Football | 10/29/2022 5:28:00 AM
Date: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Truist Stadium, East Greensboro, N.C.
Radio: Donal Ware (pxp); Al Swann (analyst); Billy Covington (halftime)
Radio Stations: WKEW 1400 AM; 96.3 FM; Sirus XM Radio 381/online 971
TV/Stream: Spencer Turkin (pxp); Daimeon Banks (analyst)
Platform: ESPN+
NORTH CAROLINA A&T AGGIES (4-3, 2-0 Big South): It is time for the Greatest Homecoming on Earth, the 96th addition. Within all the commotion of the weekend, the North Carolina A&T football team will try to extend its current four-game winning streak to five as they face one of their most formidable opponents of the season in the Campbell Fighting Camels. Like last season when the nationally-ranked Monmouth Hawks came to East Greensboro, Campbell presents a considerable challenge as the Aggies and the Camels fight over first place in the Big South Conference. A&T will bring in the No. 1 defense in the conference, which includes having the No. 1 pass defense and No. 1 rush defense.
The A&T offense has also come alive over the past four games. The Aggies have exceeded 400 yards of offense in three of their last four games. A&T has spread the wealth through the air, with six different receivers having double-figure receptions this season, led by running back Bhayshul Tuten, who has 19 receptions for 205 yards and two touchdowns. With his six straight rushing games, Tuten has 139 touches for 981 all-purpose yards. He ranks 10th nationally and second in the Big South in all-purpose yards.
CAMPBELL FIGHTING CAMELS (4-3, 2-0 BIG SOUTH): While the Aggies have all the defensive accolades in the conference, Campbell brings in a dangerous offense Saturday. The Camels average 408.6 yards on offense, ranking second in the Big South. They also have the conference's second-best rushing offense, averaging 178.6 yards on the ground. The Camels are also efficient through the air, posting 230 yards per. The Camels are coming off a 22-14 loss at nationally-ranked Jackson State last Saturday. But the Camels have some impressive wins on their 2022 resume, including a 48-18 win over A&T's chief rival, N.C. Central. Running back Bryant Barr averages 5.0 yards per carry and had 135 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries against NCCU. Campbell also has an excellent tight end in Julian Hill. Hill has 391 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 27 receptions. Defensively, the Camels have Northeast Guilford High School product Brevin Allen. Brevin is an all-conference performer and the conference's preseason defensive player of the year.
A&T HEAD COACH SAM WASHINGTON: Washington is in his fifth season overall and his fourth season on the sideline after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Aggies to cancel the 2020 season. Washington is 28-14 (.667) as A&T's head coach. Washington won coach of the year honors in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in 2018. He won 19 games over his first two seasons in AggieLand, the most of any A&T coach in his first two years on the job for the Aggies. Washington served as the Aggies defensive coordinator from 2011-17 before becoming head coach. He designed one of the best defenses in the nation during his time as the DC.
CAMPBELL HEAD COACH MIKE MINTER: Minter has slowly earned a reputation for being an outstanding recruiter. He has transformed a fledgling Division I-FCS program into a championship and NCAA playoff contender. After playing 10 NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Minter became a high school coach before coaching at Johnson C. Smith and Liberty before becoming the Camels head coach in 2013.
THE QUARTERBACKS: A&T has settled on a QB 1 for now in graduate Jalen Fowler. Fowler is coming off a co-offensive player of the week honor from the Big South after he threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns on 19-for-30 passing in the Aggies 38-14 win over Robert Morris. The passing yards and touchdown throws were career-highs for Fowler. In addition, Fowler has not thrown an interception in his last 65 throws.
Campbell has one of the best quarterbacks in Division I-FCS in Hajj-Malik Williams. Williams is third in the conference in total offense, having thrown for 1,526 yards and rushed for 275 yards for 1,801 yards of offense. Williams has completed 62.6 percent of his passes and has nine touchdown passes and five interceptions. He also has five rushing touchdowns and leads the conference in points responsible for.
NEWS AND NOTES
- The first homecoming of record for A&T was in 1926. The Aggies are 45-46-4 in homecoming games, including a 23-17 mark at what is now known as Truist Stadium.
- Until last season, the Aggies had never played a non-HBCU for homecoming. Now, the Aggies have not played an HBCU for homecoming since 2019.
- The Aggies most frequent opponent during that span is Morgan State. The Aggies have played Morgan State 25 times for homecoming.
- A&T is 9-14-2 against Morgan State in those games, but the Aggies have not played the Bears for homecoming since 2010, when the Bears came away with a 27-14 win.
- The most points ever scored by A&T on homecoming is 73 against Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 2, 1996. The Aggies most lopsided homecoming win also came on that day as A&T defeated B-CU 73-7 in front of a record-breaking homecoming crowd of 29,786.
- The most points scored against the Aggies for homecoming came on Oct. 30, 1976, when Morgan State scored 45 points. Their most lopsided loss also came against Morgan State when the Bears defeated A&T 41-3 on Oct. 11, 2008.
- Running back Bhayshul Tuten is looking for his seventh straight 100-yard rushing game. He already holds the school record.
- Both A&T and Campbell are playing their respective final seasons in the Big South. Both teams are headed to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) next season and will play again at Truist Stadium in 2023.
