The Student News Site of North Carolina A&T State University

The A&T Register

The Student News Site of North Carolina A&T State University

The A&T Register

The Student News Site of North Carolina A&T State University

The A&T Register

Aggies Look to Continue Six Game Winning Streak

The N.C. A&T football team, ranked 20th in FCS football, improved to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the MEAC with a 28-10 win over Florida A&M Saturday night in Bragg Stadium.

For the first time in school history, the Aggies have won back-to-back games in Tallahassee after beating the Rattlers in overtime at Bragg in 2013.

The Aggies now head to Orangeburg, SC this Saturday to face the South Carolina State Bulldogs.

The Aggies have now won six straight games heading into a contest at S.C. State that will be for the conference supremacy.

The Bulldogs are 4-1 in the league after their win over Hampton University on Saturday. S.C. State has won 14 out of the last 15 matchups including last season’s 13-0 win in the Atlanta Classic football matchup. The Aggies can’t afford to overlook S.C. State or anyone else as they head into their final month of the season.

S.C. State has been one of the more dominant teams in the MEAC since joining the league in 1971. The Bulldogs have a league-leading 16 MEAC championships.

The Bulldog’s head coach, Buddy Pough is the dean of coaches in the MEAC.

He is in his 14th season with the Bulldogs which gives him the longest tenure in the conference. Pough has 110 career wins and has won six MEAC titles at his alma mater. The Bulldogs have had only one losing season under Pough.

Over the last 15 games in the series, the Aggies have been shutout twice and ended up surrendering more than 40 points six times and in the Aggies one win they did not give up an offensive touchdown.

In the last 15 games the A&T/ SCSU series has been played on one or the other campus only six times.

The Aggies have not won in Orangeburg, S.C. since defeating the Bulldogs 20-6 on Sept. 27, 1969. The Aggies hold a losing streak of 14 games because teams have played in Charlotte or Atlanta multiple times since 1969.

The Aggies look for a win as they won on Saturday on the road to clinch the Aggies second straight wining season on the road. It marks the first time since 1992, that the Aggies have had back-to-back wining seasons on the road.

The Aggies are ranked among the Top-20 teams in FCS football. The Aggies are off to their 10th 7-1 start in school history. N.C. A&T has finished undefeated in the MEAC only once, in 1999. Head coach, Rod Broadway holds a 35-18 record at A&T.

With the combination of quarterback, Kwashaun Quick and running back, Tarik Cohen the Aggies were off to a fast start in Saturday’s game.

Quick accounted for the Aggies first 44 yards of the game. Cohen got a hold of things as he ran through the Rattlers defense for a 23-yard gain to the FAMU 7-yard line. Two plays later Quick found his way in the end zone on a read option play six minutes into the game. Cohen scored on a 24-yard run up the middle for a 14-0 lead.

The Aggies third drive by Quick was bitter sweet, as he broke to the outside for 44 yards to the FAMU 22. A holding call on the Aggies nullified the play, the Aggies third drive eventually ended in a punt as the Aggies next two drives were stalled.

The Aggies added another touchdown before the half thanks to quarterback, Lamar Raynard as he launched a pass in between two defenders on a post pattern route to freshman wide receiver, Malik Wilson for a 53-yard touchdown.The Aggies opened up the second half off a touchdown pass by Quick to wide receiver, Caleb Gabriel in the back of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown.

The action for the Aggies slowed down as FAMU gained 124 yards of total offense and four yards rushing on 18. The Rattlers were almost shut out by the Aggies for what would have been the first time in their history, if it was not for a blocked punt that gave them the ball at the Aggies 5 late in the third quarter. The blocked punt eventually led to a Carson Royal 3-yard touchdown pass to Desmond Noird.

Running back, Tarik Cohen is closing in on the Aggies all-time rushing record. Cohen finished with 163 yards rushing against the Rattlers to move him 88 yards’ shy of breaking Mike Mayhew’s record set in 2012, a year before Cohen got to campus.

If Cohen breaks the record this weekend he would do it in 31 games, 12 fewer than Mike Mayhew. Maurice Hicks got to the rushing record faster than anyone when he rushed for 2,814 yards in 19 games. Tarik is now 54 yards’ shy of becoming the first player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons. He is also seven touchdowns shy of breaking the school record for touchdowns. He could come into next season less than 1,000 yards’ shy of becoming the all-time leading rusher in the MEAC.

Alexis Wainwright – Sports Editor

 

 

More to Discover