North Carolina A&T State Aggies Faces Tough Challenge In Daytona

No. 18 North Carolina A&T (5-2, 2-1 MEAC) vs. Bethune-Cookman (4-3, 2-1 MEAC) 
Date: October 20, 2018
Time:  4 p.m. EST
City/Venue:  Daytona Beach, Fla./Municipal Stadium (10,500)
Series:  B-CU leads, 22-17
TV: ESPN 3 ESPN Triad Radio: Donal Ware (play-by-play); Al Swann (analysts)

North Carolina A&T State Game Notes

Stations:  600 AM/101.5 FM Winston-Salem
1320 AM/93.7 FM Greensboro
1230 AM/104.9 FM High Point
920 AM/104.5 FM Burlington
1200 AM/95.1 FM Burlington

The Matchup: 

N.C. A&T and Bethune-Cookman will put their respective seasons on the line when they face each other for the 40thtime on the football field Saturday. The Aggies are coming off a difficult home loss as the Florida A&M overcame a 21-6 halftime deficit to beat the Aggies 22-21 to take over first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. N.C. A&T lost a game they led at halftime for the first time in seven years ending a streak of 51 straight games of winning contests in which they led at halftime.

The Aggies did receive some good news during the game as fifth-year quarterback Lamar Raynard broke the school record for touchdown passes as his 38-yard TD toss to Zachary Leslie in the first quarter gave him 60 for his career. He later threw another touchdown pass to Leslie for career touchdown No. 61. Raynard and the Aggies must now turn their attention to a good Bethune-Cookman team. If the Aggies want to reach the postseason for the fourth straight season, they probably cannot endure another loss. The Aggies are also still in the hunt for their fourth MEAC title in five years.

The Wildcats are also looking for another MEAC title. Before the Aggies went on their run, the Wildcats were collecting MEAC titles. B-CU has four MEAC titles and has only had one losing season during the current decade. They have also finished in the top-2 in the MEAC six out of the last eight seasons. B-CU gave the Aggies their biggest scare last season. The Aggies had to overcome a fourth-quarter deficit at BB&T Stadium to keep their perfect season intact.

News and Notes:

• N.C. A&T lost to Florida A&M for the first time in six seasons after rushing for just 74 yards last Saturday. N.C. A&T’s 74 yards were the fewest yards rushing the Aggies have had against a conference opponent since posting 63 yards against S.C. State on Nov. 5, 2016. The Aggies have won three straight over the Wildcats. Those three games have been decided by an average margin of 10.3 points.
• If N.C. A&T is able to beat the Wildcats, it will guarantee the Aggies seventh straight winning seasons. The Aggies have the longest current streak in the conference. The longest streak in school history occurred between 1955-1964.
• Lamar Raynard is N.C. A&T’s all-time leader in touchdown passes. In his quest for the record, Raynard has thrown touchdown passes to 16 different receivers. Elijah Bell benefited the most by catching 18 of Raynard’s career touchdown passes.
• The Aggies have had back-to-back 100-yard receiving performances. Malik Wilson had four catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns at Delaware State on Oct. 6. The following week the Aggies showed off their depth at receiver again when Zachary Leslie caught eight passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns. 

 NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION