North Carolina A&T State vs S.C. StateOct 1, 2017 by Kolby Paxton
North Carolina A&T Remains Undefeated, Knocks Off SC State 21-7
North Carolina A&T Remains Undefeated, Knocks Off SC State 21-7
North Carolina A&T defeated South Carolina State, 21-7.
North Carolina A&T head coach Rod Broadway predicted a slugfest between his Aggies and South Carolina State -- and his prediction came to fruition on Saturday in Orangeburg, SC, as NC A&T (5-0, 2-0) remained undefeated with a 21-7 victory on the strength of another excellent performance by quarterback Lamar Raynard and three field goals by kicker by Noel Ruiz.
The Aggies' defense has now held SC State (1-3, 0-2) under 10 points in consecutive trips to Dawson Stadium for the first time since 1969 and '71. The Bulldogs, despite playing relatively well in each of their first four games, fall to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the MEAC with the loss. SC State's 0-2 league start hadn't happened since 2001.
Ruiz broke the scoreless tie with a 36-yard field goal after a 15-play, 59-yard drive stalled at the Bulldogs' 19-yard line with 12:20 to play in the first half. Two possessions later, Raynard found the end zone with a 14-yard touchdown strike to Malik Richardson to cap a six-play, 54-yard drive and give the Aggies a 9-0 advantage.
With less than a minute to play before halftime, Ruiz banged home a 41-yard field goal to push the lead to 12-0 at the break.
On the opening drive of the second half, Jason Baxter intercepted the first Raynard pass in 158 throws, but the Bulldogs offense failed to do anything with it.
Two possessions later, the redshirt junior field general all but put the game away with a 71-yard touchdown toss to Xavier Griffin -- the longest completion of his career -- to push the Aggies lead to 18-0.
The Bulldogs got on the board with 12:06 to play in the fourth quarter when Dewann Ford connected with Trey Samuel on a 33-yard touchdown toss, capping a 7-play, 62-yard drive that took just 2:04 off of the clock. The extra point cut the Aggie lead to 18-7 and provided some life for SC State. Unfortunately for the hosts, the good news ended there.
NC A&T answered with a monster 15-play, 70-yard drive at more than eight minutes off the game clock -- and culminated in a 27-yard Ruiz field goal -- to push the lead back to two touchdowns and all but end the game.
Raynard finished 18-of-31 for 298 yards and two touchdowns while Marquell Cartwright rushed for 96 yards on 24 carries for the Aggies. Ford tallied 249 total yards for the Bulldogs.
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The Aggies' defense has now held SC State (1-3, 0-2) under 10 points in consecutive trips to Dawson Stadium for the first time since 1969 and '71. The Bulldogs, despite playing relatively well in each of their first four games, fall to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the MEAC with the loss. SC State's 0-2 league start hadn't happened since 2001.
Ruiz broke the scoreless tie with a 36-yard field goal after a 15-play, 59-yard drive stalled at the Bulldogs' 19-yard line with 12:20 to play in the first half. Two possessions later, Raynard found the end zone with a 14-yard touchdown strike to Malik Richardson to cap a six-play, 54-yard drive and give the Aggies a 9-0 advantage.
With less than a minute to play before halftime, Ruiz banged home a 41-yard field goal to push the lead to 12-0 at the break.
On the opening drive of the second half, Jason Baxter intercepted the first Raynard pass in 158 throws, but the Bulldogs offense failed to do anything with it.
Two possessions later, the redshirt junior field general all but put the game away with a 71-yard touchdown toss to Xavier Griffin -- the longest completion of his career -- to push the Aggies lead to 18-0.
The Bulldogs got on the board with 12:06 to play in the fourth quarter when Dewann Ford connected with Trey Samuel on a 33-yard touchdown toss, capping a 7-play, 62-yard drive that took just 2:04 off of the clock. The extra point cut the Aggie lead to 18-7 and provided some life for SC State. Unfortunately for the hosts, the good news ended there.
NC A&T answered with a monster 15-play, 70-yard drive at more than eight minutes off the game clock -- and culminated in a 27-yard Ruiz field goal -- to push the lead back to two touchdowns and all but end the game.
Raynard finished 18-of-31 for 298 yards and two touchdowns while Marquell Cartwright rushed for 96 yards on 24 carries for the Aggies. Ford tallied 249 total yards for the Bulldogs.
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