NCCU RB Plez Lawrence tallies career day vs. NC A&T

NC CENTRAL ATHLETICS

North Carolina Central running back Plez Lawrence ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles' 30-22 win against North Carolina A&T Sept. 12, 2026, at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham.

DURHAM – Indiana State transfer running back Plez Lawrence hadn’t experienced an Aggie-Eagle Classic before Saturday’s game at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

Not only did Lawrence show off for the home crowd, but North Carolina A&T won’t forget his name anytime soon, either.

Lawrence rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns to help the Eagles (2-1) defeat their archrival 30-22 in a game that was weather delayed by 1 hour 41 minutes in the third quarter. Lawrence’s total was more than the entire Aggies (0-3) team. Former RB J’Mari Taylor was the last Eagle to run for over 200 yards (206 against Howard in 2024).

Still, NCCU needed a defensive stop late in the game to preserve the win.

Down 30-22 with 2:01 left, NCAT drove to the Eagles 4-yard line with 14 seconds left. After an offensive pass interference call pushed NCAT back to the 13 with five seconds remaining, defensive back Jakarri Martin II stepped in front of the receiver to intercept quarterback Kevin White Jr.’s pass in the end zone to seal the win.

Coach Trei Oliver hasn’t lost to the Aggies since Oct. 25, 2021. He is now three wins shy of 50 at NCCU.

NCCU QB Nelson Layne shook off some pregame jitters facing his former team to complete 13 of 19 passes for a TD and zero interceptions. Joshua Truesdale recorded a game-high 10 tackles and one interception.

White was 21 of 44 for 259 yards, three TDs and two interceptions. Wide receiver Elijah Kennedy led all receivers with 112 yards and two TDs.

NCCU travels to Gardner-Webb Sept. 19 for a 6 p.m. matchup.

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