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| SC State’s Richard Cue was named MVP of the Atlanta Football Classic. (TandD.com photo) |
Many HBCU football followers may have been about the matchup in the Atlanta Football Classic this year, but the 35,412 fans in the Georgia Dome got their money’s worth. SC State kept pace with NC A&T in the first half before using a second-half flury of points to get a 29-24 win.
Big S/o to the #SCSU Football Team #Marching101 Cheerleaders & Everybody who supported the Win over #NCAT #ATLClassic ! #WeAreSCState â¤ï¸ðŸ¶ðŸ’™
– DJ Dono$ouf (@DonoSouf) October 6, 2013
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js North Carolina A&T entered its contest with South Carolina State with a perfect record, hoping to prove that it could beat a team with a winning record. SC State entered the game knowing that a loss would severely puncure its hopes of winning a MEAC crown as it has perhaps the conference’s most daunting schedule.
In our preview, we said that the Bulldogs had a chance if they could hang around through halftime. The Aggies hadn’t trailed at halftime all season, but that’s what happened on Saturday. SC State took a 14-10 lead just before the close of the first half, putting A&T’s offense in an unfamiliar position.
To its credit, the offense responded with points early in the second half, scoring on a 13 yard run by Ricky Lews to take a 17-14 lead. That would be the last time A&T held the lead, however, as a blocked punt and safety gave SC State the momentum, igniting a 16-0 run, which proved to be enough to hold on for the win.
SC State quarterback Richard Cue was named the game’s MVP. He completed 17 of 28 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns.
The win was SC State’s fourth in a row, keeping it perfect in MEAC play. A&T drops to 3-1, 2-1 in the MEAC.