The 2016 North Carolina A&T Aggies football team represented North Carolina A&T State University as a member of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Rod Broadway, the Aggies compiled an overall record of 9–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, placing second in the MEAC. North Carolina A&T received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Aggies lost in the first round to Richmond. North Carolina A&T played home games at Aggie Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Before the season At the conclusion of the 2015 football season, the Aggies lost key players such as quarterback Kwashaun Quick, who was the only quarterback in the program's history to finish with more than 2,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards. In addition to Quick, the Aggies also lost defensive back Tony McRae, defensive tackle Michael Neal and linebackers Denzel Jones & Landis Shoffner.
Recruiting
Coaching staff 2016 North Carolina A&T Aggies coaching staffHead coach Head coach – Rod Broadway
Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/wide receivers – Larry "Chip" Hester Offensive line – Ronald Mattes Quarterbacks - Chris Barnette Running backs/recruiting coordinator - Shawn Gibbs Tight end/offensive graduate assistant – Matt Pawlowski
Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/defensive backs – Sam Washington Defensive line – Courtney Coard Inside linebackers – Thomas Howard Outside linebackers – Dino Kaklis Defensive graduate assistant – Michael Neal Administrative staff Athletic Director (A.D.) - Earl M. Hilton III Administrative Support Associate for Football - Jeraldine Bailey Student assistant – Brian Jenkins
Schedule
Roster 2016 North Carolina A&T Aggies Roster (Source)Wide receivers 1 Denzel Keyes – Senior 2 Michael Weaver Jr. - Senior 3 Xavier Griffin – Junior 8 Khris Gardin – Junior 17 Isaiah Hicklin – Sophomore 19 Kevin Francis – Senior 47 Courtney Edmonds – Junior 80 Jordan McGrigg - Freshman 81 Ron Hunt – Freshman 83 Carlis Parker – Junior 84 Elijah Bell – Freshman 85 Terrence Peterson - Freshman 86 Deshaun McFadden – Sophomore 88 Malik Wilson – Sophomore
Offensive line 61 Josh Mattocks – Spohomore 62 Malik Johnson - Freshman 63 Nicholas Dease – Senior 66 Arlander Cherry – Freshman 69 Calvin Trotty – Freshman 70 Brandon Parker – Sophomore 71 Chris Davis – Freshman 72 Darriel Mack – Sophomore 73 Marcus Pettiford - Freshman 74 Sylvester Smith – Freshman 75 Charles Jones – Junior 76 Shawn Best – Freshman 77 Charles "Wes" Cole – Junior 78 Micah Shaw – Freshman
Tight ends 19 Justin Smith – Junior 79 Eric McNair - Freshman 82 Jarvis Reed - Freshman 87 Leroy Hill – Sophomore
Fullbacks 36 Anthony McMinn II – Junior 39 Corbin Martin – Junior 46 William Hollingsworth – Freshman Quarterbacks 7 Lamar Raynard† – Sophomore 10 Kylil Carter - Sophomore 15 Oluwafemi Bamiro - Senior
Running backs 20 Daniel Robinson – Junior 22 Marquell Cartwright - Sophomore 23 Amos Williams – Sophomore 26 Samuel Stidwell IV - Sophomore 28 Tarik Cohen† – Senior 38 Demetrius Fairley – Senior
Fullbacks 36 Anthony McMinn II - Senior 39 Corbin Martin - Senior 46 William Hollingsworth - Sophomore
Defensive line 51 D'Anthony Ross – Senior 92 Jermaine Williams – Freshman 94 Justin Cates - Sophomore 95 Julian McKnight – Sophomore 97 Sean Davis – Freshman 99 Marquis Ragland - Senior
Defensive ends 40 Darryl Johnson - Sophomore 50 Angelo Keyes - Senior 90 Malik Hampton-Prioleau - Senior 91 Kenneth Melton - Junior 93 Turner Echols - Sophomore 96 Sam Blue - Sophomore 98 Kadarius Kendrick - Freshman
Rovers 24 Lorenz Suttles - Senior 25 Jamaal Darden - Junior 30 David Pulliam - Senior Linebackers 4 Marcus Albert - Junior 26 Vander "Tre" Purcell - Sophomore 34 Deion Jones - Sophomore 41 Leon "Tre" Smalls - Freshman 44 Julius Reynolds - Sophomore 45 Joshua Patrick – Junior 48 Jeremy Taylor - Junior 52 Kiaundric Richardson - Sophomore 53 Gerald Caskey – Junior 56 Tyler Beck – Freshman 57 Markeiss Blue – Sophomore 58 Adrian McPherson - Freshman 59 Elijah Westbrook - Freshman 68 Darryl Jackson - Sophomore
Defensive backs 5 Tard McCoy – Junior 9 Zerius Lockhart – Junior 12 Jerome Beatty – Junior 14 Timadre Abram – Sophomore 18 Tyree Andrews - Senior 21 Derrek Williams - Freshman 27 Justin Philip - Freshman 29 Franklin (Mac) McCain III - Freshman 32 Marquis Willis – Sophomore 33 Jalen Bethea – Freshman 35 Deiontae Jones - Freshman 37 Kashon Baker – Freshman 42 Ashton Tolliver - Freshman 43 Najee Reams - Freshman
Punters 16 Garrett Nestor - Junior 55 Dominic Frescura - Junior 60 Isaac Parks – Freshman
Kickers 13 Cody Jones† – Senior
Long snappers 67 Ernest (Petie) Bush III - Freshman † Starter at position * Injured; did not play in 2016.
Game summaries
St. Augustine's
This game marked the 4th meeting between Division II Saint Augustine's and the Aggies. The two teams have not faced each other since 1935 when the Aggies defeated the Falcons 33–0. Going into the matchup, the Aggies held the all-time series at 2–0–1. The Aggies easily outmatched Saint Augustine's with performances such as quarterback Lamar Raynard's 17 completions and 2 touchdowns. Other top performances include running back Tarik Cohen's 2 touchdowns and 8 carries. Cohen now owns the school record for receiving and rushing touchdowns with a career number of 42.
Kent State
This game marked the first meeting between the Aggies and NCAA Division I FBS Kent State. Going into the game, A&T held an 0-3 all-time record against FBS opponents, while Kent State was 13-0 against FCS opponents over the last 15 years. The Aggies were able to upset the Golden Flashes with a 39-36 victory in 4 overtimes. Fifth-year senior quarterback Oluwafemi Bamiro threw the game-winning pass to Denzel Keyes securing the program's first ever victory over FBS competition.
Tulsa
This game marks the first meeting between the Aggies and NCAA Division I FBS Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes were able to establish a commanding 48–0 lead by halftime. A&T's offense was held off by Tulsa's defense until late in the 3rd quarter, when the Aggies finally posted their first points of the game.
Hampton
This game marked the 45th meeting between A&T and Hampton. Going into the game, Hampton held a 26–17–2 all-time record against A&T. In their last two meetings, the Aggies had beaten Hampton by a combined 76-45, including their 45-31 victory last season in Hampton. Both the Aggies and Pirates went into the game with extra time to prepare courtesy of a bye week Hampton also faced the additional challenge of playing an A&T team that is 24-5 at home since 2011.
Tarik Cohen put in a 256-yard performance, including 3 touchdowns in the second half to give the Aggies their victory. His performance in this game broke 2 A&T school records; Cohen surpassed Stoney Polite's (1984–87) 41 career rushing touchdown record and also James White's 25 year record for longest run from scrimmage (89 yards).
Norfolk State
This game marked the 40th meeting between A&T and Norfolk State. Going into the game, The Aggies held a 29-11 all-time record against NSU. In their last meeting, the Aggies defeated the Spartans 27–3 in Norfolk.
