After a struggling passing game from the Aggies and the on-point offense of North Carolina Central, the Aggies fell short to the Eagles 30-16 in the Aggie-Eagle Classic.

Starting quarterback Eli Brickhandler was benched in the first quarter after two drives and a lost fumble. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Zachary Yeager replaced Brickhandler to try and spark the offense.

This slow start for the Aggies put them in an 11-point deficit early. 

Meanwhile, the Eagles got off to a fast start offensively and scored the first two touchdowns, grabbing an early 14-3 lead.

The Aggies responded with an 85-yard kickoff return by Taymon Cooke. The extra-point attempt was blocked, and the score was 14-9.

The Aggies’ run game propelled its offense in the first half. A 47-yard touchdown run by running back Wesley Graves gave the Aggies the lead 16-14.

The Eagles got a late field goal to take back the lead before halftime 17-16.

The Eagles started to pull away from the Aggies in the second half.

Central’s offense marched down the field, and running back Latrell Collier punched it in for his second touchdown.

The passing game struggled throughout the first half and continued to struggle in the second half. 

Yeager ended the game with 51 passing yards going seven for 14.

The running backs for the Aggies kept them in the game as long as possible. Both backs, Kenji Christian and Wesley Graves, ran the ball extremely well.

Christian had 12 carries for 98 yards, and Graves carried the ball eight times for 69 yards, along with his touchdown.

“We’re going to use them in the running game, but it’s not enough.” said head coach Vincent Brown when asked about his two running backs performances. “You can’t be a one-dimensional offense.”

 Central padded their lead early in the fourth quarter with another touchdown run from quarterback Davius Richard.

This score would put the Eagles up 30-16 and be the nail in the coffin for the Aggies, as the deficit was too large to overcome.

With the offense barely able to move the ball down the field and time not on their side, the Aggies dropped their second game of the season and back-to-back losses to Central. The Eagles won last year 28-13 in the Dukes Mayo Classic.

Penalties cost the Aggies throughout the game. They got eight penalties for 85 yards. 

The Aggies are still looking for their first win under new coach Vincent Brown.

Next week the  Aggies will take on Elon next Saturday at 6 p.m