{
  "id": 4353272,
  "title": "Big second half powers Texas Southern football to season-opening win over North Carolina Central",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/big-second-half-powers-texas-southern-football-to-season-opening-win",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-30T05:33:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/big-second-half-powers-texas-053307362.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Texas Southern Tigers overcame a 14-0 deficit and 24-14 halftime deficit to defeat North Carolina Central 42-30 in their season opener on Saturday at Thorne Stadium. Quarterback Cam Ron McCoy completed three touchdown passes, while running back Athean Renfro Jr. rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown. McCoy's 45-yard touchdown pass to Ronyon Richardson in the second half cut the early deficit to three points. Jordan Thompson's 34-yard blocked punt return extended the Tigers' lead to 28-24 with 9:47 remaining in the third quarter. Athean Renfro Jr. then scored a 14-yard touchdown run, giving the Tigers a 35-27 lead in the third quarter. Jacob Washington's 20-yard touchdown run with 2:07 left in the game secured the 42-30 victory for Texas Southern. The Tigers outgained North Carolina Central 462 yards to 321, with 277 of those yards coming on the ground. Texas Southern will next play in the Labor Day Classic on Sunday, Sept. 6, at Prairie View A&M, with kickoff at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.",
  "summary": "Cam'Ron McCoy threw three touchdown passes and Athean Renfro Jr. rushed for 163 yards and a score as Texas Southern dominated the second half to beat North Carolina Central.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Texas high school football: Saturday's scores from Week 1",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/texas-high-school-football-saturdays-scores-from-week-1",
        "published": "2026-08-30T05:13:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}