NCA&T Aggies, SCSU Meet In An Atlanta Showdown

North Carolina A&T (4-1, 1-0 MEAC) vs. S.C. State (3-2, 1-0 MEAC)
Date: Oct. 4, 2014 
Time: 3:30 p.m.   
Facility: Georgia Dome
Series: S.C. State leads, 31-18-2
Media: WNAA, 90.1 FM; Play-by-play – Spencer Gwynn; Analyst – Billy Covington and Al Swann; ESPNU (tape delayed at 10 p.m.); WatchESPN app (live); ESPN3 (live)

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Game Notes

Aggies Overview:  North Carolina A&T heads into a marquee matchup with the S.C. State Bulldogs in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome this week. The Aggies have their sights on winning a conference title but in order to be the man you have to beat the man and for the past 12 seasons the Bulldogs have been on top. In fact, the Bulldogs come into the game the defending MEAC co-champs after winning their fifth MEAC title in 12 years last season. Ahead of a crucial MEAC game, the Aggies ran into some injury problems last week. All-conference running back Tarik Cohen didn’t play last week at Howard. Quarterback Kwashaun Quick left the game in the second quarter and did not return. Punt returner Khris Gardin also left early along with punter Dominic Frescura. What the Aggies do have is a receiving corps that is getting better and better. In the past two games, the Aggies have completed 34 passes. They completed 39 passes over the first three weeks of the season.

S.C. State Overview: S.C. State has been one of the MEAC’s premier teams over the past decade. At the head of all the success has been coach Buddy Pough who into today’s game 11-1 against A&T. Pough, a former Bulldogs player, picked up his 100^th career win when the Bulldogs defeated Hampton 17-10 last week at Hampton. Pough accomplished the feat in just 145 games coached. Redshirt sophomore Adrian Kollock and fifth year-senior TeDarrius Wiley have shared the quarterbacking duties this season. Kollock is completing 63 percent of his passes, which ranks him 27^th in the nation. He is also averaging 7.6 yards per pass attempt which is the 29^th best total in the country. In the Bulldogs’ win over nationally-ranked FCS Furman, Wiley played the whole game and threw for 92 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs’ schedule has also included FBS Clemson and FCS nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina. S.C. State’s defense has been spectacular the past two weeks, giving up a total of just 17 points.

News & Notes:

• A&T is building its team around young players. The Aggies have already played 16 freshmen this season, five of those players are true freshmen. A total of 24 true freshmen have played since head coach Rod Broadway arrived in 2011.
• The Aggies will be playing in their 38^th classic game all-time. A&T is 19-18 in classic games, including their 47-13 win over Alabama A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge earlier this season.
• A&T received three votes in the FCS Coaches Poll, while they received 62 votes in the latest Sports Network Media Poll. The Aggies are ranked third in the Sheridan Broadcasting Black College Poll.
• A&T head coach Rod Broadway (91) and S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough (100) have a combined 191 career wins. This will be the fifth time their respective teams have played against each other with Pough holding a 3-1 record. One of those wins was a S.C. State win over Grambling in the 2009 MEAC/SWAC Challenge.

They said what?

“Coach Broadway and his staff have done a good job of getting that program back to the forefront of our league. They really ought to be 5-0 because they had Coastal Carolina dead to right. They are about as good a team I have seen around here in a while. Both teams are young because they have turned over a good portion of their personnel from last year to this like we have. They seem to be playing very well with some of their new guys and we’re still trying to find our way with ours.”

S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough on playing A&T
“South Carolina State has won something like 12 out of 13 games against A&T, so people ask me if it is a rivalry. I don’t think it is a rivalry when it is one-sided. That’s domination if you ask me. I have a lot of respect for South Carolina State and how they run their program and how they do things. If you look at them on film, they’re well disciplined, well coached and they know what to do on the field. On the other hand, we’re an up and coming program, and we’re getting close. We just need to learn how to win these types of ballgames. One thing I admire about them most is that they have won five championships in the last 12 years.”



COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION