Greensboro, North Carolina-Edward Waters began a midseason three-game road trip on Saturday afternoon by stepping out of conference play and up in competition on Saturday afternoon to face HBCU perennial power, North Carolina A&T at Truist Stadium. The Tigers had some fleeting bright spots in the contest, but unfortunately it was far from enough in the final scoreline, falling 45-7.

The first half of the contest saw North Carolina A&T (3-3, 2-0 Big South) flex their dominance, especially in the ground game behind their sophomore running back Bhayshul Tuten, who rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns, all in one half. The Aggies took the opening drive of the contest down for the first touchdown of the contest in just five plays, going 90 yards, and took up just 2:18 off of the first quarter clock. A&T ultimately took a commanding 31-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The second half saw Edward Waters (1-6, 1-5 SIAC) show some resolve by holding the Aggies to 14 point and getting on the scoreboard themselves. Trailing 38-0 with 2:08 remaining in the third, the Tigers capitalized on an fumble recovery from senior LB Cameron McClain with a touchdown pass from graduate QB David Johnson to senior WR Damaris August to make the score 38-7. Alas, for the Purple & Orange, it was far from enough as the FCS and Big South Conference member protected home turf en route to the 45-7 victory.

The Tigers offense was without several key starters in the game and it showed in the final statistics. Edward Waters had just four first downs in the contest to 31 for NCAT, were outgained 490-118, and allowed four sacks. Senior QB Jyron Russell started the contest for the Tigers, playing all of the first half and going 4-of-9 for 45 yards, one interception, and was sacked twice. Johnson played the second half, finishing 3-of-6 passing for 11 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, sophomore RB Greg Mango had his most extensive action in his career in the second half, leading the way for the Tigers with six carries for 68 yards, including a 60 yard carry in the third quarter. Damaris August was EWU's leading receiver with four receptions, 25 yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side, junior DE Jaren Wilson and senior DB Dartrell Rolle each had nine tackles, while Cameron McClain added two fumble recoveries to his tally in the matchup.

The Tigers road trip continues next Saturday afternoon, with their longest trip of the season. Edward Waters will return to SIAC competition for a 1:00pm kickoff against Central State in Wilberforce, Ohio.

Follow the Tigers
For complete coverage of Edward Waters University Athletics, follow the Tigers on social media @EWU_Athletics (Twitter), /EWUTigers (Facebook) and @EWU_Athletics (Instagram) or visit the official home of Edward Waters Athletics at EWUTigerPride.com