NC Central football beats NC A&T for first time in 6 years in Charlotte season opener
In a Saturday night HBCU showcase in Charlotte, N.C. Central turned the tables on its rival.
N.C. Central, which hadn’t beaten N.C. A&T since 2016, did so convincingly Saturday, cruising to a 28-13 win paced by quarterback Davius Richard.
Richard accounted for all four N.C. Central touchdowns — two running, two passing — and afterward said the victory over N.C. A&T was for the current team but also for all of the team’s fans and all of the Eagles’ previous players.
“The history is rich,” Richard said. “We play for a bigger purpose. There’s a lot of guys in the past that put blood, sweat and tears into this game.”
The 2022 Duke’s Mayo Classic, this year contested between two historically Black colleges that have a 100-year history of playing each other, did feel larger than your typical season opener. It drew a crowd of 35,798 at Bank of America Stadium.
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“I’m so happy for our young men to have an opportunity to experience this,” N.C. Central coach Trei Oliver said.
N.C. A&T was a 12-point favorite, and recent results could make you understand why oddsmakers thought that way. In the last four games of the rivalry over the past six years, A&T had defeated Central by scores of 37-14, 45-0, 54-0 and 24-10. The average margin was 40-6.
But Central took a surprising 21-13 lead into halftime on the strength of its 6-3, 215-pound quarterback Richard, who bulled his way into the end zone on two 1-yard runs the way quarterback Cam Newton used to do in the same stadium. Richard also threw an 8-yard TD pass to tight end Kyle Morgan. N.C. A&T managed only one TD — a 55-yard strike from Zach Yeager to Jamison Warren — and two field goals in the first half.
The second half was quieter, as Richard threw one more TD pass and A&T was held scoreless by a Central defense that allowed some yardage between the 20s but played exceptionally well near its own goal line. The Aggies were sometimes hampered by their own quarterback play, which coach Sam Washington called “up and down.” Quarterback Zach Yeager, making his first career start, was 23-for-48 for 275 yards, with one TD and one interception.
It was the 100th anniversary of the first meeting between the Aggies and the Eagles.
“This was everything for HBCUs,” Washington said.
The event doubled as a showcase for African-American culture. Events also included a college and career fair, a step show and an exhibit on the history of the Aggie-Eagle rivalry.
Thousands of fans of both schools converged on uptown Charlotte, celebrating one of the oldest and strongest rivalries in HBCU sports. Even as the game began, the streets and restaurants outside were packed, with many fans and alumni happy to be in Charlotte for the game, without necessarily being at the game.
Much like most Major League Soccer games for Charlotte FC, the Duke’s Mayo Classic didn’t try to sell the upper bowl at Bank of America Stadium. But the lower bowl was packed.
Both bands put on excellent shows at halftime. The fans largely stayed in their seats to watch the bands, when they weren’t standing and applauding. By the end, though, only one team’s fans were clapping much.
And that was N.C. Central.
This story was originally published September 4, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "NC Central football beats NC A&T for first time in 6 years in Charlotte season opener."
