Football is back in Aggie Land! Well for the Spring that is; as the North Carolina Agriculture & Technical State University football team held their annual Blue vs Gold Spring Game last Sunday afternoon. There were some big plays, a multitude of standout players and a few big hits, so let’s hop right in!
Expectations for first season head coach Sam Washington’s football team are exceptionally high as the Aggies are following a 12-0 undefeated regular season, a Middle Eastern Atlantic Conference championship and a celebration bowl title; being the first MEAC team to finish unbeaten since the conference was born in 1971.
Washington whom taken over the reigns as the Aggies head football coach; has been the defensive coordinator for the Aggies and has established himself as one of the best defensive minds in all of college football. Since Washington’s arrival in 2012, the Aggies has never finished outside of the top 30 in total defense nationally. Even better, under Washington the Aggies defense has been no. 1 in the conference twice, has had the no.1 run defense four times and on two separate occasions the Aggies ended the season being the No.1 scoring defense . So for Washington, this Spring Game served as an opportunity to instill his mark on the team collectively, and to focus on player development.
Washington watched every play from the middle of the field, lined up 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage, hands stuffed in his front pockets of his blue-and-gold Aggies windbreaker. He saw everything and but said very little.
Despite losing Senior All American LT Brandon Parker, the Aggies are still equipped with more firepower than the US Army. Reigning MEAC offensive player of the year Lamar Raynard aka Captain America will be back under center this upcoming year. Last season Raynard threw for 27 touches and was only intercepted 7 times; with an exceptional passer rating of 162.2. Despite being a bigger quarterback, standing at 6’4, Raynard can stay in the pocket and pick the defense apart, but what makes Raynard truly scary is his mobility and his accuracy throwing on the run. Raynard has a plethora of Wide Receivers in his stable and boy are they big and fast!
Last season Elijah Bell was a human highlight reel, with 64 catches nearly 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns.. and guess what? He was only a sophomore; but Bell is far from being A&T’s only talented receiver. As for wide outs Ron Hunt and Zach Leslie are poised to have break out seasons. Both Hunt and Leslie posses good hands and speed for their bigger frame. The receiver group this year will be the most psychical and athletic receiving core in the whole MEAC. Hunt made the biggest play of the game as he caught a strike from QB Lamar Raynard up the seam; almost taking it the house. Hunt made sure he made an impact on the play, lowering his shoulder and bulldozing a defender before being taken down. After Hunt’s play, the stands and the players let out a collective “WOOH”
Nobody cares who wins a Spring Game, but just for notes sake the Aggie Blue defeated Aggie Gold 13-3 in a 90 play controlled scrimmage. It was very interesting to see which less decorated players would emerge from the group and stand out . Backup running back Darius Graves, a redshirt sophomore from Dudley looked very good. He has a shiftiness to his game, his quickness, and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield reminds me of a Darren Sproles -like weapon. Put Graves speed in the backfield paired with Marquell “Baby Ricky Williams Cartwright’s downhill running style, the Aggies’ backfield will be a weapon of mass destruction.
What stands out about Marquell Cartwright play is that doesn’t run from contact, he looks for it, he loves it actually , and if you are a smart man, you will make a business decision and get out of his way before he bulldozes right over you. Despite being a bigger back, Cartwright has exceptionally quick feet and quickness . Watching him hit jump cuts in the hole is like watching a ballet. Such a thing of beauty.
WR Elijah Bell didn’t play in Sunday’s spring game due to some nagging injuries which gave players like Hunt, Leslie, and WR Malik Wilson the opportunity to showcase their skillset.
On the defensive side of the ball the first team defenses played exceptionally sharp. Redshirt sophomore Darryl Johnson was all over the place. If he was not making a tackle he was right around the ball. Johnson is listed as a Defensive End, but one some plays he would stand up and play as a 3-4 outside linebacker, and man was that a pretty sight to see. Standing at 6’5 and weighing at 225 pounds, Johnson not only has great size but he is faster than a speeding bullet. In the backfield still holding it down was All-America cornerback Mac McCain, which pitched a shutout until Noel Ruiz kicked a short field goal on the last play of the day.
The only question mark that surrounds the Aggies is the depth offensive line . The Aggies must replace four of their five starting offensive linemen. Only right tackle Marcus Pettiford, a junior who started 10 games last season, is back. The pass rush was able to get to the QB’s from time to time, but the offensive line’s run blocking looked amazing, opening up hole wide enough for a train to run through. Everybody loves the “sexy” skill positions, but any football guru knows that a team is only as good as their offensive line.
Spring Games aren’t so much about winning and losing, it’s all about developing players. There’s plenty of time for Coach Washington to fix the chinks in the football team’s armor so , get ready Aggies football fans because N.C A&T looks like they have a dynasty on their hands
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