NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The North Carolina A&T football team had a chance to send the first game of the Shawn Gibbs head coaching era into overtime Saturday night against the Tennessee State University (TSU) Tigers.
But TSU's Lathun Snipes made enough of a disturbance through the A&T protection to block the game-tying field goal attempt from graduate kicker Andrew Brown, leading the Tigers to a 24-21 win over the Aggies in the John Merritt Classic in front of 8,865 gathered at Nissan Stadium.
"Our kids fought their hearts out today," said Gibbs. "They put forth the effort. We had a chance to tie it at the end, but our protection didn't hold up. We lost the game. That's my fault. That's coaching because our kids are going to put up a fight without question. We know they're going to do that all year."
The Aggies certainly showed an ability to withstand a solid punch after TSU running back Kendric Rhymes exploded through the middle of the Aggies defense for a 51-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 24-14 lead with 14:19 remaining in the game. In their effort to respond, the Aggies found themselves in a dire situation.
They faced a 2nd-and-21 from their own 34-yard line. But redshirt freshman Braxton Thomas, who entered Saturday's game in relief of sophomore starter Champ Long, scrambled right as TSU defenders chased. Keeping his eyes downfield, Thomas spotted redshirt junior Amonte Jones wide open at the TSU 15.
Braxton unleashed a pinpoint pass downfield, connecting with Jones for a 66-yard touchdown to bring the Aggies to within three after Brown's extra point. Thomas finished the night 11-for-13 for 169 yards and the touchdown. Jones had a career night, catching four passes for 91 yards and the score.
A&T's defense stiffened after the Jones TD reception, holding the Tigers to just 10 yards over their next 10 plays, getting the ball back at their own 13 with 2:52 remaining.
Thomas put the Aggies in position to either win or tie the game when he connected with graduate receiver Jamison Warren for a 31-yard completion to the TSU 45. The Aggies moved into field goal range on a 14-yard connection between Thomas and redshirt junior Elijah Kennedy.
A&T moved six more yards to the TSU 21, setting up Brown's game-winning attempt that TSU rejected.
"We didn't do a good job of stopping the run," said Gibbs. "That's on me. We didn't protect the football. That's on me. We lost the kicking game because we got the last one blocked. That's on me, too. All the things we tried to do, we didn't get done.
We lost on explosive plays, and we can't give up explosive plays. We will never be good enough to beat Tennessee State and North Carolina A&T. We have to learn to take North Carolina A&T off the schedule and not beat ourselves. If we do that, we will have a chance in the future."
In the first half, A&T's run defense resembled the one during Gibbs' tenure as an A&T assistant coach from 2011-2021, one that routinely ranked among the top run defenses in Division I-FCS football. The Aggies held the Tigers to minus-5 yards rushing. A&T got on the board first thanks to a 40-yard first-quarter touchdown run by graduate running back Wesley Graves.
The Aggies were plagued by two first-half fumbles by Long, leading to Thomas's entrance into the ballgame. After TSU tied it at 7-7 on an 82-yard catch and run from Jonathan Palmer to Devaughn Slaughter and took the lead on a 41-yard field goal from Freddy Perez, A&T forced a TSU turnover.
A&T junior linebacker Joshua Iseah made a diving, acrobatic interception of a Palmer pass to give the Aggies a first down at the TSU 33 with 1:20 remaining in the first half. Four plays later, Thomas scored on a 1-yard touchdown to give the Aggies a 14-10 halftime lead. Iseah led the Aggies with 10 tackles, including three for loss.
"We feel confident in both of our quarterbacks," Gibbs said about making the change. "But if one guy is having a rough day, we are not going to hesitate to put the other guy in. Champ turned the ball over a couple of times, so we gave Braxton an opportunity. I still believe in Champ. He's a good quarterback with a bright future ahead of him."
The second half was less about the quarterback play and more about TSU's ability to run the ball. Rhymes had 174 yards rushing and two touchdowns, even though the Tigers as a team had 129 yards rushing. He gave TSU the lead for good with a 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
"I've got to do a better job of getting these guys ready to go and getting them to play team football," said Gibbs. "We can't allow a single individual to run for 180 yards on us. We've never done that. We turned the ball over several times and got a kick blocked. That's the recipe for getting your butt kicked."
Gibbs said things will get out of hand next week at Power Four UCF if the Aggies have the same turnover issues as they did against the Tigers on Saturday. A&T will face the Golden Knights on Saturday, September 6, at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Fla., starting at 7 p.m.
