The A&T Aggies (2-0, 1-0) defeated the Elon Phoenix (1-2, 0-0) 23-10

at Aggie Stadium on Saturday.

“To get off to a 2-0 start is a big positive step for this football

team,” said A&T head coach Rod Broadway.

Things began slowly for both teams as three and outs were the result

both team’s initial drive.

A fumble by A&T quarterback Lewis Kindle and a missed field goal by

kicker Cody Jones were missed opportunities for the Aggies early in

the game.

Kindle, who made his season debut Saturday, served a one-game

suspension (Appalchian State) stemming from an off-field incident in

July.  “It was good to be back. Just executing the plan they’ve been

giving us. They’ve been preaching all week, and knowing that if we do

what the coaches give us, we’ll be successful. Guys around me making

plays made my job a lot easier.”

The first quarter ended in  a scoreless tie.

A few minutes into the second, a 32-yard field goal by Jones put the

Aggies up 3-0 with 8:32 to go in the first half.

Moments later, the Aggies got the ball back, fighting to put six

points on the board.

 A&T’s Kindle connected with receiver Demonta Brown for a 60-yard

touchdown pass bring the score to 10-0 Aggies.  Kindle finished the

game with 23 of 38 for 288 yards and a touchdown.

After the score, Elon started to fight back, with a successful field

goal adding three points on the board with 3:24 left in the first

half.

On the ensuing kick return, Tony McRae had a kick return for 55 yards,

setting up an A&T field goal.

The first half ended with a score of 13-3 in favor of the Aggies.

In the third, the first possession of the second half for A&T ended in

three and out.

With Elon vying for a comeback, a tipped pass by an A&T defender was

caught by an Elon receiver, leading to a big yardage play into Aggie

territory. The Phoenix failed to capitalize as a 35-yard field attempt

was unsuccessful.

In a later possession, Kindle threw a laser to receiver Desmond

Lawrence, setting up another Jones field goal. “I’ve been working with

both of the quarterbacks a lot in practice, so we had good chemistry

with Lewis and Quick. It was pretty easy transitioning to the game

because I was already comfortable with them from practice,” said

Lawrence.

At this point, the Aggies held a 16-3 lead with 7:13 remaining in the third.

Nearing the end of the quarter, Elon drove down the field scoring a

touchdown with just 17 seconds to go, advancing the score to 16-10

with a succesful PAT.

Both teams were in contention for the win at the beginning of the

fourth with the Aggies up by 6 points.

Throughout, the teams took turns trading punts in a field position battle.

The difference maker was A&T running back Dominique Drake, who made

reservations for 6 points, stretching the Aggie lead to 23-10.

“Right now, we’re just looking ahead to the MEAC because that’s what

we’re really focused on. We know some pretty good teams are in the

MEAC right now so we have to stay focused on what’s ahead. We’re going

to enjoy the wins, and we’re going to enjoy them while we got them,

but just have to stay focused and just keep looking ahead to who we

got next,” said A&T’s Kindle.

The Aggies (2-0, 0-0) will take on Howard University (1-2, 0-0) at

Aggie Stadium at 6 p.m. on Thursday Sept. 26.

The game will be aired on ESPNU.

• Jeremy Days