No. 14 North Carolina A&T (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs. No. 6 Jacksonville State (0-0, 0-0 OVC) INTRIGUING TOP-15 FCS MATCHUP SERIES HISTORY APPROACHES FOR A&T Overall: Jacksonville State leads, 2-0 ► North Carolina A&T is coming off a season that The last 10 meetings: was not only the best in school history but also one of N/A the best for any historically black college or university Date: August 25, 2018 In Greensboro: 0-1 in the 39-year history of Division I-AA or FCS. Time: 7 p.m. (EST) In Jacksonville: 0-1 ► The Aggies are the only Mid-Eastern Athletic Neutral Sites: 0-0 Site: Montgomery, Ala. Conference or Division I-HBCU ever to finish unbeat- Washington vs. Jacksonville St.: Stadium: Cramton Bowl en and untied with their 12-0 mark from 2017. 0-0 Live Stats: N/A ► N.C. A&T finished the 2017 season with their TV: ESPN highest national ranking ever as they finished No. 6 Grass vs. A&T: 0-0 Radio: wsjssports.com (play-by-play: in the NCAA FCS Coaches Poll. They enter the 2018 Longest A&T Win Streak: N/A Donal Ware, analyst: Al Swann) season with their highest national preseason ranking Longest JSU Win Streak: 2 A&T: The Aggies are coming off a sea- ever with voters ranking the Aggies preseason No. 14 (1994-95) son where they were the only Division in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Largest A&T Win: N/A I-FCS team to finish undefeated with a ► For the third time in four seasons, the Aggies Largest JSU Win: 11, (9/23/95) 12-0 mark. A&T also came home with will also open the season as the No. 1 team in HBCU Most Points Scored (A&T): 17 their ninth MEAC title, their fifth HBCU football. (9/24/94) ► On the flip side, the Aggies success has also national title and they earned their Most Points Scored (JSU): 24 brought about perhaps the most high-profile sea- second Celebration Bowl win in three (9/24/94) son-opening game in school history. years. But the man at the forefront of ► Sixth-ranked Jacksonville State will be the SERIES RESULTS their success for the past seven years, highest ranked FCS opponent the Aggies have ever Year W/L Site Score Rod Broadway, did retire during the started the season against as the two schools will do 1994 L A 24-17 offseason. battle on ESPN at the Cramton Bowl on Saturday. 1995 L H 21-10 A&T Coach Sam Washington: ► Both team are powers in their respective con- Washington (MVSU ‘82) will make his ferences with the Gamecocks going the past four sea- head-coaching debut on Saturday after sons in the OVC without a loss while the Aggies have spending the past 11 seasons as Rod won the MEAC three times in the past four seasons. Broadway’s right-hand man, four at ► The matchup will end some curiosity about Grambling and seven at A&T. Washing- where the Aggies stand nationally with other Top-25 ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS ton is one of the best defensive minds in FCS schools. The Aggies did not compete in the Address ........................1601 E. Market St. the nation. NCAA FCS playoffs last season because of their Greensboro, NC 27411 Jacksonville State: Jacksonville contractual obligation to the Celebration Bowl as the FB Contact..........................Brian Holloway State is a program N.C. A&T is trying to MEAC champion leaving many to wonder how A&T Email [email protected] emulate because the Gamecocks are a would have faired in last year’s playoffs. Office Phone .....................(336) 285-3608 perennial Top-10 team on the FCS level. ► The only other N.C. A&T team to finish undefeat- Cell ....................................(336) 328-6719 The Gamecocks have one Division II ed in the MEAC was the ‘99 team. The Aggies had Pressbox Phone ................(336) 285-4909 national title (1992) and have not lost a four undefeated seasons in the CIAA — 1950, 1958, Website.............................ncataggies.com OVC game in four seasons. 1959 and 1964. The 2017 team was the first to finish JSU Coach John Grass: Grass undefeated since 1943. The 1924 team was 8-0. is in his fifth season as the Gamecocks ► N.C. A&T won their ninth MEAC title this season. It is the second most in the league behind S.C. @ncataggies head coach. Like Washington, he started State’s 14. The Aggies have 14 conference champi- out as a coordinator (offensive) where onships all together including the five they won while he is now the head coach and had tre- members of the CIAA. N.C. A&T also made their 12th /ncatathletics /ncatathletics mendous success as a coordinator. He postseason appearance last season. took over the head coaching position in ► The Aggies are coming off their third straight 2014 and is 43-8 overall and 31-0 in the postseason