The rain delay couldn’t stop the rivalry.
Neither could the injuries, missed opportunities or late push from North Carolina A&T.
North Carolina Central survived Saturday night with a 30-22 victory over the Aggies, overcoming a wild night and plenty of adversity to walk away with bragging rights.
For NCCU coach Trei Oliver, it wasn’t the Eagles’ cleanest performance. But in a rivalry game, the only number that ultimately mattered was the one on the scoreboard.
“The guys kept fighting,” Oliver said. “It was a heck of a ball game, and you faced a lot of adversity, with the rain delay and then we come back, had a couple guys get injured, banged up.”
NCCU came out of the weather delay and executed on its first drive, but the Eagles struggled to find a consistent rhythm afterward.
Third down became a problem on both sides.
“Third down killed us from both sides of the ball,” Oliver said. “Defense, we couldn’t get off the field on third, and offense couldn’t sustain a drive on third.”
Still, the Eagles made enough plays when it mattered.
And one of the biggest came from running back Plez Lawrence.
Lawrence put together a monster rushing performance, helping NCCU control the game on the ground and providing a spark when the offense needed it.
He tallied 210 yards, three TDs on 9.5 yards per carry against the Aggies.
Oliver said the Eagles entered the game planning to use a running-back-by-committee approach, but Lawrence took advantage of his opportunities.
“Plez obviously had a huge day,” Oliver said. “We just have to put it together.”
Lawrence wasn’t interested in taking all the credit.
“I just trust the guy,” he said. “And I just trust in my preparation.”
Quarterback Nelson Layne, meanwhile, was experiencing his first NCCU-A&T rivalry from the other side after transferring from NC A&T. He said the intensity was something he felt throughout the entire week.
“You could just feel it the whole week,” Layne said. “You could just feel the momentum building up to this game.”
As A&T threatened late, NCCU’s defense held on for the final stop. Layne said there was only one thing on his mind.
“I just wanted to win the game,” he said. “At the end of the day, I didn’t really care about anything else.”
Oliver acknowledged the Eagles still have work to do before they can call themselves a complete team.
But Saturday wasn’t about perfection.
It was about surviving the rivalry.
“We made a play when we had to,” Oliver said. “We won the game. That’s the bottom line.”
