Band Pageantry: 2017 Celebration Bowl - Grambling State University World Fame vs. North Carolina A&T State University Blue & Gold Marching Machine

Undefeated Aggies: NC A&T Caps Off Perfect Season With 21-14 Win

ATLANTA, Georgia -- North Carolina A&T won its second Celebration Bowl in the game’s three-year history, knocking off the defending HBCU national champions in Grambling State, 21-14, all while completing an undefeated season at 12-0.

The Aggies became the first team in MEAC history to finish a season undefeated winning 12 games in 2017. NC A&T has 59 wins in seven seasons with Rod Broadway as their head coach, while the Aggies won only 15 games total in the seven seasons before Broadway was hired.



Here's how it happened -- Lamar Raynard scored on a 1-yard sneak with 38 seconds left and unbeaten North Carolina A&T won its second Celebration Bowl in three years, defeating Grambling State 21-14 on Saturday.

N.C. A&T (12-0) won its fourth Historically Black College and University national championship. The Aggies claimed titles in 1990 and 1999 in addition to 2015, when they defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in the first Celebration Bowl.
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Raynard, one of four finalists for the Black College Hall of Fame player of the year, completed 23 of 43 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown and had 17 yards on eight carries.

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Five observations from North Carolina A&T’s win in the Celebration Bowl

ATLANTA, Georgia -- There was a lot of history between the Grambling State Tigers and North Carolina A&T Aggies as they squared off in the Celebration Bowl. Both teams had won the game since its inception in 2015. The game lived up to its hype as the Aggies prevailed 21-14 with a fourth-quarter scoring drive and secured their fourth HBCU national title.

Here are five observations from the Celebration Bowl on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:

Perfect season

North Carolina A&T became the first MEAC and HBCU school to finish undefeated and untied.

The Aggies also broke the school record with 12 wins in a season, capping it with their second Celebration Bowl victory.

It is also unique as Aggies coach Rod Broadway coached at Grambling from 2007-2010. He is 57-22 at North Carolina A&T. The Aggies finish the season with wins over three conferences — the SWAC, MEAC, and American Athletic.

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Uncharacteristic mistakes spoil Grambling's hunt for back-to-back HBCU titles

ATLANTA, Georgia -- You could see the writing on the wall becoming more visible the last two games.

Since the fourth quarter of the Bayou Classic three weeks ago, Grambling State hasn't closed a game the way everyone has become accustomed to the Tigers shutting the door during the program's successful run the last couple of seasons.

And during the uncharacteristic course the Tigers have let a lead completely slip away against rival Southern -- ultimately getting it back soon thereafter -- and a big lead shrink down to single digits in the fourth quarter versus Alcorn State in the SWAC Championship Game. The miscues reared their ugly head at the worst time in the Celebration Bowl Saturday as North Carolina A&T downed the G-Men, 21-14, inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The mistakes crept into a critical part of the game where Grambling (11-2) had dominated all season long, the turnover battle, as Broderick Fobbs' squad turned it over three times. And the Aggies (12-0), who won their second HBCU national title in three years and secured their first undefeated season in program history, made the Tigers pay scoring their first two touchdowns off takeaways.

Grambling vs. North Carolina A&T (Celebration Bowl) Celebration Bowl Trophy Ceremony Presented by Capital One

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North Carolina A&T Aggies beat Grambling in Celebration Bowl to wrap up perfect season, 12-0

Celebration Bowl Trophy Ceremony Presented by Capital One

Grambling vs. North Carolina A&T (Celebration Bowl)

ATLANTA, Georgia — The Aggies are perfect. Simply perfect.

Lamar Raynard scored on a 1-yard quarterback keeper, following the surge of his offensive line into the end zone with 38 seconds left, lifting N.C. A&T to a 21-14 victory over Grambling in the Celebration Bowl.

The short run wrapped up a long and successful season for the Aggies, who finish with undefeated with a 12-0 record. It's the best season in school history, and the Aggies are the first MEAC team to finish a complete unbeatn season since the conference was founded in 1971.

Marquell Cartwright, a junior running back from High Point, finished with 20 carries for 110 rushing yards and a touchdown, and he caught 3 passes for 54 yards and another touchdown.

It's A&T's second Celebratoin Bowl victory.

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Davidson (AL) OL Dylan McBride To Sign With Alabama A&M

MOBILE, Alabama -- Offensive lineman Dylan McBride, who misse
d his senior season with a torn labrum, will sign with Alabama A&M during the new early signing period beginning Wednesday.

Coach Fred Riley said the new signing period, which was approved by the NCAA last spring and runs from Dec. 20-22, has advantages and disadvantages.

"I think it's good for a select few," he said. "I think it's good for guys who want to get started in January and who are done with the love me tour and are ready to sign and get it done. I also think it's good for some schools that end up burning official visits on kids who have no intention of going to that school. It's not for everyone, but it is the right thing for some."

McBride (6-5, 260) was injured in spring practice and didn't play at all for Davidson. However, Alabama A&M already had offered him and the school remained true to that. Riley said he will be a "steal" in the SWAC.

"He's a guy who has the genes to play in the Sun Belt or in Conference USA or somewhere like that," he said. "If he'd had a senior year on film for coaches to see, I think other schools would have come in here and tried to sway him. But he really liked A&M."

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A&T's long, lean Darryl Johnson grows into role as pass rusher

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — First things first: The roster in the game program is misleading.

It lists N.C. A&T sophomore defensive end Darryl Johnson at 6-foot-5 and 226 pounds, and he probably was when he was measured.

But young men tend to grow, some into their early 20s. And Johnson, 20, is probably closer to 6-6 and 235 pounds as A&T (11-0) gets ready to play Grambling (11-1) in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta at noon today.

“I’ve gotten a lot stronger. A little faster,” Johnson said. “The biggest thing is knowledge, though, because when I first got here the process of learning the defense was hard. Getting reps in spring practice helped a lot. The more reps I get, the more I learn. It helps me play a lot faster.”

Johnson is a handful. Long and lean with a 103-inch wingspan — at least the last time he was measured — he’s built more like a basketball power forward than a defensive end.

His speed sets him apart from most defensive lineman. He’s run the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, and he’s too quick for a lot of offensive tackles to block cleanly.

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