Getty NC A&T and Gardner-Webb will clash this weekend.
The North Carolina A&T Aggies (7-3 Overall, 4-0 in the Big South) head to Spangler Stadium to take on the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs (5-5 Overall, 4-0 in Big South) in a huge Big South Conference matchup on November 19.
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The game (1:30 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on TV, but anyone in the US can watch North Carolina A&T vs Gardner-Webb live on ESPN+ right here:
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NCAT vs Gardner-Webb Preview
In addition taking home the to Big South championship, the winner of this one also gets a berth in the FCS Playoffs.
“This is a ballgame that had been circled on my calendar since last year,” NC A&T coach Sam Washington said, via HBCUSports.com. “I am so excited to go down there and get it on. They won. That’s what I remember. There were a lot of turnovers and big plays.”
The Aggies enter this game winners of seven in a row, most recently handing Charleston Southern, 20-10, on November 12. NC A&T quarterback Jalen Fowler didn’t have the best game, completing 10-of-22 passes for 151 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Running back Bhayshul Tuten saved the day for the Aggies yet again, rushing for 106 yards and a TD, also adding 78 yards and a score through the air. Tuten has 1,552 yards from scrimmage (1,255 rushing, 297 receiving) to go with 16 total touchdowns so far this season, and he’ll be incredibly difficult to stop.
“How we prepare this week will be a big part of our success,” Washington added. “But I think what we do is, do what we do, not go too far out of the box. Do what we always do. We call it making chicken, stop the run, protect the football, win the kicking game.”
On the other side, Gardner-Webb has won three straight, most recently taking down Campbell, 42-35, on November 12. Bulldogs QB Bailey Fisher completed 30 of 38 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns. G-W also finished with 211 yards on the ground, but two fumbles nearly cost them the game. They eked out a victory, but they’ll have to keep the mistakes to a minimum against a tough Aggies team.
The Bulldogs are scoring 32 points a game on offense, while surrendering just under 28 points a game on defense. They’ve been playing well of late, and they’re having fun doing it.
“You know, you don’t get a lot of these opportunities as a coach or player in your lifetime,” Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb said. “So we want to make sure we enjoy every single second, take in all the noise, take in all the all the good stuff that’s going to happen Saturday.”
“This is kind of what we dreamed of at Gardner-Webb when I took this job in 2020,” Lamb added.