GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T punt returner Elijah Kennedy collected many accolades on Monday after his historic performance Saturday afternoon in A&T's 28-24 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football Conference win over Campbell at Truist Stadium.
Kennedy captured FCS Stats Perform National Special Teams Player of the Week, along with CAA Special Teams Player of the Week and Boxtorow HBCU Co-Player of the Week. Kennedy returned two kicks for touchdowns in the fourth quarter. One came on a 96-yard punt return that tied a program record. The other was an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that served as the game-winner. Kennedy ended the afternoon with 228 all-purpose yards.
The Aggies went into the fourth quarter trailing 21-7 to the Fighting Camels. Redshirt sophomore Kevin White scored on a three-yard touchdown run to bring the Aggies to within seven. After the A&T defense forced Campbell to punt, the long spiraling punt landed in Kennedy's grasp at the A&T 4-yard line.
Kennedy ran to the right before changing direction and following the flow of his blockers down the Campbell sideline for the 96-yard punt return for a touchdown. He tied Quay Long for the longest punt return for a touchdown in program history. Long went 96 yards against Bethune-Cookman in 2009. After the Camels kicked a field goal to take the lead 24-21. That meant the Camels had to kick the ball off.
The ball found its way to Kennedy again, who returned the kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to give the Aggies the lead before the A&T defense stifled the Campbell offense to secure A&T's second conference win. Kennedy's kickoff return for a touchdown made him the first player in program history with a punt return and a kickoff return for a touchdown in the same game.
As if his returns were not good enough, Kennedy led the Aggies in receptions on Saturday with four. He also made the start at wide receiver. He ended the game with 27 yards receiving, 102 kickoff return yards and 99 punt return yards. Kennedy leads the nation in punt returns for touchdowns, with three other players tied at two. He is second in the country and first in the CAA combined kick return yards with 589. In addition, he is fifth in the country in yards per punt return (17.8).
"I'm so thankful we got (Elijah) on our team," said A&T head coach Shawn Gibbs. "He's a heckuva competitor and a great story for not only the guys on our team, but kids throughout the country that they can look at and learn about perseverance and work ethic."
Kennedy and the Aggies return to action on Saturday, November 1, when they face the Towson Tigers at noon from Truist Stadium.
