Date: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022
Time: 7 p.m. 
Location: Truist Stadium, East Greensboro, N.C. 
Radio: Donal Ware (pxp); Al Swann (analyst); Billy Covington (halftime show)
Radio Stations: WKEW 1400 AM; 96.3 FM; Sirus XM Radio 384/online 974
TV/Stream: Spencer Turkin (pxp); Daimeon Banks (analyst) 
Platform: ESPN3

NORTH CAROLINA A&T (1-3, 0-0 Big South): Despite the expected inclement weather predicted for Saturday, the Aggies will play their Big South Conference season opener. The Aggies head into Big South play as the preseason favorite, but they play a Bryant University team averaging 31.8 points per game. The Aggies are coming off their first win of 2022 with a 41-27 triumph over the S.C. State Bulldogs. A&T rushed for a season-high 284 yards, with the young duo of sophomore Bhayshul Tuten and freshman Wesley Graves combining for 212 yards and three touchdowns. 

Tuten leads the Big South in rushing and has rushed for 400 yards over the Aggies in the past three games. Tuten earned Big South offensive player of the week after rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and catching two passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. In addition, Graves earned freshman of the week honors from the Big South, further illustrating the effectiveness of the Aggies offensive line last Saturday. On the defensive side, the Aggies intercepted two passes and recorded two sacks against the Bulldogs. Freshman rover Avarion Cole intercepted a pass for the second consecutive week, and sophomore linebacker Tyquan King had a team-leading 10 tackles with an interception. 

BRYANT (1-3, 0-0 Big South): Bryant will be playing its first Big South game ever after spending 13 seasons in the Northeastern Conference. Bryant began its football program in 1999 as a Division II institution. Like A&T, Bryant also got its first win last Saturday after an 0-3 start. The Bulldogs defeated Long Island University 31-29 on an Ethan Gettman 37-yard field goal as time expired in Brookville, N.Y. Also, like the Aggies, the Bulldogs have two vital running backs that fuel their offense. Ryan Clark had three rushing touchdowns last Saturday against LIU. He is averaging 4.9 yards per carry on 29 attempts. Ishod Byarm, who had 107 yards last week, leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 158 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. Bryant's offense averages 382.8 yards per game. Two hundred eighty-four of those yards come through the air. The Bryant defense does, however, surrender 449 yards per game. The Bulldogs are led defensively by senior linebacker Joe Andreesen. Andreesen leads the Big South in total tackles (46) and tackles per game (11.5). Andreesen also has two interceptions. Fellow senior linebacker Ryan Saddler complements Andreesen with 37 tackles with four for loss. 

A&T HEAD COACH SAM WASHINGTON: Washington is in his fifth season overall and his fourth season on the sideline after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Aggies to cancel the 2020 season. Washington is 25-14 (.641) as A&T's head coach. Washington won coach of the year honors in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in 2018. He won 19 games over his first two seasons in AggieLand, the most of any A&T coach in his first two years on the job for the Aggies. Washington served as the Aggies defensive coordinator from 2011-17 before becoming head coach. He designed one of the best defenses in the nation during his time as the DC. 

BRYANT HEAD COACH CHRIS MERRITT: Merritt became Bryant's head coach in December 2018. He led Bryant to a 7-4 record in 2021, which marked the program's best season since 2014. Last season, the Bulldogs 5-2 record in the NEC marked the program's best conference record since 2011. Merritt came to Bryant after spending 18 seasons at Columbia High School in Miami, where he posted a 172-45. At Bryant, Merritt is 14-17 as he coaches in season No. 4.   

THE QUARTERBACKS: A&T amazingly played four quarterbacks last Saturday. Freshman Zachary Yeager made the start but left after the first series because of an injury. Fellow freshman Eli Brickhandler then stepped in but also left with an injury. Fifth-year senior Jalen Fowler played most of the game, going 8-for-14 for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Alston Hooker also played in the fourth quarter. Yeager's status was unknown early in the week, while Fowler's veteran presence could be a must for the Aggies on Saturday. 

Bryant is a little more stable at quarterback, with Zevi Eckhaus leading the way. Eckhaus has completed 63.4 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,030 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He spreads the ball around effectively. Ten different Bulldogs have at least four receptions this season, with Landon Ruggieri leading the way with 22 receptions for 272 yards. 

NEWS AND NOTES 

• The Aggies will face a team with the nickname Bulldog for the second straight week in the Byrant Bulldogs after playing the S.C. State Bulldogs. 
• The Aggies still have Gardner-Webb on their schedule, which is the Runnin' Bulldogs. While A&T's nickname is the Aggies, the school's mascot is a … you guessed it … a Bulldog. 
• Bryant will be the eighth first-time opponent the Aggies have played over the past two seasons as A&T went from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to the Big South Conference. 
• A&T has two more first-time opponents on the schedule this season in Edward Waters and Campbell. 
• Two of the best linebackers in the Big South will square off on Saturday. Bryant linebacker Joe Andreesen and A&T linebacker Tyquan King are the top two tacklers in the league. 
• Andreesen is averaging 11.5 tackles in four games, and King is averaging 11.0 tackles in four games. 
• After Bryant, the Aggies don't play another conference game until October 22 at Robert Morris because the Aggies have a bye week on October 8 and play out of conference on October 15 against the Edward Waters Tigers.