CHARLOTTE, N.C. - North Carolina Central University junior quarterback
Davius Richard accounted for all four Eagles' touchdowns, two on the ground and two through the air, as NCCU knocked off rival North Carolina A&T State University, 28-13, in the Duke's Mayo Classic inside Bank of America Stadium.
While Richard dazzled the crowd of 35,798 fans with 200 yards on 20-of-32 passing and a game-high 54 rushing yards on 13 carries, the NCCU defense yielded just one touchdown and held the Aggies scoreless in the second half.
Junior cornerback
Brandon Codrington led the Eagles with seven tackles, followed by linebacker
Jaki Brevard with six stops, and defensive back
Kole Jones with five takedowns, including a pair of hits for a loss. Safety
Khalil Baker also tallied five tackles, while contributing an interception and a pass break-up, both in the red zone to help keep A&T off the scoreboard.
NCCU penetrated the red zone four times, and came away with seven points in each of those trips. A&T managed to move the ball inside the Eagles' 20-yard line just twice, and failed to score either time. The victors also converted 10-of-16 on third down, while the Aggies were just 6-of-15.
The Eagles set the tone of the night early. NC A&T won the coin toss and elected to take the ball. NCCU's defense held the Aggies to a three-and-out, followed by a 12-play, 65-yard drive by the Eagles, resulting in a 1-yard touchdown run by Richard at 4:29 of the first quarter.
On the ensuing drive, NC A&T redshirt freshman quarterback Zachary Yeager connected with receiver Jamison Warren on a 55-yard touchdown to even the score at 7-7 with 1:32 left in the opening frame.
NCCU responded with another 12-play drive, covering 75 yards. This time, Richard tossed a pass to tight end
Kyle Morgan, who dove and reached the ball to the pylon for an 8-yard touchdown at 9:19 of the second quarter.
Adrian Olivo's extra-point kick gave the Eagles a 14-7 edge.
After a 41-yard field goal by A&T's Andrew Brown narrowed the gap to 14-10, NCCU special teams made a huge play just before the end of the half. Freshman
Jayden Flaker broke through the line to block a punt, which was recovered by
Luke Bracey at the Aggies' 13-yard line with 1:31 remaining in the first half.
The Eagles took full advantage, increasing their lead to 21-10 with 27 seconds left before intermission on Richard's second 1-yard touchdown scamper of the night.
A&T managed to grab a bit of momentum with a 49-yard field goal by Brown on the final play before halftime, but NCCU took a 21-13 advantage into the locker room.
Midway through the third stanza, Richard engineered another long scoring drive. This time, covering 70 yards on eight plays, including a 30-yard dash by the quarterback to set up a 16-yard touchdown strike from Richard to senior receiver
E.J. Hicks at 4:43 of the third.
The 28-13 cushion was all the Eagles needed, as the defense forced the Aggies into time-consuming drives that did not result in points.
When Richard took the final snap and kneeled, the NCCU victory ended a four-game losing skid to the Aggies.
Up next, NCCU hosts former CIAA foe Winston-Salem State University on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m., inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
For more information about NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.
