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GREENSBORO — Carlton Fears and Wallace Miles decided they had to accept responsibility for turning around N.C. A&T's struggles.

So over the last couple weeks, as the Aggies battled through back-to-back losses, the roommates enacted a self-imposed curfew, agreed to new rules by which the pair would live to discipline their routines, and put in extra work in the hope that it would pay off on the field.

And after Fears hit Miles on a 24-yard touchdown pass in double overtime to beat N.C. Central 23-17 Saturday night at Aggie Stadium, the senior quarterback said what the pair had been doing must be working. The game winner was the second touchdown the pair hooked up for Saturday, and capped a wild win.

"It was an unbelievable feeling," said Miles, who caught four passes for 101 yards. "I don't know if I'll feel anything like that ever again."

It was extra exhilarating for many of the 19,534 fans packing the stadium, because the Aggies had already seen one chance at a win slip away, and narrowly dodged a loss.

Fears drove A&T (3-2, 1-1 MEAC) to the Eagles' 19-yard line with a pair of clutch third-down plays — one a 43-yard pass, the other a 15-yard run. But freshman kicker Patrick Courtney missed a 36-yard field goal with six seconds remaining before overtime, then missed a 29-yarder on the opening possession of overtime — his third miss of the game.

The Aggies needed a block of Frankie Cardelle's 44-yard game-winning field goal attempt at the end of the first overtime and a fourth-down stop in double overtime to give Fears and Miles their chance to win the game.

"We know he's young," A&T coach Alonzo Lee said of Courtney. "Just pat him on his back and tell him, 'Son, it'll be all right. It's just a matter of time. He has to continue to grow, and grow quick."

The game was one of the positive moments in a season that has seen Fears battle inconsistency, which led Lee to pull him for freshman Lewis Kindle in the last two games. Fears continued to play hot and cold Saturday, completing 8 of 20 passes for 166 yards. But in some moments, Fears looked like a difference maker.

He started the game with a 37-yard touchdown strike to Miles on A&T's opening possession to put the Aggies ahead 7-0 with 9:53 remaining in the first quarter. Four minutes later, after Justin Ferrell picked off Central quarterback Michael Johnson, Fears hit Miles again on a 25-yard flea flicker pass to take the Aggies to the 12-yard line. Running back Tony Coles finished it off with a 1-yard dive for a 14-0 A&T lead with 1:58 remaining in the quarter.

"He is a really good talent, but it's just a matter of us finding his comfort zone," Lee said of Fears. "And I think tonight he did a little bit to find it."

A roughing the kicker penalty at the end of the second quarter helped the Eagles claw their way back into the game, though. On the play following the penalty, Will Scott caught a 62-yard pass that brought Central to the Aggies' 5-yard line — a play that accounted for all but 44 yards of the Eagles' first-half offense.

The pass set up Saeed Abdul-Azeez's 3-yard TD reception with 17 seconds remaining in the half to pull Central within 17-7, and Scott followed it with a 73-yard TD reception with 12:29 remaining in the fourth quarter — the longest reception of his career — to trim the deficit to 17-14,

"We got off to a slow start," Scott said. "I guess the big game made guys uneasy. Once we made that big play, we started moving the ball easier."

Central tied the game on a 20-yard field goal with 2:36 remaining, but the rally died just as the Eagles seemed to have victory in hand after Courtney's missed field goals. But Jerrell Herring blocked Cardelle's field goal attempt to end the first overtime, and give A&T its second chance.

"I just imposed my will," Herring said. "I just knew if we got another chance we could take advantage."

N.C. Central 0 7 0 10 0 0 — 17
N.C. A&T 14 3 0 0 0 6 — 23

NCAT—Miles 37 pass from Fears (Courtney kick)
NCAT—Coles 1 run (Courtney kick)
NCAT—FG Courtney 34
NCCe—Abdul-Azeez 2 pass from K.Williams (Cardelle kick)
NCCe—Scott 73 pass from M.Johnson (Cardelle kick)
NCCe—FG Cardelle 20
NCAT—Miles 24 pass from Fears
A—19,534

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs — NCCU 13, NCAT 16
Rushes-yards — NCCU 33-90, NCAT 53-173
Passing — NCCU 216, NCAT 166
Comp-Att-Int — NCCU 11-23-3, NCAT 8-20-0
Return Yards — NCCU 0, NCAT 23
Punts-Avg. — NCCU 4-39.3, NCAT 6-40.5
Fumbles-Lost — NCCU 4-1, NCAT 2-1
Penalties-Yards — NCCU 7-121, NCAT 14-110
Time of Possession — NCCU 24:32, NCAT 35:28

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING
N.C. Central — Shankle 16-70, McCord 11-27, Irvine 1-3, Scott 1-0, Team 1-0, K.Williams 1-(minus 3), M.Johnson 2-(minus 7).
N.C. A&T — Fears 13-58, Mayhew 21-53, Payne 8-41, Raper 5-19, Kearney 1-1, Coles 5-1.

PASSING
N.C. Central — M.Johnson 6-16-3-130, K.Williams 5-7-0-86.
N.C. A&T — Fears 8-20-0-166.

RECEIVING
N.C. Central — Scott 5-179, McCord 1-19, Ward 1-10, Irvine 1-5, Shankle 1-3, Abdul-Azeez 1-2, An.Johnson 1-(minus 2).
N.C. A&T — Miles 4-101, Lowrance 1-33, Mayhew 1-14, Whitaker 1-10, Raper 1-8.