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.

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