Aggies Aim to Double Down on FBS Wins in Back-to-Back Weeks
(Courtesy of Matt Johnson, covering N.C. A&T Athletics for GreensboroSports.com)
Saturday night’s contest between North Carolina A&T (2-0) and Kent State (0-2) began with a flash, and ended with fireworks for the Aggies. After the game was delayed two hours due to lightning, it set up a long night of football in Kent, Ohio, where the Aggies earned their first victory in school history against a Division 1-FBS opponent, after losing their first three by a combined 39.7 points per game.
Senior running back Tarik Cohen, who had a game-high 258 all-purpose yards on the day, capped his huge day with the game tying score to match the Golden Flashes at 17 with 5:50 remaining in the game. Cohen ran for 133 yards on 24 carries and caught nine passes for 125 yards to lead the charge for the Aggies offense.
Fifth-year senior third string quarterback Oluwafemi Bamiro stepped into the spotlight as well, completing 7-14 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns, including the 15-yard game winner to Denzel Keyes in the fourth overtime, and was not intercepted.
Junior linebacker Jeremy Taylor was a force all game for the Aggies defense, helping lead the way to just 17 points allowed by the N.C. A&T defense heading into overtime. Taylor had a game-high 15 total tackles, four for a loss, two sacks, a forced and recovered fumble, and an interception.
In the fourth overtime, down 36-33 and two plays after getting a new set of downs from a defensive penalty, Bamiro found Keyes for the game winning score from the 15-yard line.
Next up, the Aggies hit the road for Tulsa, Oklahoma where they will meet their second straight Division I-FBS opponent the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-1). Last week, Tulsa traveled to third ranked team in the nation Ohio State, in what was a runaway game for the Buckeyes 48-3.
The ground attack should play a big part for both sides. In week one, Tulsa defeated San Jose State 45-10 while compiling 305 rushing yards as a team. For N.C. A&T, Tarik Cohen ran hard and the offensive line paved the way for over 160 yards on the ground against Kent State.
The N.C. A&T offense must protect the football this week, as Tulsa was able to capitalize twice on turnovers, returning an interception and a fumble for touchdowns in their week one victory over San Jose State. And although N.C. A&T was able to pull off the huge victory, the Aggies committed four turnovers and allowed 17 points off those turnovers to Kent State.
North Carolina A&T travels to Tulsa this Saturday to take on the Golden Hurricane at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium with kickoff at 2:00 p.m.
Matt Johnson is a broadcaster for Averett University Football. To view one of his broadcasts, go to www.averettcougars.com or search for Averett athletics on YouTube.