South Carolina State rallies past North Carolina A&T 22-16

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — South Carolina State rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit behind a pair of touchdown passes from William Atkins IV to beat North Carolina A&T 22-16 on Saturday.

Atkins threw for 101 yards and two touchdowns while splitting time with Ryan Stubblefield, who added 64 yards through the air. The Bulldogs (3-3) managed just 129 rushing yards but capitalized on three Aggie turnovers and held A&T to 47 yards on the ground.

After trailing 9-0 at halftime, South Carolina State found rhythm midway through the third when Atkins connected with Jordan Smith for a 23-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs surged ahead in the fourth with a short scoring run from Josh Shaw and a 43-yard strike to tight end Cyrus Eillison, who finished with four catches for 54 yards.

Kevin White threw for 194 yards and a touchdown for North Carolina A&T (1-5). Wesley Graves led A&T with 66 rushing yards on 15 carries, while Thomas Brown hauled in a 21-yard touchdown.

The Bulldogs’ defense, led by linebacker Jordan Franklin with six tackles and an interception, sealed the win late when Franklin recovered a fumble inside their own territory.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up