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New A&T football coach Shawn Gibbs prides himself on being a fearless competitor, someone eager to just put the ball down and battle any school in the country – any time, any place.
The only exception is when that opponent becomes his own team.
“We have to learn to take North Carolina A&T off the schedule and not beat ourselves,” said Gibbs, in the aftermath of his Aggies’ heartbreaking 24-21 loss at Tennessee State last Saturday in their season opener.
In a spirited contest that featured multiple lead changes and momentum swings, A&T allowed three scoring plays of more than 50 yards on defense, lost three fumbles on offense and saw a potential game-tying, 38-yard field goal attempt get blocked at the line of scrimmage as time expired.
Those crucial miscues in all three phases thwarted a chance for Gibbs to capture a signature win in his first game as A&T’s head coach.
“Ultimately the game came down to coaching and clock management,” said a very blunt and self-reflecting Gibbs during his weekly press conference on Monday. “I didn’t have them prepared well enough, so I’ve got to get better. But as long as these guys keep fighting, we’ll have a chance. I’m encouraged by what I saw from this team. If we can just get a little bit better coaching, we’ll be able to win some games this year.”
The challenge only gets tougher this upcoming Saturday when the Aggies go back on the road, this time traveling down to Orlando to face the University of Central Florida – now a member of the Big 12 conference.
Last week UCF enjoyed a 17-10 win against Jacksonville State in what was head coach Scott Frost’s first game back in his second stint leading the Golden Knights.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Acrisure Bounce House stadium and will be the first time A&T has faced a Power Four opponent that wasn’t an ACC school.
The talent gap in this matchup is expected to be significant, thanks to college football’s new revenue sharing and NIL rules.
“They have players on their team that make more than our coaches,” said Gibbs. “So, this will be the most talented team that we play (this year), without a doubt. If we can go down and hang around with these guys and make it a game late in the fourth quarter, we’ll have a chance to win. And I think it’s a good gauge to let our guys know that if we can play with these guys, we can play with anybody on our schedule.”
Saturday’s contest will be the first-ever meeting between A&T and the Golden Knights on the gridiron but will mark the second time A&T has played in that stadium. In 2014 legendary running back Tarik Cohen led the Aggies to a 47-13 rout over Alabama A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge at what was then called Bright House Network Stadium.
Gibbs was on the sideline for that game as the Aggies’ running backs coach and vividly remembers the challenges of playing an early season contest in the sunshine state.
“It’s going to be smoking down there in the Bounce House,” he said. “It’s hot in Orlando. My wife’s family lives down there so I know how it is. It’s just something we’re going to have to deal with.”
One of the biggest question marks entering the season opener last week was who would emerge from fall camp as the Aggies’ starting quarterback?
It appears that has now been answered.
University of Maryland transfer Champ Long got the start against TSU but struggled to find his rhythm against a relentless Tigers’ pass rush. The six-foot redshirt sophomore was sacked twice in the first half, resulting in a pair of drive-killing fumbles, and he was benched at halftime. Long finished with just 41 passing yards on 5-of-9 attempts.
Redshirt-freshman quarterback Braxton Thomas took over in relief duty and nearly led A&T to a second half comeback, finishing with 169 passing yards and one touchdown on 11 of 13 attempts while also adding a rushing touchdown.
His main target was senior wideout Amonte Jones, who recorded a team-best 91 yards and one touchdown on four catches against TSU.
That connection was on display during the frantic fourth quarter rally when Thomas found Jones open down the sideline for a 66-yard touchdown pass, pulling A&T within three points. Minutes later Thomas completed a 31 yard pass to Jones on the game’s final drive, moving the ball down to Tigers’ 41 yard line with just under a minute remaining.
Initially it appeared A&T was surging for the go-ahead touchdown. However, Gibbs admitted afterwards that his staff didn’t manage the play clock effectively at that point and were only able to take one shot, sandwiched between a pair of short running plays.
That set the stage for Andrew Brown’s 38-yard field goal attempt to send the game into overtime, but a breakdown in the interior of Aggies’ offensive line led to the heartbreaking block.
“I didn’t need to watch the tape; I saw that on the field,” Gibbs said. “We got our butt kicked up front. The game was on the line and they lined up somebody across from us and we got our butt kicked.”
“The kick was low … but if we stop those guys at the line scrimmage like we’re trained to do, that’s not an issue.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Gibbs said he was encouraged by the effort and grit his young players displayed in this newly installed scheme, but lamented over the number of big plays that were surrendered.
“We gave up 252 yards of total offense, but 193 came on three plays,” said Gibbs. “An 82-yard pass where we just simply didn’t cover the guy and two 50-plus yard runs where it was just a guy who wasn’t where he was supposed to be. You have those three plays away that’s 59 yards of total offense against a team that’s coming off a conference championship and a playoff berth.”
Junior inside linebacker Joshua Isea recorded an interception, a game-high 10 tackles and was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
Senior defensive back Aaron Harris had three tackles and two pass break ups, while junior defensive tackle Marquis Hood recorded two tackles for loss, a sack and forced fumble.
“We’ve got to get back to making chicken,” said Gibbs, referring to A&T’s signature style of disciplined, hard-nosed football. “I think they understand that’s how you win. We can’t make tofu anymore and we can’t beat A&T and our opponent. Especially when you’re playing a Power Four opponent like UCF. If you give them what we gave Tennessee State it will get ugly.”
