North Carolina A&T

• A&T has won back-to-back home games for the first time since 2022, when it beat Norfolk State on Nov. 5 and Charleston Southern on Nov. 12.
• Michael Carlock-Williams had A&T's second 100-yard receiving game this season. However, the Aggies' streak without a 100-yard rusher grew to 22 straight games.
• Kevin White's 230 passing yards moved him past Marshal Glenn for eighth all-time in A&T passing yards with 3,531. His 21 TD passes also put him in the top 10 all time at No. 10.
• Terry Radford's 17 tackles are the most by an Aggie since BJ Turner registered 19 tackles at Norfolk State on Sept. 30, 2023.

GREENSBORO, NC — Freshman North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University kicker Asher Holland had made mistakes previously in A&T's Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football Conference game against the University of New Hampshire at Truist Stadium on Saturday.

But he believed his teammates had worked hard enough and long enough to deserve a win. Therefore, he thought it important enough to correct those mistakes. Those corrections led him to boot a 34-yard game-winning field goal in overtime, giving the Aggies a 30-27 win over the Wildcats. On a rainy day at Truist, Holland missed a third-quarter field goal that would have given the Aggies a 24-17 lead.

Then, in an amazing turn of events, the Aggies kept the Wildcats out of the end zone after UNH had 1st-and-goal at the 7-yard line. UNH settled for a 26-yard field goal from Lucas Glassburn, giving the Wildcats a 27-21 lead with 1:40 remaining. It left the door open for the Aggies to win with a touchdown and extra point.

Junior quarterback Kevin White and the Aggies offense then went to work after taking over possession at their own 25. A&T converted three monstrous fourth downs in their attempt at a game-winning drive. On a 4th-and-8 from the A&T 27, White found an open Michael Carlock-Williams for a 12-yard completion and a first down.

Carlock-Williams had his first career 100-yard receiving game, finishing the afternoon with five catches for 129 yards and a touchdown. On 4th-and-4 from the Wildcats' 40, White completed a short 5-yard pass to senior wide receiver Elijah Kennedy, who went down to secure the catch and a new set of downs. A&T's third fourth-down conversion ended the drive when White found Kennedy crossing the middle and delivered a perfect pass for a 10-yard touchdown reception, tying the game 27-27 with no time left on the clock.

"Something that I have been telling (offensive coordinator Greg McGhee) since I've been here and something that (former A&T head coach Rod Broadway) told me, and now I think he gets it and Kevin gets it, and that's in crucial situations: don't think plays, think players," said A&T head coach Shawn Gibbs. "So, we were trying to get the ball to one of our best players. And that's what we did. We had the ball in Kevin's hands, and we got the ball to EK."

However, amid the excitement of Kennedy tying the game, the Aggies still needed the extra point to win. Holland missed the kick to the right, sending the game into overtime. The funny thing about rain and wet field conditions is that they affect both teams. A&T won the toss in overtime and elected to play defense first, giving UNH the ball at the A&T 25.

After the Wildcats got a first down at the 13, the A&T defense stiffened. Junior Kamari Blankumsee sacked UNH quarterback Brooks Bentley on third down, setting up a 29-yard field goal attempt for Glassburn. Glassburn missed badly to the right, opening the door for A&T's second straight home win. A four-yard run by White put the ball at the UNH 16 for a 4th-and-1. Gibbs said he thought the game might come down to Holland's leg, so he had coaches talk with him after his earlier field-goal and extra-point misses. After those conversations and corrections, Holland stepped on the field and connected on the game-winner.

"I'm glad I was able to do it for my team," said Holland. "When I had the miss (the field goal) before, I got in front of the ball, and it pushed it out right. I was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. And then obviously, I did it again. So I was trying to make corrections before my next opportunity. I was just happy I was able to do it for them. They worked their a** off the whole game. I didn't want to let them down."  

The Aggies have played strong football since a blowout loss at Campbell on Sept. 19. The following week, they beat nationally ranked and two-time defending CAA champion Rhode Island. Last week, they lost a one-point game on a game-winning field goal at Bryant. Add the two close losses against fellow HBCUs Morgan State and North Carolina Central University, games they had chances to win, and their season could look very different today.

Instead, the Aggies will head into next week's non-conference game against Chicago State, 2-5 overall and 2-2 in CAA play, with plenty of confidence. Kickoff is set for noon at Truist Stadium.

"I feel like we should have won more than we have," said Gibbs. "We don't know or care what anybody thinks of us, but we go into every game expecting to win. It was good for us to go out and win a game like this. I felt like we could've won every game except Georgia State. We were a little bit overmatched. But everybody else that we play, we feel like if we play our best football, we can win games in this league."