By Semaj Marsh, Peacemaker Sports
It didn’t take long for the euphoria A&T enjoyed after its miracle win the previous week to quickly evaporate into a sober reminder that it still had a long climb back on the road to respectability.
Last Saturday, in their highly anticipated showdown against North Carolina Central, the Aggies were once again dominated by their arch-rivals from start to finish - losing 62-20 in a contest that was just as lopsided the final score might suggest.
Unlike Hampton the week before, NCCU made sure to muzzle the home crowd at Truist Stadium with big play after big play, quickly extinguishing any hopes for a comeback.
The Eagles (3-2 overall) amassed 745 yards of total offense, forced three turnovers and even recorded two safeties. It was their fourth straight win against A&T and the second year in a row that Central has eclipsed the 60-point mark.
“Saturday was, without a doubt, the most disappointing day of my career in football as a player or a coach,” said first-year A&T coach Shawn Gibbs, who also is an NCCU alum. “We were out-coached, we were out-played, and out-cultured.”
On their very first play from scrimmage, NCCU senior quarter Walker Harris connected with a wide-open Nasim Cosby down the sideline for a 26-yard gain. On the next snap, Eagles running back Chris Mosely received a handoff up the middle and ran untouched to the endzone for a 53-yard score.
That quick-strike offense would be a harbinger of things to come as the Eagles dominated the line of scrimmage and were able to move the ball by air or by land, seemingly at will.
Harris would throw for 380 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-29 passing and Mosely finished with 168 rushing yards, 90 receiving yards and a combined five touchdowns on the afternoon.
"We weren't prepared for the moment. We didn't respond well," said Gibbs afterwards. "We didn't do a good job of tackling. We beat ourselves. (NCCU coach Trei Oliver) has a good football team and a good program. They're well coached. We have a lot of work to do before we can defeat a team like that."
The game marked the surprise return of A&T redshirt sophomore quarterback Kevin White Jr., who spent the offseason rehabbing from a broken leg suffered in spring camp.
He got the start over redshirt junior Noah Sanders and true freshman Nelson Layne, who both saw action is A&T’s dramatic 33-30 double overtime win against Hampton the week before.
In his 2025 debut, White threw for a career-high 232 yards on 10-of-16 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
While his timing was noticeably off on some passing plays and he didn’t display his world-class speed as a runner, White's overall performance against Central was encouraging.
“This is a guy who’s one of the fastest quarterbacks in the country at any level. He’s done a great job of improving as a passer and we felt like he gave us the best chance to win,” said Gibbs about White who also missed most of last season after sustaining an upper-body injury against NCCU in week four.
“I think he did a good job," Gibbs said. "Was he rusty? Absolutely. So just imagine what he can do once we knock some of that rust off.”
The challenge now for Gibbs will be to repair the battered psyche of his team and prevent the rest of their schedule from spiraling out of control.
This Saturday A&T will travel 983 miles north to Orono, Maine to face an 0-4 University of Maine team in an important Coastal Athletic Association matchup.
Kickoff in this first-ever meeting between the two schools is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST.
The Black Bears have opened the season against tough competition, having already competed against FBS programs Liberty and Gorgia Southern and suffered a narrow 28-27 loss on the road against CAA heavyweight William & Mary.
Expect Maine to follow NCCU’s blueprint with their ground attack and rely on big play running backs Sincere Baines and Rashawn Marshall.
A&T gave up 346 rushing yards to the Eagles and currently ranked 123rd out of 126 FCS teams, surrendering an average of 249.8 yards per contest.
"Whenever you're watching a football game and you see someone running through untouched, that means someone wasn't in their gap or someone got dominated on a block," said Gibbs. "When he is running to the edge, and he doesn't have to cut up or break stride, that means we're not setting edges. That's not him, that's us.”
After the Maine trip, A&T will be back on the road the following week to face William & Mary before returning home on October 11 to battle longtime HBCU rival South Carolina State on what will be the Aggies’ Homecoming.
“This university deserves a product that they can be proud of, that represents us in the right way,” said Gibbs. “With that being said, we have no choice but to put (the last game) behind us; we’ve got to flush it and find a way to beat a good University of Maine team.”
“What we can not do is dwell on this game and let North Carolina Central beat us twice.”
