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Just four yards from a potential game-winning touchdown, A&T saw both its three-game winning streak and slim playoff hopes slip away on the turf at Monmouth last Saturday.
Looking to take a fourth quarter lead against the 14th ranked team in the country, Aggie quarterback Kevin White Jr. had what appeared to be a clear path to the end zone before a pair of Monmouth defenders suddenly crashed into him, twisting his body sideways and jarring the ball from his arms.
The Hawks would recover the fumble at their own one-yard line with just over nine minutes left and eventually held on for a 21-17 victory.
The win improved Monmouth to 7-0 in the Coastal Athletic Association and clinched the Hawks a share of the conference title, while effectively ending any chance the Aggies (4-6 overall, 3-3 in the CAA) had of earning a trip to the postseason.
For some fans, the loss was reminiscent of A&T’s 2014 season finale at North Carolina Central when a then-sophomore Tarik Cohen fumbled the ball near the end zone on what would have been the go-ahead score. The Aggies narrowly missed out on the postseason that year but would rebound the following season, winning the first of their record four Celebration Bowl titles.
A&T head coach Shawn Gibbs was an assistant under Rod Broadway during that title run and hopes his current team can use the Monmouth loss as a similar springboard.
Although disappointed in the outcome, Gibbs said he was proud of his team’s resiliency against the conference’s top team.
“We had a chance to win but just didn’t finish the game” said Gibbs during his weekly press conference on Monday. “They jumped out on us 14 to nothing but I was proud of the guys the way we bounced back and stayed in the game. It was encouraging to see because in the past when somebody got out like that on us things tended to go bad. But our guys fought, hung around and stayed in the game.”
The focus now for A&T will be to display that resolve in its final two games of the season and return to the win column, beginning this Saturday at 1 p.m. with a road matchup against Hampton.
The Pirates (1-9 overall, 0-6 in the CAA) have struggled in all three phases this season and are currently the last-placed team in the 13-member conference.
Statistically, Hampton ranks dead last in the conference in both total offense and defense and are coming off a 24-6 loss at Elon this past weekend.
Last season, A&T was able to shock the Pirates in overtime, 33-30, after overcoming a 10-point deficit in the final 90 seconds of regulation.
In that contest, the Aggies were forced to utilize the sixth and seventh quarterbacks on their depth chart after suffering a spree of early-season injuries at the position. This year, however. A&T has enjoyed more continuity on offense as White has emerged as the clear-cut starter.
Against Monmouth, he finished with a game-high 236 yards passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
White’s late fumble came just two plays after he hooked up with Javion Dillard for a 60-yard reception that moved the ball to Monmouth’s 10-yard line.
On the defensive side of the ball, A&T has shown significant improvement in recent weeks, especially against the run.
That trend continued against Monmouth as the Aggies withstood an early salvo by the Hawk’s high-powered offense and gradually controlled the line of scrimmage in the second half.
“I think we played solid on defense,” said Gibbs. “I was happy with the way our defense played especially in the second half. We started off a little rocky, gave up 14 points- but those guys continued to fight. I think Coach (Denzel) Jones made some great adjustments at halftime and we were able to shut them out in the second half. And that’s big against an offense like that”
