The “Battle for the 336” NC A&T Aggies Game 1 Preview vs Elon Phoenix
New year, same expectations for the Aggies of North Carolina A&T. Winning has become a standard in Greensboro, over the past five years, the Aggies are an impressive 34-5. Fresh off their incredible 10 win season a year ago, the Aggies captured their third Celebration Bowl title in a span of four years, being crowned as the undisputed HBCU National Champs. They were led by first year head ball coach, Sam Washington, who won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Coach of the Year award. The team continued to exceed expectations last season as they had signature wins versus FCS ranked opponent Jacksonville State, defeated, East Carolina which was their third consecutive victory against an FBS program, and completely annihilated their hated rival North Carolina Central 45 to 0. Now with a year under his belt Sam Washington is back at the helm to lead the Aggies and continue to build off of last season in his second year as head coach. North Carolina A&T is expected to win their fifth Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) football title in six years and reach their third straight Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl game as announced by the conference at the annual MEAC Football Press Luncheon. They are also ranked once again in the preseason polls as the #19 program in the nation.
The Aggies get their season underway on August 31 as they will be squaring off against cross town foe Elon who checks into the season as the #21 ranked program in the nation according to the FCS preseason polls. The Phoenix went 6-5 in 2018 and has made back-to-back FCS playoff appearances for the first time in program history and will be under the guidance of first-year head coach Tony Trisciani and will be led by Quarterback Davis Cheek. Cheek helped the Phoenix capture wins last season against #2 James Madison and #21 Furman a season ago before he suffered a leg injury that ended his season. Elon and North Carolina A&T have met 11 times to date with the Aggies taking seven victories this far in the series. The series goes all the way back to 1999, but the two teams have not met since the 2015 season when Elon dropped a 14-7 decision at home inside Rhodes Stadium to the Aggies.
The Aggies will look a whole lot different this season as they will be replacing a number of key contributors that featured 8 All MEAC players. Including the winningest quarterback in school history Lamar Raynard, running back Marquelle Cartwright, wide receiver and return specialist Malik Wilson, defensive linemen Julian McKnight, and defensive end Darryl Johnson who took home the the MEAC defensive player of the year. However, even with the departures the Aggies still possess a boatload of talent on both sides of the football and should be poised to continue their run of success. The collection of firepower includes one of the deepest receiving corps in all of football that features preseason All MEAC Junior Zach Leslie who led the team in receiving yards last year, Senior Ron Hunt who should be in line for a big year, and All American Senior Elijah Bell.
They also continue their tradition as running back University as Redshirt Junior Jah-Maine Martin returns and is the new bell cow in the backfield. The Aggies will also see a new QB under center as a familiar face and former backup Senior Kylil Carter will be leading the charge as the new QB1. Carter has proven to be one of the most effective backup quarterbacks in the nation over his career. Despite playing behind an All-MEAC quarterback, Carter has delivered some of the best moments during the Aggies current championship era and proved to be vital last season in wins at East Carolina, at Bethune-Cookman and at Savannah State.
The defensive unit will feature a group of returning players led by preseason All Conference players like Senior Defensive End Justin Cates, Redshirt Senior Linebacker Antoine Wilder, and All American Redshirt Junior Franklin “Mac” McCain III who returns after an ACL injury that cut his season short. The star cornerback for the Aggies heads into the 2019 season as a candidate for conference defensive player of the year. However McCain will not be suiting up for this opening game, but went on the record to comment about the upcoming game “Everyone is fired up! We have a lot of new guys that are hungry to play and it will be an intense game on Saturday”. Some breakout candidates to keep an eye out for the Aggies this season include Redshirt Sophomore Cornerback Amir McNeil, Junior Slot Receiver Korey Banks, and Redshirt Sophomore Linebacker Kyin Howard.
Winning is contagious and the Aggies have certainly built a reputation for making winning a habit as their success over the past years speaks for itself. If the Aggies win the MEAC, it will be their third straight title and their 11th overall. A fifth MEAC title in six years would give the Aggies the most dominant era in the MEAC since S.C. State won five of six from 1977-83. Over the last three years the Aggies are 21-2 and have one of the highest winning percentages in college football. “We want to be in the top echelon of FCS teams and in order to do that you have to win your league year in and year out,” said Coach Washington.Expect nothing less but another big season for the Aggies, as they continue their quest for another MEAC title and capture a fourth Celebration Bowl title. The Phoenix will make the short trip to Greensboro on Saturday, Aug. 31, for a 6 p.m. kickoff against North Carolina A&T as they will be battling for supremacy of the 336. Fans can watch the game live on ESPN3 with Spencer Turkin and Stan Lewter on the call be sure to tune in to check the first game of the year.