- The two rivals are scheduled to play in Charlotte, NC, next season as part of the Duke's Mayo Classic. They also played there in 2022, with the Eagles winning 28-13.
- White is the first A&T quarterback to throw three touchdown passes in a game since Justin Fomby threw three at S.C. State on Sept. 28, 2024.
- Senior Elijah Kennedy had two TD receptions on Saturday. It marked the second time in A&T's last four games that an Aggies receiver had two TDs in a game after Michael Carlock-Williams had two against Elon on Nov. 22, 2025.
- The Aggies, who had not had a turnover in their first two games, turned the ball over three times on Saturday.
DURHAM, NC – Saturday showed why the Aggie-Eagle Classic became a classic throughout its 104-year existence.
For the first time in 11 years, the rivalry game between the two largest HBCUs in North Carolina – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and North Carolina Central University (NCCU) – came down to one score. Unfortunately, as in the last one-score game between the two teams, NCCU won.
The Eagles held off the Aggies' game-tying efforts in the final seconds to win 30-22 at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. Eagles running back Plez Lawrence ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries. That effort was matched by senior wide receiver/return specialist
Elijah Kennedy, who compiled 112 yards receiving and two touchdowns on seven receptions. Thanks to his duties as a return man, Kennedy finished the game with 189 all-purpose yards on 13 touches.
"He's a warrior," said A&T head coach
Shawn Gibbs about Kennedy. "Guys like that get me motivated. You can look into his eyes and see he is out there to compete. I want it so bad for him. I wish I could go out there and play with him. I wish we could get some more people that feed off his energy. When we get 10 more people playing like him, then we are going to be hard to deal with."
Junior quarterback
Kevin White threw the football to an energized Kennedy. White, who made his return to the field where he sustained a season-ending injury in 2024, had 259 yards passing, three touchdowns, and two interceptions on 21-for-44 passing. He also led the Aggies in rushing with 42 yards on 13 carries.
White had the Aggies in position to try to tie the game in the fourth quarter when A&T took over possession at its own 35-yard line. His completion to a diving Kennedy for a 3-yard gain on 3
rd-and-3 gave the Aggies a first down at the A&T 45. Kennedy also had a 14-yard reception on 3
rd-and-4 that gave his team a 1
st-and-10 at the NCCU 35.
The big play came on 1
st-and-10 from the NCCU 24, when White completed a 21-yard pass to junior
Rory Jones-Amen-Hetep to give the Aggies 1
st-and-goal at the NCCU 3 with 14 seconds remaining. On 2
nd-and-goal from the NCCU 3, White completed a pass to senior tight end
Anthony Rucker, who was stopped at the 1.
A flag hit the ground on the play as officials called A&T for offensive pass interference, placing the ball on the NCCU 13 with five seconds showing on the clock. On the final play of the game, White tried to find 6-foot-4 sophomore wide receiver
Michael Carlock-Williams in the back corner of the end zone against smaller defensive back Javion Martin.
But Martin came underneath Carlock-Williams for the interception, giving the Eagles their fifth straight win over the Aggies. The last time the Aggie-Eagle Classic was decided by one score, the Eagles won 21-16 in Greensboro in 2015.
"We had a chance at the end, and it didn't come out our way," said Gibbs. "We just got to learn from this, stop killing ourselves, and stop making the same mistakes over and over. Once we do that, I think we can turn the corner. We're super close, but we've been saying that for a while now."
Gibbs said he needs to see the pass interference call against the Aggies in the final seconds on film to truly assess whether he agrees with it. He did agree with the last play call of the game, saying the ball should have been thrown a little more to the outside to give Carlock-Williams a chance to go up and his length to make a play.
"Games like that – rivalry games – that's how it is supposed to be," said Gibbs. "We just need to make sure we come out on the winning end of them. We've closed the gap. We've just got to take that next step and find a way to win."
The rivalry game's original start time was 6 p.m., before the threat of inclement weather led game officials to move the start time to noon. Even then, the game endured a 101-minute delay because of lightning. Before the Aggies left the field, an Aggies' fumble gave the Eagles the ball at the A&T 45 in the third quarter.
After the long layoff, the Eagles scored on a 1-yard Lawrence touchdown to give NCCU a 30-14 lead. The Aggies responded with a 39-yard punt return from Kennedy that gave A&T 1
st-and-10 at the NCCU 35. Nine plays later, White found Rucker in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown pass. Junior
Mark Tillman caught a pass from White to add the 2-point conversion and bring the Aggies within one score with 4:20 remaining in the game.
"We have plenty of games left," said Kennedy. "We haven't even started conference yet, so it's time to lock in."
The Aggies will start conference play next Saturday when they travel to Buies Creek, NC, to face the Campbell Fighting Camels at 6 p.m. at Barker-Lane Stadium.
Â
