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It was a miracle in every sense of the word, and it might’ve been the signature victory new A&T coach Shawn Gibbs needed to galvanize his team as they prepare for the biggest game on their schedule.
Down by 20-10 with under 90 seconds left in regulation and forced to play the seventh quarterback on its depth chart, A&T pulled off a comeback for the ages – upsetting Hampton 33-30 in double overtime last Saturday night in an electric home opener at Truist Stadium.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of these guys,” said Gibbs, who enjoyed both his first career win as A&T’s head coach and also the school’s first conference victory as members of the Coastal Athletic Association.
“They showed the heart of a champion. To be down ten points with under a minute left and to find a way to win the football game, it shows the resiliency that these guys have.”
While most of the announced crowd of 15,806 had already emptied into the parking lots, redshirt junior quarterback Noah Sanders connected with Jamison Warren for a 41-yard touchdown strike with 57 seconds left to pull A&T within 20-17.
On the ensuing kickoff, A&T kicker Andrew “Money” Brown executed a perfect onside kick, which was recovered by graduate defensive back Aaron Harris at the Aggies’ 48-yard line.
A personal foul penalty against Hampton moved the ball into Pirates’ territory and six plays later Brown provided more heroics, connecting on a 37-yard field goal as time expired – sending the contest into overtime, tied at 20-20.
After both teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime period, A&T held Hampton to a field goal on its next possession and then capped off the unforgettable night with four straight runs by Wesley Graves for the game-winning score.
The victory snapped A&T’s four-game slide against Hampton and also ended the Aggies’ 12-game overall losing streak, dating back to last season.
The last-minute comeback drive was engineered by redshirt junior quarterback Noah Sanders, who finished with 75 yards passing and one touchdown on 6-of-17 attempts, while also rushing for a one-yard touchdown in the first overtime period.
Sanders entered the game at halftime, replacing true freshman Nelson Layne, who got his first career start and recorded 69 passing yards and 19 yards on the ground before suffering an undisclosed injury right before halftime.
Layne's injury was just the latest in a spree of bad luck that has plagued A&T at the quarterback position.
Two weeks ago, against UCF, A&T lost three signal callers in the same contest when Braxton Thomas and Champ Long both suffered dislocated elbows on their non-throwing arms and true freshman Jy Walls was lost for the season with a broken collarbone.
Prior to that, the Aggies had already seen two other quarterbacks go down in the spring, when transfer Alston Hooker suffered a torn ACL and Kevin White Jr. broke his leg during a scrimmage.
“I can guarantee you that there’s not another school in the country that has had to play seven quarterbacks,” Gibbs said.
Despite the instant euphoria of the A&T win, Gibbs knows his troops won’t have much time to celebrate as their focus now quickly turns to this week’s home encounter against fierce rival North Carolina Central.
Kickoff is set for this Saturday at 4 p.m. in what will be the 98th meeting between the two schools.
“This is the game,” said Gibbs, who played running back and earned his bachelor’s degree from NCCU. “This is not just another game on our schedule. It’s versus North Carolina Central. It’s our rival. We’re going to exceed their effort, we’re going to exceed their physicality, and we’re ready to go.”
Last season, NCCU embarrassed A&T in Durham, 66-24, in a contest that was later dubbed “Rout 66” by Eagles fans.
The Eagles currently boast one of the top quarterbacks in FCS football in redshirt senior Walker Harris, who threw for a career-high 387 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in NCCU’s 49-19 win last week against Division II Fayetteville State.
NCCU head coach Trie Oliver, now in his seventh season at NCCU, has shown no problem stoking the flames of this rivalry in the past with some pointed comments on social media.
“I don’t know if you need any extra motivation to North Carolina Central,” Gibbs said. “But they did put 66 on us (last year), and they told us to take it back to Greensboro. So that’s what we did. Now we’re back in Greensboro and we’re waiting.”
