NORFOLK, VA – North Carolina A&T finally enjoyed the sweet taste of victory on Saturday, knocking off former MEAC rival Norfolk State 28-26 on the road.
Here are three things to know about Vincent Brown’s first triumph as the Aggies head coach:
1. Graduate linebacker BJ Turner had a monster game, recording a career-high 19 tackles, including nine unassisted hits. He had 2.5 tackles-for-loss, and heading into October, ranks as one of the top tacklers in all of FCS football.
The last time a NC A&T player recorded this many tackles in a game was Sept. 13, 2014 when Landis Shoffner had 19 stops against Elon.
2. True freshman quarterback Kevin White got the start and directed an improved offense. The Aggies had just one offensive touchdown on the season heading into Saturday, but White doubled that tally on the second play, racing 65 yards on a keeper to the end zone.
White became the first true freshman to win a start since Jason Douglass in 2002. He also had a 40-yard scoring run and finished with 115 rushing yards on the day. The Aggies finished with 373 yards in total offense.
“To be a true freshman, he has incredible poise,” Brown said in an NC A&T release after the game. “He really doesn’t get rattled, and he’s only going to get better. We’ve got some things he has to improve on – getting the ball out of his hands quicker and not taking sacks in certain situations. But he has the skill set as a runner that people will have to account for, and he showed today.”
3. Kenji Christian, a sophomore, gave the Aggies two 100-yard rushers on the day. Christian finished with 118 yards and scored on runs of 34 and 1 yard.
“We grounded out it today,: Brown said. “Although our passing game is not where it needs to be, it was better today than it’s been all season.”
NC A&T improved to 1-3 overall with the win. The Aggies topped Norfolk State for the eighth time in a row.
“I’m just so happy for our players and coaches,” Brown said. “We faced a lot of scrutiny and questions about our program and our players. So, seeing our young men fight so hard today against a team that we felt was really going to be hard to beat at home is great. But I’m just happy to get this one behind us and build on it.”
