After a three-week hiatus, luck finally found its way to the
field for the North Carolina A&T (4-3, 2-3 MEAC) football team. FAMU kicker
Chase Varnadore missed an extra point with 19 seconds remaining, leaving the
door open for A&T to snap a three-game losing streak with a 20-13 overtime
win at Bragg Memorial Stadium before an announced crowd of only 9, 209.
It was the Aggies’ first win in Tallahassee in 13 years.
The Aggies held FAMU to 179
total yards. Eighty-one of those yards came on FAMU’s final drive of regulation
with A&T leading 13-7.
Once again, the Rattler porous defense gave up over 200 yards in rushing as the Aggies ran for 256 yards on the afternoon.
Once again, the Rattler porous defense gave up over 200 yards in rushing as the Aggies ran for 256 yards on the afternoon.
Fleming valiant despite tough Saturday
The Rattlers’ game-tying, 13-play, 96-yard drive was
highlighted by two spectacular plays from FAMU quarterback Damien Fleming.
On 4th-and-2 from the FAMU 12-yard line, Fleming escaped the clutches of several A&T defenders, scrambled forward and threaded a pass into the hands of Lenworth Lennon for a 5-yard gain. Three plays later, he escaped another Aggie pass rush to pick up 19 yards to the A&T 42-yard line. Faced with 3rd-and-3 from the A&T 23, Fleming unleashed a pass over the outside shoulder Casey Glines as the ball innocently sailed out of bounds.
But a pass interference call gave the
Rattlers a first down. Fleming took advantage by finding Dewayne Harvey in the
end zone to tie the game at 13 with 19 seconds remaining.
Varnadore’s attempt to give FAMU the lead was hooked left,
sending A&T into its first overtime in four years. The Aggies came out on top with a touchdown on its first and only possession in OT.
“Right now we’re not good enough to beat people by two
touchdowns, three touchdowns because we can’t score, so we just have to take
advantage of what we get,” A&T Head Coach Rod Broadway said.