Box Score
GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina A&T forced five second-half Norfolk State turnovers, rallying from a 9-7 halftime deficit to take a 30-9 homecoming victory over the Spartans on Saturday afternoon at Aggie Stadium.
The loss was the seventh in a row for the Spartans (2-7, 0-6 MEAC), while the Aggies improve to 4-4, 2-3.
The Spartans controlled play on both sides of the ball in the first half, forcing four Aggie turnovers and riding the leg of Everett Goldberg to a 9-7 halftime lead which easily could have been larger. Sophomore defensive back Dionte Sullivan, making his first start of the year at safety, made two interceptions in the first quarter alone. One came at the NSU 2-yard line to thwart a promising Aggie drive, and the second he returned 42 yards to the Aggie 38. Four plays later, Goldberg hit a 51-yard field goal – matching his career-long – to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead.
On NSU's first possession of the second quarter, the Spartans marched 42 yards in 10 plays to set up another Goldberg field goal, this one from 37 yards out into a stiff wind.
The Spartans appeared poised to add to their lead when linebacker Brent Singleton recovered a fumble by A&T running back Mike Mayhew at the Aggies 24. NSU's ensuing possession stalled, and Goldberg came on to attempt a 47-yard field goal into the strong breeze. But the kick fell short of the goal post, and A&T defender D'Vonte Graham caught it in the back of the end zone. The speedster returned the miss for an A&T touchdown, officially covering 100 yards, to give A&T the 7-6 lead.
The Spartans withstood that momentary setback though, as sophomore Keith Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards into A&T territory at the 36-yard line. Seven plays later, Goldberg booted his third field goal of the half, a 26-yarder, that sent NSU into the half up 9-7.
But the second half was a different story. A&T inserted backup quarterback Kwashaun Quick into the game, and he promptly led the Aggies on a 75-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter. Quick capped the drive with a 29-yard TD run, and the PAT gave A&T a 14-9 lead.
The score remained that way until late in the third quarter, when Brandon Hover recovered a fumble by NSU running back Takeem Hedgeman at the Spartans' 19. Two plays later, Ricky Lewis scored on a 19-yard run to extend the Aggies' lead to 20-9 with 19 seconds left in the quarter.
A&T also got a 39-yard Zach Cimaglia field goal midway through the fourth quarter, and a 4-yard Mike Mayhew TD run in the final minute of the game to cap the scoring.
After amassing 127 yards of offense in the first half, the Spartans were held to just 33 in the second half. NSU had five of its season-high six turnovers in the final two quarters, including four interceptions (two in each quarter) and one lost fumble.
The Spartan defense held the Aggies to 281 yards of offense. Lewis ran 18 times for 81 yards for the Aggies.
Three Spartans registered double digits in tackles, led by a career-high 15 from junior linebacker Brent Singleton, who made his first start. He also recovered a fumble. Sophomore linebacker Lynden Trail had 11 tackles, four for lost yardage, and junior cornerback Marcus Center had 10 stops, one for loss. Sullivan had two interceptions and Keenan Lambert also made one.
The Spartans return home for their final two games of the year, starting with Homecoming next Saturday against Savannah State. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium.