Bethune-Cookman
This game marked the 37th meeting between the A&T and Bethune–Cookman. Going into the game, Bethune–Cookman held a 22–15 all-time record against the Aggies. In their last meeting, the Aggies defeated the Wildcats 24–14 in front of a home crowd in Greensboro. The Aggies scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a come-from-behind win over Bethune–Cookman. Tarik Cohen finished the game with 220 yards and three touchdowns, a performance that made him the first player in A&T history to rush for at least 200 yards in three straight games. This game also saw quarterback Lamar Raynard throw for a career-high 277 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Howard
This game marked the 39th meeting between the A&T and Howard. Going into the game, A&T held a 27–20–2 all-time record against Howard. In their last meeting, the Aggies cruised to a 65–14 victory over the Bison in front of sold out Homecoming crowd at Aggie Stadium. The Aggies were able to cruise to a near shutout over Howard in Washington to play spoiler to the Bison's Homecoming. Quarterback Lamar Raynard threw 191 passing yards and 3 touchdowns; while Running back Tarik Cohen ran for 133 yards and 1 touchdown in the winning effort. Cohen's performance put him over 5,000 career rushing yards.
Florida A&M
This game will mark the 64th meeting between the A&T and Florida A&M. Going into the game, Florida A&M holds a 44-17-3 all-time record against the Aggies. In their last meeting, the Aggies defeated the Rattlers 28-10 in Tallahassee.
South Carolina State
This game will mark the 54rd meeting between the A&T and rival South Carolina State. Going into the game, South Carolina State holds a 32-19-2 all-time record against the Aggies. In their last meeting, the Aggies defeated the Bulldogs 9-6 in Orangeburg, SC.
Delaware State
This game marks the 45th meeting between the North Carolina A&T and Delaware State. Going into the game, both teams are tied at 22-22-1 in the all-time record against one another, with Delaware state holding the lead over A&T. In their last meeting, the Aggies tied the series when they defeated the Hornets 27-6 in Greensboro.
North Carolina Central
This game marks the 88th meeting between North Carolina A&T and arch rival North Carolina Central. Going into the game, the Aggies hold a 49–33–5 all-time record against the Eagles. In their last meeting, the Eagles upset the favored Aggies 21-16 in A&T's sole conference loss of the season. The Eagle victory took away sole possession of the MEAC championship from A&T, resulting in a 3-way tie for first place. The MEAC tiebreaker formula would then eliminate the Eagles and name A&T the conference's representative for the inaugural Celebration Bowl against Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Alcorn State.
FCS Playoffs
First Round–Richmond
This game marked the 1st meeting between North Carolina A&T and the University of Richmond. This was the program's fifth appearance in the FCS playoffs and their first at-large berth. A&T earned the playoff berth with combination of their #9 national ranking, their victory over FBS Kent State and their performance against Tulsa. The Aggies' last appearance in the FCS Playoffs was in 2003, losing in the first round to Wofford.
In the lead up to the match up, both the Aggies and Spiders were dealing with depth issues. Both teams suffered losses of their starting quarterbacks, with A&T losing Sophomore Lamar Raynard and Richmond losing Junior Kyle Lauletta. The Aggies started 3rd string Quarterback Oluwafemi Bamiro, while the Spiders tapped sophomore Kevin Johnson to make his season debut.
Johnson threw for 315 yards, including a 35-yard pass and 7-yard scoring run. The spiders were also able to neutralize running back Tarik Cohen, limiting him to only 70 yards from scrimmage and forcing Cohen's first fumble in 528 straight touches without one. Richmond also held the A&T to 226 offensive yards while gaining four turnovers.
Statistics
Post Season As the 2016 college football season neared the end, many organizations began to announce finalists and winners of various past-season awards. Aggie players and coaches appeared on many of these lists. Several players for the Aggies were honored with awards and accolades including Wide Receiver Elijah Bell; Left Tackle Brandon Parker & Running Back Tarik Cohen.