Trei Oliver offers harsh reality to North Carolina A&T after 66-24 beat down

09/23/2024 02:36 PM

The Aggie-Eagle Classic between North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T was an exciting game for viewers, but not because of the performances from both teams; only one team showed up.

The North Carolina Central Eagles scored a new season-high in points, winning the rivalry matchup 66-24. The Aggies appeared to be a shell of their former selves, raising concerns among fans about the former MEAC champions.

In an interview after the game, Coach Trei Oliver had plenty to say about the Aggies and their head coach.

"Coach chirped last year about a little school down the road, and we'll never have whatever they have. They can take that 66 and that loss back to Greensboro," Oliver said.

Oliver was referring to Coach Vincent Brown’s comments about his North Carolina Central team last year, when he tweeted, "The little school up the road will never be able to match what A&T has achieved or offers. We are the best for a reason. Aggie Pride."

This was a response to Oliver, who initially slighted the Greensboro program in a postgame interview after winning last year's contest against the Aggies 30-16.

"With what you saw Saturday night in that stadium, they're not going to have crowds like that except for homecoming, you know," Oliver said. "So if you want to come play in an environment like that, if you want to come play in classics, the Circle City, the Magic City, whatever the case may be, the SWAC and the MEAC are where you need to be – they're not going to be doing all that in the CAA."

When asked about why he continued to run up the score, Oliver did not hold back. He believes that if A&T had simply run the clock out, the outcome wouldn't have been as severe.

"They should have run the ball. They threw the ball the whole fourth quarter. The quarterbacks are running the ball and getting hurt. Run the ball. Get out of here. But they want to play for 60; we can play for 60," he said.

The North Carolina Central Eagles put on a masterclass on offense, earning 530 total offensive yards, a season high for the program.

Redshirt junior quarterback Walker Harris had an outstanding game, throwing for 272 yards with three touchdowns and rushing for another. Running back J'Mari Taylor rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns, including a passing touchdown.

Freshman quarterback Javion Martin and redshirt freshman Joshua Jones both threw their first career touchdown passes in the second half. Martin’s came at the 1:08 mark of the third quarter, a 46-yarder to Mekhi Wall, while Jones had a 15-yard strike to Aleni Mageo in the final two minutes.

After their performance Saturday, the Eagles now lead the MEAC in total offensive touchdowns, are second in offensive efficiency, and first in defensive efficiency.

This marks the Aggies’ third loss to the Eagles by double digits over the last three seasons, with two occurring under Coach Brown. Under Brown, the Aggies have allowed 30 points or more to their opponents in nine games over the last two years.

After the game, Coach Brown spoke with the media about what went wrong and how they can improve.

"This was not indicative of who we are, what we can be, and what we want to be," Brown emphasized. "Way too many mistakes, way too many. It starts with me, and it trickles down to our staff. We've got to get it fixed."

In the game, the Aggies lost their starting quarterback, Kevin White, to a shoulder injury. White, who started slow with an interception and only one completed pass, was replaced by backup Justin Fomby, who threw for 153 yards and two interceptions.

The Aggies rushed for 149 yards but managed only one touchdown, scored by backup sophomore running back Shimique Blizzard.

The Aggies will look to bounce back from this tough loss against another former MEAC rival, South Carolina State, this Saturday. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. and can be streamed on the FloSports network.

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