Texas Southern Rallies From 14 Down to Beat N.C. Central 42-30

NC A&T transfer Nelson Layne made about as strong a debut as his team could ask for, and N.C. Central still lost. Layne broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run to cap a six-play, 84-yard opening drive, then found Connor Everett for a 10-yard score with 46 seconds left in the first quarter to put the Eagles up 14-0. Texas Southern spent the rest of the night clawing that back, and the Tigers finally did it for good behind a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and a closing burst from their running game, rallying past N.C. Central 42-30 at W.W. Thorne Stadium in Houston, Texas.

N.C. Central answered Texas Southern’s first score, an 11-yard Cam’Ron McCoy touchdown pass to JaQuan McGee, with a 14-play, 85-yard drive that Layne finished off himself from 2 yards out for a 21-7 lead. McCoy and McGee connected again from 25 yards with 20 seconds left in the half, and Riley Daniels added a 25-yard field goal at the buzzer to send N.C. Central to the locker room ahead 24-14. Texas Southern erased half of that deficit in 54 seconds to open the third quarter, as McCoy hit Roriyon Richardson for a 45-yard score on the Tigers’ second play of the second half. Then came the swing play of the game: Jacob Washington blocked a Jake Marcantel punt, and Jordan Thompson scooped it up and raced 34 yards for a touchdown, giving Texas Southern its first lead of the night at 28-24. Texas Southern continued to fight back.

N.C. Central would not go away. Daniels kicked his second field goal of the night, a 32-yarder, to trim the margin to 28-27 late in the third, and after Texas Southern answered with a 14-yard Athean Renfro touchdown run, Daniels hit a 37-yarder early in the fourth to make it 35-30. But the Tigers’ defense forced a fumble on the ensuing punt attempt, which N.C. Central recovered at the Texas Southern 20. After the Eagles could not convert the turnover into points, Texas Southern leaned on Renfro and Washington to close it out. Renfro broke free for a 45-yard run on third-and-6, and three plays later Washington capped the drive with a 20-yard touchdown run with 2:07 remaining for the final 42-30 margin.

Layne finished with 131 passing yards and 116 rushing yards, completing passes to eight different receivers in a performance that both programs’ game notes singled out. Texas Southern countered with 462 total yards, 277 of them on the ground, as Renfro ran for 167 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and McCoy passed for 185 yards and three touchdowns on 8-of-19 throwing, with McGee catching four passes for 115 yards and two scores. N.C. Central’s defense got an interception from Ayden Davis and 3.0 tackles for loss from Zarion Walters, while Jaquavus Hallman intercepted Layne to help set up Texas Southern’s clinching drive. Texas Southern improved to 1-0 and next hosts the 41st playing of the Labor Day Classic against Prairie View A&M on Sunday at 11 a.m. N.C. Central, which lost its season opener for the first time since 2019, falls to 0-1 and returns home to face Elizabeth City State at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. on the MEAC Network.