North Carolina A&T lost its college football game against UCF by 61 points. The Aggies got paid a lot of money to get absolutely embarrassed by a far superior opponent.
Was it worth it?
Head coach Shawn Gibbs says no way. He would rather his college football program play teams that are on the same level of competition but these kinds of “buy games” serve as the primary source of funding.
UCF ran wild.
The Knights totaled more than 550 yards of offense during its 68-7 victory. They averaged a first down per play with 204 yards through the air and 356 yards on the ground.
UCF scored 28 points in the first quarter, 12 in the second, 14 in the third and 14 in the fourth. North Carolina A&T scored only one touchdown in the fourth quarter against the backups for the backups’ backups.
The Aggies lost two fumbles, passed for only 40 yards and threw an interception, punted eight times, and converted only five of 17 attempts on third down. They didn’t have the dudes.
To be fair, North Carolina A&T was not expected to keep up! It won only one game last season as one of the worst teams in the Football Championship Subdivision. Shawn Gibbs was hired during the offseason to help rebuild a program that was completely dead in the water before his arrival. He started 0-2.
North Carolina A&T got paid a lot of money to get injured.
A school of this caliber relies on these kinds of games to keep its athletic department afloat. UCF paid North Carolina A&T approximately $475,000 to schedule this early-season matchup and covered its travel (including the band) from Greensboro to Orlando.
Some people might think it is a positive opportunity for the Aggies to get exposure on a national level. Gibbs does not.
The first-year head coach does not think it was worth the price.
NC A&T HC Shawn Gibbs when asked on what it means for his program to be showcased on a P4 stage.
— Nick Williams (@NickWilliamsUCF) September 7, 2025
“Honestly, for our team, I don’t think it’s worth it. We got 60+ points put on us and lost 3 quarterbacks.” pic.twitter.com/Xq5WrVQc4P
A score this lopsided does not do his team any favors in recruiting. To lose by 60+ points is brutal.
If that was not bad enough, North Carolina A&T lost — not one, not two, but three different quarterbacks to an injury. That will crater a team for the entire season.
Starting quarterback Braxton Thomas finished with just one carry for negative seven yards. Backup quarterback Champ Long ran the ball three times for negative seven yards and completed three of seven pass attempts for 26 yards with a pick.
Their respective injuries for the Aggies to play third-string true freshman Jy Walls. Walls completed two passes for 14 yards and ran three times for five yards.
North Carolina A&T was always going to lose this game. It did not expect to lose its first- and second-string quarterbacks to injury as it turns the calendar to conference play. That will crater a program.