The North Carolina A&T Football team will look back at Nov. 6 22-19 overtime-loss to Florida A&M as the game that got away.

The defense played arguably its best game of the season against a team with the MEAC’s third best record.

Unfortunately, they could not make a tackle on the final play of overtime as FAMU running back Phil Sylvester muscled his way through the defense for 14 yards, and walked in for the game-winning touchdown.

“We fought for four quarters,” said senior linebacker Brandon Jackson who led the team in tackles. “In the end we just have to learn how to cease the moment.”

The Aggies got the first possession of overtime and moved the ball down to the FAMU 4-yard line with a 21-yard pass from George Hines to Wallace Miles who appeared to have scored but the referees said he stepped out of bounds.

The Aggies were pushed back five yards from that point thanks to a delay of game penalty, their latest of many costly penalties in the game.

They were unable to score a touchdown from there and were forced to kick the go ahead field goal on fourth down instead.

It would only take three plays for Sylvester and the Rattlers to erase a 19-16 Aggies lead and win the game.  

In a tightly-contested battle where offense was hard to come by for both teams, the Aggies had the most opportunities to put points on the board.

Unfortunately, they were once again beaten by their biggest nemesis this year… themselves.

The Aggies had a great opportunity to score a touchdown on their final drive before halftime when George Hines completed a deep pass to wide receiver Torrian Warren for what appeared to be six points.

That touchdown was negated; however, because of an illegal use of hands penalty on Warren.

On that same drive, the Aggies were able to move the ball to the 2-yard line, but the closest they would come to a touchdown was a dropped pass in the end zone by wide receiver Wallace Miles.

They had to settle for a field goal as the quarter expired and instead of going into the half up 20-10, the lead was just 16-10.

“We put a couple of balls on the ground by some of our top guys,” said head coach Alonzo Lee about dropped passes. “Your best have to play.”

Two interceptions by Rattlers linebacker Brandon Hepburn off of errant throws by Hines in FAMU territory also made it tough for the Aggies to put the game away.  

All it took was two second half field goals for the Rattlers to send the game into overtime.

The Aggies have a bye this week which gives them the opportunity to get a few players healthy before their final game of the season.

This couldn’t have come at a better time following a game where running backs Mike Mayhew and Dominique Drake were both knocked out of the game due to injuries.

“Thank God for a week off,” said Lee.  “10 straight games, that’s any teams’ nightmare. We’re a little banged up and dinged up. Hopefully during this bye week we’ll be able to rehab them and get them ready for the next game against South Carolina State. “

The Aggies face South Carolina State Saturday Nov. 20 at 1:30 p.m. at Aggie Stadium.

• Prince J. Grimes