Football | 9/23/2022 12:00:00 PM
Date: Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Truist Stadium, East Greensboro, N.C.
Radio: Wendell Epps (pxp); Al Swann (analyst); Billy Covington (halftime show)
Radio Stations: WKEW 1400 AM; 96.3 FM; Sirus XM Radio 390/Online 980
TV/Stream: Donal Ware (pxp); Daimeon Banks (analyst)
Platform: ESPN+
NORTH CAROLINA A&T (0-3, 0-0 Big South): No. The North Carolina A&T Aggies football team does not have to face the No. 1 team in Division I-FCS football this week. No. The Aggies do not have to play a Division I-FBS/Power Five opponent this week. But. The Aggies must play the defending HBCU national champions and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion in South Carolina State. Even though A&T has won the last six meetings with their border rivals from South Carolina, the Aggies will likely encounter a confident Bulldogs team this weekend.
The Bulldogs did defeat Deion Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers in the Celebration Bowl, and they are coming off a convincing 33-9 win over Bethune-Cookman. Meanwhile, the Aggies have lost four straight dating back to last season and are still trying to find their way at the quarterback position. But the Aggies have an effective running game led by sophomore Bhayshul Tuten, who leads the Big South Conference in rushing with 280 yards, and they have the leading tackler in the conference in sophomore Tyquan King (34). And despite the early setbacks, the Aggies also have the No. 1 defense in the Big South.
S.C. STATE (1-1, 0-0 MEAC): S.C. State has the talent to repeat as MEAC champions and as HBCU national champs. The Bulldogs started the season without a blowout loss to the University of Central Florida, an FBS program, 56-10. They bounced back with a win over former conference rival Bethune-Cookman before getting last week off. Their running game is stout. Sophomore Kendrel Flowers leads that running game. He had 153 yards and two touchdowns against the Wildcats two weeks ago. Last season, in the Aggies 27-17 win over the Bulldogs in Orangeburg, S.C., Flowers posted 160 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. The Wildcats did rush for 203 yards. A week earlier, UCF rushed for 297 yards. Linebacker BJ Davis leads the Bulldogs defensively. Davis earned preseason All-MEAC honors in 2022 after earning postseason honors as he helped the Bulldogs finish 7-5 overall and 5-0 in the MEAC. Davis leads the team in tackles with 16 over the first two games. He led SCSU with five unassisted tackles against the Aggies last season.
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 24-14 (.632) 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 during 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.
SCSU HEAD COACH BUDDY POUGH: Pough is the dean of MEAC coaches. He is in his 21st season with the Bulldogs, coming off his latest conference championship and his latest HBCU national championship. Pough came into the 2022 season with eight MEAC titles and three HBCU national titles. He has only served as a head coach at SCSU. During his time there, he is 144-81 (.640) overall and 109-38 in the MEAC. Pough also has four NCAA postseason appearances and four MEAC coach of the year awards.
THE QUARTERBACKS: A&T has already played three different quarterbacks this season. Last week against the Blue Devils, fifth-year senior Jalen Fowler got the start and threw for 89 yards on 8-for-14 passing. He was relieved throughout the game by freshman Eli Brickhandler who threw for 48 yards on 5-for-8 passing and had his first career touchdown pass in the contest. Fellow freshman Zachary Yeager did not play as he nursed a shoulder injury. Yeager is expected back this week, but Washington did not commit to a starter during the Aggies weekly Monday press conference.
Corey Fields has started both games for the Bulldogs this season. He has completed only 11 of his 31 passes this season for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Last season in the game in Orangeburg, Field threw for 53 yards on 6-for-19 passing without a touchdown and an interception. The Bulldogs have given up five sacks this season.
NEWS AND NOTES
- The Aggies trail the series with S.C. State, 31-23-2. But they have won the last six games, which is A&T's longest winning streak in the series.
- The Aggies last 0-4 start came in 2010. The Aggies lost their first seven games that season and went 1-10.
- Dating back to last season, the Aggies have lost four straight. It is their first four-game losing streak since the 2011 season.
- A&T running back Bhaysul Tuten has rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back games. It is the first time since Jah-Maine Martin ran for 122 yards against NCCU on November 23, 2019, and 110 yards against Alcorn State on December 21, 2019, since an Aggie ran for 100-plus yards in back-to-back games.
- S.C. State's last win against A&T in East Greensboro came on November 12, 2011, when SCSU won 30-22.
- A&T forced its first turnover of the season last Saturday when freshman Avarion Cole intercepted a Duke pass and returned it 23 yards.
- Despite the 0-3 start, the Aggies have yet to play a conference game this season. That occurs next week on Oct. 1, when the Aggies play the Bryant Bulldogs for the first time. Their next conference game is not until Oct. 22 at Robert Morris.
- The Aggies are 11-4 at home since Sam Washington became the head coach in 2018.
