STATS No. 17 2016 record 9–3 (7–1 MEAC) | FCS Coaches No. 17 Offensive coordinator Chip Hester (2nd year) | |
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Conference Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Head coach Rod Broadway (6th year) | ||
The 2016 North Carolina A&T Aggies football team represented North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This season marked the 93rd for the program, which was led by sixth-year head coach Rod Broadway. They played their home games at Aggie Stadium and were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They finished the season 9–3, 7–1 in MEAC play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they lost in the first round to Richmond.
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Previous season
The Aggies finished the season 10–2, 7–1 in MEAC play to finish in a three way tie, earning the school's 8th MEAC Championship and 13th overall. As a result of the MEAC Tiebreaker system, the Aggies were invited to represent the conference in the inaugural Celebration Bowl against Southwestern Athletic Conference Champion Alcorn State. The Aggies defeated Alcorn State earning their 4th Black college football national championship.
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.
Schedule
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.
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.
Senior Tarik Cohen was awarded the Offensive Player of the year award for the third consecutive year, making him the first player in MEAC history to do so. Cohen also became the conference’s all-time leading rusher, as his record-setting 1,588 rushing yards during the season extended his career total to 5,619. Cohen's performance placed him on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, where he ultimately finished fifth in the voting. In addition to setting new School and Conference rushing yardage records, Cohen broke the single-season touchdown record with 19 total. He also tied the school for the single-season rushing touchdowns record with 18; holds numerous school records including: rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and total points at 56, 59 & 339 respectively. Cohen also earned several All-American recognition from a number of organizations and media outlets including: the NCAA, STATS FCS and BoxToRow. He was also named to the 2016 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-American team and he was named a second-team AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-American selection.
In addition to Cohen, Junior Brandon Parker & Freshman Elijah Bell also earned recognition. Parker was named offensive lineman of the year for the second straight season. Parker also earned conference player of the week honors on five separate occasions. Freshman Elijah Bell was also named conference rookie of the year. In his debut season, Bell set a freshmen school record with 8 touchdown passes; and placed near the top of the MEAC in both yards per reception and receiving yardage.
The following A&T players were also named to the All–MEAC First, Second, and Third Teams:
The Aggies finished the 2016 season ranked 20th nationally both the Coaches & Media polls. This marks the 10 time in the program's history, and also the 3rd time this was accomplished in back to back seasons. The team's win over Kent State was the program’s first-ever win over a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision school.