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When it rained it poured last Saturday night during A&T’s week two matchup against the University of Central Florida, but even after the storm clouds moved from the Orlando area the on-field devastation continued.
In a contest that was delayed by 75 minutes due to inclement weather, UCF wasted little time establishing their dominance when play resumed, returning the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown before eventually cruising to a 68-7 victory.
The Golden Knights, members of the Big 12 conference, showed little mercy to the overmatched Aggies, outgaining their visitors in total yards 560 to 200 while forcing three turnovers.
Then - to add injury to insult - A&T suffered significant injuries to all three quarterbacks who played in the contest.
Redshirt freshman Braxton Thomas, who nearly led the Aggies to a dramatic comeback win against Tennessee State in the season opener, earned the start against UCF but only lasted three plays before he left the game with an elbow injury.
Next up was sophomore transfer Champ Long who again struggled with ball security, throwing an interception and losing two fumbles before he himself was forced to the sideline holding his left elbow.
That led to the debut appearance of true freshman Jy Walls, a 6’2, 190-pound dual-threat quarterback from Pennsylvania, who was forced to stay in the remainder of the night despite suffering a broken collarbone midway through the second half.
The inexplicable loss of their top three quarterbacks in one outing left first-year A&T head coach Shawn Gibbs wondering just how to salvage the rest of the season.
“They’re beat up,” said Gibbs, describing the state of his quarterback room. “We had two guys dislocate their elbow – Braxton and Champ - and JyArie, our freshman quarterback, broke his collarbone. He’s done for the season, but the other two – they’ll be back. So we’re beat up right now but we still have to play a game on Saturday.”
During his Monday afternoon press conference, Gibbs attempted to remain positive and upbeat when speaking about the state of his roster, but the frustration was visible.
He offered no timetable on when Thomas and Long might return but said true freshman Nelson Layne would be next in line to start at quarterback this week against Hampton. Noah Sanders, a 6’2 redshirt junior who transferred in from Delaware last season, will serve as the lone backup.
“We signed Nelson Layne in this signing class and we think he can get the job done,” said Gibbs. “But it’s not on him; it’s on the entire team. We’ve got to rally around him and make sure that we protect him and make sure that we play complimentary football. It’s a next-man-up mentality. If you say that and you preach that, then when that situation comes up you’ve got to live in it.”
This weekend will mark both the Aggie’s first home game of the season and their Coastal Athletic Association opener when they face longtime HBCU rival Hampton.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Truist Stadium.
Prior to the season, this matchup was highlighted as a revenge game by most Aggie fans, who still haven’t forgotten the 59-17 beatdown Hampton delivered last October on A&T’s Homecoming.
A&T has not beaten the Pirates (1-1 overall this season) since leaving the MEAC and have now seen its losing streak against Hampton extend to four games.
Overall, Hampton leads the series between the two schools with an all-time record of 29-18-2.
“It’s a good rivalry,” said Gibbs about facing Hampton. “I think it’s kind of new; I don’t know if it’s your traditional rivalry like South Carolina State, Central of Winston-Same State, but it’s definitely building to that.”
Last week, Hampton had to rally from a 10-point halftime deficit at home just to defeat Division II Elizabeth City State, 27-20.
With what is sure to be an inexperienced signal caller behind center, the Aggies will need to focus on eliminating the turnovers and penalties, while leaning on their ground attack to if they hope to defeat Hampton.
Against UCF, junior running back Shimique Blizzard rushed for a team-best 75 yards on 11 carries including a 17-yard touchdown late in the final period to end the Gold Knight’s shutout bid.
“I know that these guys are going to out and fight,” said Gibbs. “That’s what I’ve learned about them. They’re going to fight, They’re not going to quit – and that’s a good sign. We’ve just got to stop killing ourselves and stop turning the ball over."
"This game is about getting back to the basics.”