appearance after earning an NCAA FCS OVC during that span. JSU was the No. playoff bid in 2016. It is the first time they accom- 2 team in the nation in 2015. plished the feat. GAME 1 • N.C. A&T vs. JACKSONVILLE STATE • AUG. 25, 2018 • CRAMTON BOWL Jacksonville State Saturday, Aug. 25 Cramton Bowl 7 p.m. EST JSU leads, 2-0 Result: TV: ESPN East Carolina Saturday, Sept. 1 2017 STANDINGS Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium 6 p.m. MEAC Overall First Meeting Result: Team W L W L Pct. Stream: ESPN3 N.C. A&T 8 0 12 0 1.000 Howard 6 2 7 4 .636 Gardner-Webb Saturday, Sept. 2 Bethune-Cookman 6 2 7 4 .636 BB&T Stadium 6 p.m. N.C. Central 5 3 7 4 .636 A&T leads, 1-0 Result: Hampton 5 3 6 5 .545 Stream: ncataggies.com Norfolk State 4 4 4 7 .364 Savannah State 3 5 3 8 .273 Morgan State Saturday, Sept. 22 S.C. State 2 6 3 7 .300 BB&T Stadium 6 p.m. Florida A&M 2 6 3 8 .273 MSU leads 43-38-3 Result: Delaware State 2 6 2 9 .182 Stream: ncataggies.com Morgan State 1 7 1 10 .091 S.C. State Thursday, Sept.27 Saturday, August 25 N.C. A&T vs. Jacksonville State, 7 p.m. EST (Guardian FCS Showcase) BB&T Stadium 7 p.m. Thursday, August 30 SCSU leads 32-21-2 Result: Savannah State at UAB, 8 p.m. TV: ESPNU Saturday, September 1 Delaware State Saturday, Oct. 6 Howard at Ohio, 2 p.m. Alumni Stadium 7 p.m. Virginia State at Norfolk State, 6 p.m. A&T leads 24-22-1 Result: N.C. A&T at ECU, 6 p.m. Stream: N/A Delaware State at Buffalo, 6 p.m. S.C. State at Georgia Southern, 6 p.m. Florida A&M Saturday, Oct. 13 Bethune-Cookman at Tennessee State, 7 p.m. BB&T Stadium 1 p.m. Sunday, September 2 FAMU leads 44-19-3 Result: Prairie View at N.C. Central, 12 p.m. Stream: ncataggies.com Saturday, September 8 Delaware State at St. Francis, 12 p.m. Howard at Kent State, 3:30 p.m. Bethune-Cookman Saturday, Oct. 20 Morgan State at Akron, 3:30 p.m. Municipal Stadium 4 p.m. Virginia Lynchburg at Bethune-Cookman, 4 p.m. BCU leads 22-17 Result: Savannah State at Miami, 6 p.m. Stream: bcuathletics.com S.C. State at UCF, 6 p.m. St. Augustine’s at NCCU, 6 p.m. James Madison at Norfolk St., 6 p.m. Norfolk State Saturday, Nov. 3 Gardner-Webb at N.C. A&T, 6 p.m. BB&T Stadium 1 p.m. Florida A&M at Troy, 7 p.m. A&T leads 31-11 Result: North Carolina A&T Football Coaching Staff Stream: www.ncataggies.com Head coach......................... ....................Sam Washington (MVSU ‘82) Savannah State Saturday, Nov. 10 (0-0, 1st season at A&T), (0-0, 1st season overall) Wright Stadium 1 p.m. Offensive Coordinator/QBs..................Chris Barnette (Guilford ‘07) A&T leads 3-0 Result: Defensive Line/Co-Defensive Coordinator.....Courtney Coard (NCCU ‘08) Running Backs/Special Teams.....................Shawn Gibbs (NCCU) Stream: www.ssuathletics.com Secondary......................................Thomas Howard (Morehouse ‘03) Outside Linebackers...............................Terry Lantz (Louisville ‘91) N.C. Central Saturday, Nov. 17 Inside Linebackers.............................Denzel Jones (N.C. A&T ‘15) O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium 2 p.m. Offensive Line................................................Ron Mattes (UVA ‘85) A&T leads 50-34-5 Result: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends............Matt Pawlowski (Guilford College ‘16) Strength and Conditioning................ Cedric Walthaw (Ole Miss ‘96) Stream: www.nccueaglepride.com Office Phone......................................................... (336) 285-4260 GAME 1 • N.C. A&T vs. JACKSONVILLE STATE • AUG. 25, 2018 • CRAMTON BOWL 2018 WEEKLY HONORS MEAC Defensive Player of the Week FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week MEAC Special Teams Player of the Week FCS National Freshman Player of the Week MEAC Weekly Teleconference MEAC Offensive Player of the Week The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will hold its weekly football teleconference each Tuesday at MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week 10 a.m. to 11:43 a.m. N.C. A&T head coach Rod Broadway begins his session at 11:33 a.m., each MEAC Rookie of the Week Tuesday. The media may contact the MEAC media relations office at [email protected] to get the phone number. MEAC Football Coaches Schedule 10:00.......................................................MEAC Notes 10:03............................Ernest Jones (Morgan State) 10:13............................Willie Simmons (Florida A&M) 10:23.........................Terry Sims (Bethune-Cookman) 10:33..........................Rod Milstead (Delaware State) 10:43.......................................Mike London (Howard) 10:53................................Latrell Scott (Norfolk State) N.C.