On Saturday, North Carolina A&T traveled to UCF and was beaten 68-7. However, the story of the cgame wasn't the loss. Instead, it was the impact on the team's outlook moving forward that drew the ire of new Aggie head coach Shawn Gibbs. Gibbs wasn't a fan of playing the Golden Knights, seemingly becoming the latest coach to rail against playing “money games” per a quote obtained by Sons of UCF reporter Nick Williams.
I mean, honestly for, our team, I don't think it's worth it. I think it's worth it. I mean, we've got 60 plus points put on us and we lost three quarterbacks. So, you know, for me, yeah, it was a good environment, great platform, but is that worth it? I don't know.”
North Carolina A&T simply were overmatched in this game. At the end of the second quarter, the Aggies were down 40-0. North Carolina A&T's played three quarterbacks: Champ Long, Jy Walls, and Braxton Thomas. The stable of three quarterbacks only threw eleven times and connected on five passes. Long threw 1 interception and was sacked. Meanwhile, North Carolina A&T's running backs rushed 51 times and finished the game with 180 rushing yards and 1 touchdown.
North Carolina A&T was paid handsomely to head down to Orlando for the matchup, to the tune of $475,000. But, Gibbs raises the proper question of whether it's worth it, considering the risk to players both physically and mentally. The Aggies weren't the only HBCU to play high-stakes money games on Saturday. Grambling played top-ranked Ohio State while South Carolina State played tenth-ranked South Carolina. Outside of the Bulldogs clinging to a three-point lead in the first moments of the game, both teams were overwhelmed by their FBS opponents.
North Carolina A&T looks to rebound as they play their first home game of the season against Hampton University on Saturday. The game will kick off at 7 PM EST and be broadcast on FloSports.
