North Carolina A&T has struggled to put points on the board and move the ball offensively this season. But when the Aggies do find the end zone, it has often been in dramatic fashion.
Saturday provided more examples.
Aggie defensive back David Laney had the longest scoring play of the week by a North Carolina collegiate player, returning an interception 82 yards to the house against Hampton. Teammate Kenji Christian took a pass from Kevin White 75 yards for a touchdown. Taymon Cooke, who has already returned three kickoffs for scores this season, also got in on the action, racing to the end zone on a 46-yard passing play from White.
Alas, NC A&T didn’t win the game. Hampton slipped by 26-24. But the Aggies took steps forward.
This was a big week overall for defensive touchdowns. By our count, players from North Carolina teams notched 13 defensive scores — six interceptions, six fumble returns and one blocked field goal.
Tristan Bailey returned an interception 63 yards for Guilford against Hampden-Sydney. Kobe Pringle of Livingstone had a 60-yard fumble scoop-and-score in the Blue Bears’ triumph over St, Augustine’s. Xavier Hill carried a blocked field goal back 56 yards for a TD for Johnson C. Smith in its historic victory over long-time nemesis Winston-Salem State.
Jamieson Alston of St. Augustine’s didn’t reach the end zone but had an 85-yard interception return on the weekend.
Two of the most memorable long scoring plays in week nine proved decisive in big games. NC State’s Kevin Concepcion hauled in a 72-yard scoring strike in the Pack’s win over Clemson. Wingate’s Evan McCray caught a 75-yard scoring pass from Brooks Bentley in the final minute of an upset over previously unbeaten Lenoir-Rhyne.
North Carolina Central cruised to a Thursday night victory against visiting South Carolina State. Quarterback Davius Richard completed two 60-yard TD passes, one to Devin Smith and the other to J’Mari Taylor.
Here are all of the scoring plays of 40 yards or longer involving players from North Carolina schools from week nine:
.
LONGEST SCORING PLAYS DIVISION PLAY DESCRIPTION OPPONENT David Laney (NC A&T) FCS 82-yard interception return TD Hampton JaQuan Kelly (UNC Pembroke) D2 78-yard rushing TD Glenville State Evan McCray (Wingate) D2 75-yard TD pass from Brooks Bentley Lenoir-Rhyne Kenji Christian (NC A&T) FCS 75-yard TD pass from Kevin White Hampton Kevin “KC” Concepcion (NC State) FBS 72-yard TD pass from MJ Morris Clemson Jayden Brown (Gardner-Webb) FCS 71-yard TD pass from Jaylen King UT Martin Dwayne McGee (Lenoir-Rhyne) D2 63-yard rushing TD Wingate Tristian Bailey (Guilford) D3 63-yard interception return TD Hampden-Sydney Isaiah Jacobs (Barton) D2 61-yard TD pass from Tyler Flippen Catawba Kanye Roberts (Appalachian State) FBS 61-yard rushing TD Southern Miss Devin Smith (NC Central) FCS 60-yard TD pass from Davius Richard South Carolina State J’Mari Taylor (NC Central) FCS 60-yard TD pass from Davius Richard South Carolina State Jon Gullette (Mars Hill) D2 60-yard TD pass from JR Martin UVA Wise Kobe Pringle (Livingstone) D2 60-yard fumble recovery TD St. Augustine’s Nigel Fitzgerald (Fayetteville State) D2 60-yard TD pass from Joe Owens Jr. Shaw Dashaun Davis (Appalachian State) FBS 57-yard TD pass from Joey Aguilar Southern Miss Dexter Fitzpatrick (Mars Hill) D2 57-yard fumble recovery TD UVA Wise Xavier Hill (Johnson C. Smith) D2 56-yard blocked field goal return TD Winston-Salem State Dirk Cureton (Johnson C. Smith) D2 55-yard punt return TD Winston-Salem State Malik Tobias (UNC Pembroke) D2 52-yard TD pass from Colin Johnson Glenville State Christian Horn (Appalachian State) FBS 49-yard TD pass from Joey Aguilar Southern Miss Tremel Jones (Wingate) D2 47-yard TD pass from Brooks Bentley Lenoir-Rhyne Taymon Cooke (NC A&T) FCS 46-yard TD pass from Kevin White Hampton Mason Sheron (Davidson) FCS 43-yard rushing TD Presbyterian Reggie Taylor (Brevard) D3 43-yard TD pass from Ethan Beamish LaGrange Kairon Martin (Winston-Salem State) D2 40-yard fumble recovery TD Johnson C. Smith
.
Here are all the defensive touchdowns from the weekend:
DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS DIVISION PLAY DESCRIPTION OPPONENT David Laney (NC A&T) FCS 82-yard interception return TD Hampton Tristan Bailey (Guilford) D3 63-yard interception return TD Hampden-Sydney Kobe Pringle (Livingstone) D2 60-yard fumble recovery TD St. Augustine’s Dexter Fitzpatrick (Mars Hill) D2 57-yard fumble recovery TD UVA Wise Xavier Hill (Johnson C. Smith) D2 56-yard blocked field goal return TD Winston-Salem State Kairon Martin (Winston-Salem State) D2 40-yard fumble recovery TD Johnson C. Smith Dontavius Nash (East Carolina) FBS 36-yard interception return TD UTSA Ty Anderson (Gardner-Webb) FCS 36-yard fumble recovery TD UT Martin Cameron Harris (Livingstone) D2 35-yard interception return TD St. Augustine’s Baylee Ramey (Brevard) D3 21-yard fumble recovery TD LaGrange Max U’Ren (NC Central) FCS 20-yard fumble return TD South Carolina State Larry Jones (Greensboro) D3 11-yard interception return TD Southern Virginia Payton Wilson (NC State) FBS 11-yard interception return TD Clemson
