- A&T linebacker and Campbell transfer Tyrek Brown returned to Buies Creek on Saturday and led the Aggies with nine tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception.
- Sophomore Champ Long threw his first career touchdown pass with his toss to Jayden White in the fourth quarter on Saturday.
- Saturday marked the CAA opener for both teams.
BUIES CREEK, NC – The Campbell Fighting Camels entered Saturday's game as the No. 1 offense in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football Conference, and they showcased it in a 42-14 win over the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University football team at Barker-Lane Stadium.
The Camels compiled 574 yards of offense, including 355 yards in the air. Quarterback Kamden Sixkiller completed 23 of 25 passes for 341 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. Wide receiver Jyron Walters was the go-to target, catching seven of Sixkiller's passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Campbell also had a strong showing on the ground, rushing for 219 yards, led by JJ Cowan's 134 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. A week after junior
Kevin White attempted 44 passes at North Carolina Central University, the Aggies threw the ball 41 times on Saturday. White and Long split those 41 attempts after White left the game in the third quarter with an injury.
Before he departed, White completed 13 of 20 passes for 133 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Junior
Champ Long replaced White and went 13-for-21 from the air for 148 yards, a touchdown, and a late interception. Unfortunately, the Aggies continued to struggle in the run game, compiling 37 yards on 21 carries.
It started well for the Aggies on Saturday before the explosive-play Achilles' heel made an appearance. On the game's first play from scrimmage, A&T defensive linemen
Travon Dye and
Dawson James combined to sack Sixkiller, putting the Camels in a 2-and-25 situation from their own 10-yard line.
On the next play, however, Cowan took the handoff from Sixkiller and raced 90 yards for a touchdown, giving Campbell a 7-0 advantage. No problem, because A&T's offense had a swift and emphatic answer. White completed a 15-yard pass to freshman
Jayden White on 3
rd-and-9 to move the Aggies to the Camels' 42.
White launched a pass toward the end zone three plays later, finding an open
Elijah Kennedy for a touchdown to tie it 7-7. Campbell's ensuing drive went 13 plays and 75 yards, resulting in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Sixkiller to Brady Ambrose. The Aggies stopped the Camels when sophomore
Tyrek Brown and freshman
Eddie Conover sacked Sixkiller on a 3rd-and-3.
But a late holding call on Campbell transfer
DeAndre Nance nullified the sack and gave the Camels 1
st-and-goal from the Aggies 4, which led to the touchdown. The Camels added two more touchdowns before halftime thanks to touchdown passes to Walters, including a 70-yard toss that gave Campbell a 28-7 halftime lead.
After the Camels scored on their opening drive of the second half, the Aggies had an impressive march of their own. It started with Long completing a pass out of the backfield to junior
RJ Baker. Baker turned it into a 52-yard gain to the Camels' 14. Two plays later, Long threw a gorgeous pass to the corner of the end zone and into the outstretched arms of freshman
Jayden White to cut Campbell's lead to 35-14.
The Aggies could not get anything going from there as the Camels added another score in the fourth quarter. They improved to 3-1 this season, while going 1-0 in the conference. The Aggies dropped to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in league play. Kennedy led the Aggies again, making seven receptions for 65 yards.
A&T returns home next week after three weeks away to face nationally ranked Rhode Island on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 4 p.m., at Truist Stadium.
