

Davis did make the mistake of bringing the ball out of the end zone. It resulted in Hampton getting the ball at its 1. On the first play of Hampton's drive, Karfa Kaba (6-3, 265, DT, R-SR, Laurinburg, N.C.) tackled Hampton running back Darran Butts in the end zone for the safety. 

After the Aggies got the ball back on the free-kick, Fowler rolled out and found Jamison Warren (6-0, 180, WR, FR, Kernersville, N.C.) on a short route that Warren turned into a 74-yard touchdown reception to give the Aggies the lead at 9-7. It would be A&T's final score of the day. Hampton scored 23 unanswered, including two first-half field goals as the two teams went into the locker room with Hampton leading 13-9.  

A&T did come out after the halftime break and put together a good drive. The Aggies got the ball to the Hampton 38 before a dropped pass on third down halted the drive. Hampton took over, and on a 3rd-and-5, Duffey avoided one of A&T's tenacious pass rushes to find an open Romon Copeland for a 72-yard touchdown reception and a 20-9 lead. 

The Aggies had a chance to answer and stay in the ballgame, but a Fowler fumble at the Hampton 28 ended those hopes. Hampton turned the turnover into points after converting on a 4th-and-4 from the Aggies 37. Elijah Burris scored on a 31-yard touchdown on the next play to give Hampton a comfortable 27-9 lead early in the fourth quarter. 

At that point, I thought it could have gone either way," Washington said about the timing of the fumble. "We were driving the ball down the field; we couldn't get any points. That seems to be the tale of our story. It's reoccurring too often. We move the ball, but no cigar. That's something we're going to have to get rectified." 

The Aggies will have to get it right against preseason Big South favorite Monmouth at A&T's Greatest Homecoming On Earth. 

"We're a one game at a time program," said Washington. "The next game is big because it's the next one we're playing. It just happens to be homecoming. It just happens to be the No. 1 team, undefeated. But we'll be ready."

QUOTABLE: "The support has always been tremendous since our arrival in 2011. We're very happy and pleased with that. We're sorry that we disappointed them tonight." 

A&T coach Sam Washington on all the Aggie fans who showed up at Armstrong Stadium on Saturday. 

GAME NOTES  

• Jamison Warren had 103 yards receiving on Saturday. He is the first freshman to have 100 yards receiving since Elijah Bell had 104 yards receiving against N.C. Central on Nov. 19, 2016. 
• The Aggies have lost back-to-back regular-season games for the first time since losing to S.C. State and Hampton on Oct. 5 and 12, 2013, respectively. 
• The Aggies are below .500 seven games into the season for the first time since starting the 2012 season 3-4 after a 24-0 loss to Delaware State.      
• The last conference opponent to average better than 4.5 yards per carry against the Aggies was N.C. Central. The Eagles averaged 7.7 yards per carry against the Aggies on Nov. 19, 2016. 
• The Aggies are 0-4 on the road this season. The Aggies have lost their last five on the road. 
• On Saturday, Warren's 74-yard TD reception ties Ron Hunt's 74-yard TD reception at Furman for the longest play from scrimmage this season by A&T. 
• The Aggies have failed to score a point in the last two second halves they have played.