For the first time in a long time, North Carolina A&T is on equal football footing with long-time rival South Carolina State.
S.C. State and N.C. A&T first played in 1924, and S.C. State leads the series 30-20-2. The Bulldogs won 11 games in a row against the Aggies from 2000-11.
N.C. A&T’s 17-7 victory over S.C. State in 2012 injected life into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rivalry. Staging their 53rd meeting in the Atlanta Football Classic on Saturday at the Georgia Dome has increased the stakes.
“The (Classic) has done pretty well on its own,” S.C. State coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough said. “Add the ingredients that it’s going to be a real knock-down, drag-down battle with a good (fan) following for both our both teams for our (FCS) level of football, and it makes it even bigger.”
N.C. A&T’s third-year coach, Rod Broadway, has reinvigorated the Aggies after they were stymied by NCAA scholarship limits because of unsatisfactory academic progress.
The Aggies finished 7-4 in 2012 for their first winning season in nine years. N.C. A&T opened this season by ending Appalachian State’s 32-game home winning streak against in-state opponents and is 3-0 for the first time 2001.
Broadway played down the significance of defeating S.C. State last season.
“That was a long time ago,” Broadway said. “I have a hard time remembering last week. I think we understand who we are up against. They have been one of the premier teams in the conference for a long time. They play well, and they are coached well. We are trying to get to where they’ve been for a long time.”
S.C. State has four MEAC titles under Pough since 2002 and 14 overall. But the Bulldogs finished 5-6 in 2012 for their first losing season since 2000.
Pough said last season was “an indication of what might possibly be if we don’t get it going here in a hurry.” He said there was significant player attrition after last season, and other changes included a new offensive coordinator.
The Bulldogs opened the season with losses to Coastal Carolina and Clemson. They’ve rallied to win three games in a row, including a 30-6 victory against Hampton last week in their MEAC opener.
N.C. A&T defeated Howard 27-19 on Sept. 26 in spite of three turnovers. Broadway said it’s a sign of the program’s progress that the Aggies overcame their mistakes to win.
“One of the things we preach is if something good happens, keep playing, and if something bad happens, keep playing,” he said. “We are to the point now where if things don’t go our way, we keep rolling and don’t drop our heads.”
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