S.C. State defeats N.C. A&T in Atlanta Classic
North Carolina A&T ended South Carolina State’s domination of the rivalry last year, but couldn’t quite put together a winning streak against its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe.
The Aggies lost 29-24 to the Bulldogs on Saturday in the 25th Atlanta Football Classic at the Georgia Dome. In 2012, N.C. A&T (3-1, 1-1 MEAC) posted its first winning season in nine years and ended an 11-game losing streak to S.C. State (3-2, 2-0).
The Aggies started 3-0 for the first time since 2001, but lost a lead late in the third quarter and came up short in their comeback attempt.
“If you are going to compete for championships in this league, you’ve got to beat S.C. State,” N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway said. “We’ve closed that gap. We are up there with the top teams in this league. We just have to win more of these close games.”
The Aggies had a chance to do it against the Bulldogs.
Quarterback Lewis Kindle’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Desmond Lawrence got N.C. A&T within 29-24 with 4:30 left. The Aggies forced a punt and got the ball at their 45-yard line after S.C. State was penalized for hitting the returner.
With two timeouts and 3:25 to play, Kindle moved the Aggies to a first down at the S.C. State 32-yard line. But he was sacked for a 10-yard loss on the next play, Lawrence dropped his pass in traffic at the 5-yard line on second down and two other passes fell incomplete.
N.C. A&T rushed for 177 yards on 39 carries, but couldn’t pass consistently. Kindle, from Westlake High, was harassed by the pass rush while completing only 14 of 30 pass attempts for 130 yards.
S.C. State entered the game averaging 188.4 rushing yards per game. The Aggies, boasting the fifth-ranked rushing defense in FCS, held the Bulldogs to 86 yards on 38 carries, but quarterback Richard Cue passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns.
“Cue was on a roll all night,” S.C. State wide receiver Tyler McDonald said. “He was in a rhythm. We could see it in his eyes.”
The Aggies led 17-14 after Ricky Lewis’ 13-yard touchdown in the third quarter. S.C. State rallied behind its special teams.
The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 17-16 when Darius Drummond blocked a punt that went out of the end zone for a safety.
“That was big because it created some momentum for us,” S.C. State coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough said. “It showed that we had some life left in us and we could make some plays still.”
On the ensuing possession, S.C. State’s Nick Belcher kicked a 49-yard field goal for a 19-17 lead. S.C. State forced a three-and-out and needed one play to score again: Cue found McDonald with a short pass that turned into a 65-yard touchdown when McDonald broke a tackle.
The Bulldogs added a 22-yard field goal after the Aggies stopped them on third-and-goal at the 2-yard line. After six lead changes in the game, the Bulldogs finally had control with a 29-17 lead.
The Bulldogs made the lead hold up when Steven Murphy defended Kindle’s penultimate pass and they chased Lewis out of the pocket to force a bad pass on fourth down.
“We didn’t do the best of things at times, but I didn’t think there ever any kind of lack of effort,” Pough said. “I’m excited about the fact that as we got got behind, and then got ahead, and then got behind, our kids continued to fight. And then at the end we stood up and made a play to make it all come together.”
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