Head Coach Rod Broadway was serious last year when he said, “I’m tired of getting my butt kicked.” The football team now has a winning season for the first time since 2003.
N.C. A&T won its last three home games after a 17-7 victory over S.C. State on Saturday. This not only gave the Aggies a winning season, improving to a 6-4 record, but also ended a 12-year losing streak to the Bulldogs.
S.C. State took a quick seven point lead on Jakar Hamilton’s 96-yard kick return, but A&T’s nationally ranked No. 2 defense kept the Bulldogs from scoring the rest of the game.
The Aggies special teams also played a significant role containing the Bulldogs with two blocked field goals in the first half by defensive back D’Vonte Graham.
The Aggies finally scored in the third quarter when Zach Cimaglia’s 22-yard field goal capped a 65-yard drive.
The play that sealed the game came after the ensuing kick return, when Bulldogs quarterback Richard Cue tossed the ball to wide receiver Caleb Davis in the flat. The seemingly dropped pass was still live. Graham then picked up the ball for a 10-yard fumble return.
“It’s just instinct really,” said Graham about the play that sealed the win for A&T. “Whenever [we] see a bubble screen or any type of play behind the line of scrimmage, we practice if the ball hits the ground…I just scooped it up.”
A&T will close out the season against rival N.C. Central in Durham this Saturday.
“I’m proud of our football team, coaching staff, and players,” said Broadway. “To be 6-4 at this point is a great accomplishment.”
Senior lineman T.J. Hearn, a Durham native, has had his fair share of injuries tearing two knee ligaments, a meniscus, and breaking his ankle. To have a winning season and being able to possibly finish with a win against NCCU would be a well-earned accomplishment.
“It’s hard to describe this feeling. In the four seasons I’ve played we’ve gone from 0-11, 3-9, 5-6, and now we finally have a winning season…It’s outstanding.”
This will be Broadway’s first time returning to NCCU where he was head coach from 2003-2006.
With last year’s 31-21 victory over the Eagles, the series record is in A&T’s favor as they lead N.C. Central 47-31-5.
Saturday’s game will mark the 88th year the Aggies and Eagles will face off. The Aggies enter one of their most anticipated and emotional games of the season differently than last year.
The intensity of the rivalry is driven by proximity, size, and the fact that both schools are competing for many of the same high school students and athletes.
Broadway and the Aggies will go into the last game of the season with three consecutive wins, as opposed to last year when they entered the Central game with four consecutive losses.
Despite being undersized, it will be crucial for the A&T defense, No. 1 in the MEAC, to continue their dominance against the Central team that is vying for a MEAC Championship.
Finishing the season 7-4 is a big step for the team, especially during a heated rivalry. With 18 seniors honored in the S.C. State game, the team’s main focus against NCCU is to play hard and obtain a road win.
“We’re going to prepare for them like any other game,” said A&T senior quarterback Lewis Kindle. “It will mean a lot to the program if we could get to 7-4. To get up for a rivalry game shouldn’t be hard for any of us.”
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- Symone Kidd & Paul Smith, Sports Editor