HERO Sports welcomes you to "Two-a-Days", where we will preview every single one of the 125 FCS programs, with two being released each day from June 18 to August 18 (with the final day having three in one day). Today we give you … North Carolina A&T.
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Compare Any Two FCS Teams [divider]
FCS TEAM BY TEAM PREVIEW: The countdown
FCS PRESEASON TOP 25: The poll
FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA: The teams
NORTH CAROLINA A&T (12-0)
The MEAC (1st in the MEAC in 2017)
COACH: Sam Washington – 1st year (0-0)
2017 OFFENSE: 35.1 ppg (10th in FCS)
2017 DEFENSE: 12.4 ppg (3rd in FCS)
SUM IT UP: When we say North Carolina A&T is loaded, we're not saying that to hype something not warranted. Its first two games are going to be very interesting, as the Aggies travel to Montgomery, Ala. to take on FCS powerhouse Jacksonville State, then head to a beatable-but-not-a-gimme East Carolina team the next week. If the Aggies are 2-0 after that (and keep in mind they've beaten FBS opponents two straight years now), they're a Top 10 FCS team and we're all going to be talking about what would NC A&T do if it was in the FCS playoffs instead of locked into the Celebration Bowl setup. There's also the possibility — because of the strength of the first two games — that the best team in the HBCU realm could be 0-2 on Sept. 1. This will be one of the most interesting things to watch in the MEAC and HBCU, because once the Aggies hit the meat of their conference schedule they're going to cruise. This team is loaded (did we already say that?) and are going to continue to shut down MEAC competition while piling up the points on 'O'. The unit with the most question marks would be the offensive line, but the rest of the team looks brutally tough.
BEST-CASE SCENARIO: East Carolina was 2-10 last year and Jacksonville State struggled at times on offense (though that looks not to be the case as much this year) … so the regular season ceiling "potential" is 10 or 11 wins again. Once the Aggies hit their conference slate, they should be heavily favored all the way through. Overall, it seems a 10-win season is a worst-case scenario because the Aggies are the heavy favorites to win the Celebration Bowl again, so there's an outside chance of 11 to 12 wins, also.
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BEST FCS PLAYER BY NUMBER: We count down, No. 99 through No. 1[divider]
TOP RETURNEE: QB Lamar Raynard (MEAC Offensive Player of the Year – 2,707 yards passing, 26 TDs)
THE NEXT BEST: DB Mac McCain (HERO Sports Preseason All American – 3 INTs for TDs, 5 INTs, 13 passes defensed); RB Marquell Cartwright (1st Team All MEAC – 1,080 yards rushing, 13 TDs); WR Elijah Bell (1st Team All MEAC – 858 yards receiving, 11 TDs); DB Timadre Abram (1st Team All MEAC – 28 tackles, 8 passes defensed); DL Darryl Johnson (1st Team All MEAC – 15.5 TFLs, 4 FFs); OL Marcus Pettiford (1st Team All MEAC); DL Sam Blue (11 TFLs, 6.5 sacks); WR Malik Wilson (27 yards per catch, 4 TDs).
TOP NEWCOMER?: OL Lawrence Lagrone (dominant prospect at a position that needs immediate depth help)..
DID YOU KNOW?: The Aggies have produced the last four MEAC Offensive Players of the Year — current Chicago Bear Tarik Cohen from 2014-16 and now Lamar Raynard in 2017 with a shot to make it five in a row this fall.
THE QUOTE: "“A lot of people would like to have what we have coming back. Lamar, Bell and Cartwright can play, play. They’re very powerful. It’s a blessing to have them back. Then we have eight starters coming back on defense and others who played a lot as backups." — coach Sam Washington said this week
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SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
THE HASHTAG: #AggiePride
FOOTBALL TWITTER: @FOOTBALL_NCAT
Guess who showed up to practice today? @ochocinco pic.twitter.com/ESmap7YmeU
— NC A&T Football (@FOOTBALL_NCAT) July 24, 2018
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FCS QB TRANSFERS: Who Tops The List?
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PREVIEWING THE REST OF THE MEAC
Beth.-Cookman | Delaware St. | Florida A&M
Howard | Morgan St. | Norfolk St.
N.C. A&T | N.C. Central | Savannah St. | S.C. State
