GREENSBORO, NC – North Carolina A&T ran the ball effectively for the second consecutive week with the combination of sophomore Kenji Christian and junior Wesley Graves. But also, for the second straight week, the Aggies could not generate a consistent passing game. Down the stretch, the 18th-ranked North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Eagles used the rushing duo of quarterback Davius Richard and running back Latrell Collier to defeat the Aggies 30-16 at Truist Stadium on Saturday, winning its second straight in the heated football rivalry that spans over 100 years.
"We obviously have some serious challenges in our passing game," said A&T head coach Vincent Brown. "At times, we dropped passes, easy completions. At times, we missed easy throws. It's hard to win in this league if you can't be more balanced, and we couldn't pass the ball tonight. They put pressure on us, and we didn't hold up well in protection. When you combine those things, it makes for a very long night."
A&T did rush for 156 yards behind a 98-yard night from Christian, who carried the ball 12 times. Graves broke through for the Aggies first offensive touchdown of the season, running 47 yards for a touchdown just before the half.
However, after throwing for 16 yards last week at UAB, the Aggies threw for 51 against the Eagles and endured three sacks. Redshirt freshman Eli Brickhandler started the game, but sophomore Zach Yeager played most of the snaps, completing 7 of 14 passes as he saw his first action of the season.
Yeager missed the Aggies opener against UAB because of a medical issue. Brown said Yeager and Brickhandler took an equal amount of snaps in practice last week, with the understanding that both players offered a little more experience than true freshman Kevin White, who saw action against UAB. Yeager entered Saturday's game with 5:14 remaining in the first quarter and never left the lineup from there.
"We felt like Yeager came in and provided a little bit of momentum, and we didn't want to play musical quarterback with those two kids today," said Brown. "Once we went with Yeager, we decided to stay with him."
Yeager entered the game after a sack-fumble by Jayden Flaker gave the Eagles the ball at the A&T 24-yard line. Five players later, Richard was in the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
A&T opened the second quarter with good field position, starting at its own 49. Yeager opened the drive with a 10-yard completion to Rory Jones Amen Hetep before Christian ripped off a 27-yard run, which led to a 30-yard field goal from Owen Daffer that put the Aggies on the board and cut NCCU's lead to 7-3.
But Richard opened the ensuing drive with a 41-yard completion to Collier. Six plays later, Collier ran up the middle from four yards out to give NCCU a 14-3 lead. But that was followed by preseason honorable mention All-Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football Conference return man Taymon Cooke returning the Eagles kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in what started to turn into an entertaining first half.
A&T took the lead on Graves' run before the Eagles engineered their two-minute offense and ended the first half with a 35-yard field goal from Adrain Olivo to take a 17-16 lead into the locker room.
"This is a long season. We have enough talent on this team to win games," said Brown. "We have to find a way to overcome some of the mistakes we're making, find our identity both offensive and defensively, to salvage our season."
A&T had a tough time offensively in the second half, compiling only 57 yards. Meanwhile, the Eagles rushed for 129 yards in the second half. A 7-play, 43-yard third-quarter drive by the Eagles consisted of only Richard and Collier. Richard ran it four times, and Collier rushed it three times as Collier's 5-yard TD run gave the Eagles a 23-16 lead.
The Eagles took over their next possession at their own 24 with 5:35 remaining in the third quarter, and the drive did not end until Richard ran up the middle for an 8-yard touchdown with 14:15 remaining in the game, completing an 11-play, 76-yard drive that took 6:10 off the clock. Collier and Richard each had 95 yards rushing, scoring two touchdowns apiece on the ground.
"Clearly, we are extremely disappointed with the outcome of this game," said Brown. "This game was critically important to us, to the football alums and the university alums. The history of the game speaks for itself, so we're very disappointed. There are some positives to take away from it, and every game in which the outcome doesn't end in your favor, there are lessons to be learned."
The Aggies hope to use those learned lessons next week as they will play in their inaugural CAA Football Conference game on Saturday, Sept. 16, when they travel to Piedmont rival Elon to face the Phoenix at Rhodes Stadium starting at 6 p.m.
