No. 22 North Carolina A&T (8-3, 6-2 MEAC) vs. Alcorn State (9-3, 6-1 SWAC)
Date: Saturday, December 21, 2019
Time: 12 p.m.
Series: A&T leads, 2-1
TV Stream: ABC  
ESPN Triad Radio: Donal Ware (play-by-play), Al Swann (analyst)
ABC: Mark Jones (play-by-play); Jay Walker (analyst), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Roddy Jones (sideline), Tiffany Green (sideline).

Aggie Game Notes
Roscoe Nance MEAC Story

Radio Stations: 1320 AM/93.7 FM Greensboro; 1230 AM/104.9 High Point; 920 AM/104.5 FM Burlington
North Carolina A&T is on the brink of making history. They have a chance to win their third straight national title and their fourth in the last five years. Winston-Salem State won three straight HBCU national titles from 2011-13 but what will make the Aggies 3-peat unique if they are to pull it off is that no one voted to make them national champions. The Aggies would have gone on national television three straight years and defeated a worthy opponent with everything on the line to win the natty's.

N.C. A&T's journeys to those national championships have been interesting. In 2015, the Aggies lost their final game of the season to archrival N.C. Central to fall into a first-place tie for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship, but thanks to strength of schedule they won the tiebreaker and eventually beat Alcorn State 41-34 in the Celebration Bowl.
In 2017, the Aggies had a historic season by going 12-0 with their perfection culminating in a 21-14 win over Grambling State in Atlanta. In 2018, the Aggies had their backs against the wall needing four consecutive wins to reach the Celebration Bowl. They won all four by double-figures to advance to play Alcorn State where they won 24-22.

The Aggies have a diverse offense headed by graduate quarterback Kylil Carter who is making his fourth trip to Atlanta for the Celebration Bowl. Carter played in the game as a true freshman in 2015. He served as Lamar Raynard's backup in 2017 and he was injured for the 2018 game. His weapons include the Aggies all-time leader in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and receptions in Elijah Bell along with 6-foot-3 Zachary Leslie and University of South Carolina transfer Korey Banks.

If his weapons in the passing game is not impressive enough, he can also turn and hand the ball off to one of the best running backs in the nation in Jah-Maine Martin. Martin finished seventh in the voting for FCS offensive player of the year (Walter Payton Award) and he is a finalist for the Black College Football Player of the Year Award (Deacon Jones Trophy) to be awarded in February.

The Carter-led offense comes into the game ranked No. 1 in scoring offense, rushing offense and total offense. On the flip side, the Alcorn State Braves will have to go up against the No. 1 defense in the country.

They will do so with one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Felix Harper. Harper is seventh in the country in passing efficiency, eighth in yards per attempt and 10^th in touchdown passes. He has an assortment of tall wide receivers including Chris Blair (6-foot-3), LeCharles Pringle (6-foot) and Raidarious Randle (6-foot-5).

News & Notes 

• In their previous two Celebration Bowl contest with Alcorn State, the Aggies have been able to get off to big leads only to see the Braves erase those leads. In 2015, the Aggies led 24-6 before the Braves tied the game at 34 and running back Tarik Cohen would go on to score on a game-winning 73-yard touchdown run. Last season, the Aggies led 17-3 before the Braves before the Braves rallied to make it 17-16. Kick returner Malik Wilson answered with a 79-yard kickoff return that eventually helped the Aggies win 24-22.
• The Aggies added five more players to their collection of college graduates on the current roster. Last weekend at the Greensboro Coliseum, cornerbacks Derrek Williams and Mac McCain III, linebacker Elijah Westbrook, wide receiver Ron Hunt and running back Darius Graves. Before last Saturday, quarterback Kylil Carter, defensive lineman Justin Cates and punter James Mackey had already received their degrees.
•  If the Aggies lead the MEAC in total defense this season it will mark the fifth straight they have done so. It will be there sixth time doing so in the past nine seasons. The Aggies are also looking to lead the MEAC in rushing defense for the fifth straight season and the eighth time in the past nine years.
• The Aggies will be going after their 79^th win of the decade on Saturday afternoon. If N.C. A&T's wins, the 2010's will miss being the best decade in N.C. A&T history by one game. The 1990's Aggies won 80 games. But it is still not bad considering they started the decade with one win in 2010.

Statistical Category	A&T	Alcorn State
Total Offense	430.8 (1st)	402.8 (7th)
Total Defense	270.4 (1st)	336.0 (1st)
Rushing Offense	237.0 (1st)	158.3 (6th)
Rushing Defense	76.4 (1st)	137.8 (2nd)
Pass Offense	194.0 (5th)	244.5 (5th)
Pass Defense	223.0 (2nd)	198.3 (3rd)
Scoring Offense	35.7 (1st)	32.8 (4th)
Scoring Defense	18.6 (1st)	19.7 (1st)

 
Opposing Point of View
"It's going to be a hard-fought ballgame. I think coach (Sam Washington) has done a phenomenal job with the Aggies to get back here again, so I told the players we have unfinished business. We just need to come out and play hard and do the right things that win ballgames. And that's executing and playing fast to the football."