Tag: North Carolina A&T

J.R. Smith is going to college with hopes of playing for North Carolina A&T’s golf team

Big plans for J.R.

J.R. Smith called it quits on his basketball career after the Lakers’ championship in 2020, but if all goes well, his competitive sports days won’t be over.

While participating in a pro-am at the Wyndham Championship this week in North Carolina, Smith discussed his plans to go to college and pursue a degree. Smith, who was drafted by the Hornets out of high school in 2004, has enrolled at North Carolina A&T. He is in the process of joining the golf team, but he is still waiting on the NCAA to make its clearance decision about that.

Still, Smith seemed genuinely excited about the opportunity.

According to the 35-year-old Smith, he plays a 5 handicap and started playing golf 12 years ago.

But regardless of the NCAA’s decision, Smith says that he’s going to pursue a liberal studies degree at North Carolina A&T as he steps into a classroom for the first time in about 18 years.

N.C. A&T and Alcorn State combine for 108 points in Celebration Bowl thriller

They score 49 points in the third quarter alone.

Anyone who took the under in Saturday’s Celebration Bowl game between North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State lost big and didn’t have to wait until the end of the game to find that out.

The Aggies won their third straight Celebration Bowl and fourth in five years with a wild 64-44 victory in this high-scoring thriller.

Not only did they hit the combined 100-point mark, but the 108 total points are the most scored in Celebration Bowl history, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The under/over was 52, and these teams blew past that early in the third quarter — when they combined for 49 points in those 15 minutes alone.

The clear star of the game was N.C. A&T quarterback Kylil Carter. On 1st-and-10 with about 10 minutes left in the third, he connected with Ron Hunt for an epic 43-yard touchdown and a 38-17 lead with the extra point.

That was one of several monster bombs from Carter, who finished with a career-high six touchdowns, which also tied an N.C. A&T record. He went 18-for-30 for 364 yards, another career mark, and no interceptions.

But he actually wasn’t responsible for the the play that broke the combined 100-point mark. That was a crazy one worthy of this exciting matchup.

With a little less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Alcorn State was still very much in this game. The Braves scored a one-yard touchdown to shrink their deficit to 55-44. But then on the extra point attempt, the snap was way too high and breezed over the holder’s head, and N.C. A&T defensive back Amir McNeill recovered it and took it all the way back to the opposite end zone.

What a great game. Here’s a look at some of the other incredible highlights from this matchup:

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Watch N.C. A&T’s and Alcorn State’s dazzling Celebration Bowl halftime band performances

SO GOOD.

The North Carolina A&T Aggies had a commanding 24-10 halftime lead over Alcorn State in Saturday’s Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, thanks in large part to two 50-plus-yard touchdown passes from quarterback Kylil Carter. Should NC A&T win, it will be its third straight Celebration Bowl victory and second consecutive one over the Braves.

Early in the second quarter, Carter connected with wide receiver Elijah Bell for a 53-yard touchdown to get the Aggies on the board, giving them a 7-3 lead.

And after Alcorn State responded with a touchdown of its own, Carter struck again, this time finding wide receiver Zachary Leslie for a monster 59-yard touchdown play only a few minutes later.

But in addition to these huge bombs downfield, both teams’ bands stunned during their halftime performances. That’s hardly surprising, especially since N.C. A&T finished No. 1 in the ESPN/The Undefeated HBCU Band Rankings this season, and these performances are as much fun to watch as the game, if not more so.

And thanks to The Undefeated, we can watch them over and over. So here’s N.C. A&T’s Blue and Gold Marching Machine:

More about the band via The Undefeated:

N.C. A&T’s Blue and Gold Marching Machine, which was tops in the September rankings, ended the season No. 1 because of No. 2 ratings in auxiliaries and musicality, No. 3 in percussion, No. 5 in drum majors, No. 6 in drill and design in the cumulative rankings for the season. The Aggies were No. 2 in the preseason rankings and in October, and were never out of the top five during the season.

And here’s Alcorn State’s Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite:

At the time of this post, N.C. A&T had a 52-31 lead in the third quarter.

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