NC A&T wins 11th straight, tops NC Central for MEAC title

GREENSBORO, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Lamar Raynard threw for one touchdown and had 193 yards of total offense as FCS-ranked No. 7 North Carolina A&T beat North Carolina Central 24-10 on Saturday for the outright Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title.

The Aggies' ninth MEAC title came in their first undefeated season. They also ended the Eagles' three-year win streak in the rivalry.

Raynard was 10-of-18 passing for 153 yards and he added 40 on seven carries. Jamari Smith added 99 yards rushing and Marquell Cartwright had 60 yards on the ground with two scores for NC A&T (11-0, 8-0).

FCS All-American pick Brandon Parker proposed to his girlfriend before the game and she said yes. The 6-foot-7, 309-pound Aggies offensive lineman is a two-time MEAC offensive lineman of the year.

Isaiah Totten had 61 yards rushing and a touchdown for NC Central, which finishes the season 7-4 overall, 5-3 in the conference. His 3-yard score pulled the Eagles within 21-10 with 1:16 left in the third quarter. A&M's Noel Ruiz capped the scoring with a 31-yard field goal midway through the fourth.

NCCU posted 215 total yards with freshman quarterback Chauncey Caldwell passing for 129 yards.

Senior receiver Jacen Murphy recorded seven catches for 55 yards, becoming just the third Eagle in school history to achieve 60 receptions in a single season.

Senior linebacker Reggie Hunter topped NCCU with 13 tackles to wrap up his career with 245 stops, which ranks 11th on the Eagles' career tackles list.

Senior punter Nathaniel Tilque averaged 44.4 yards per punt on Saturday. His seven punts for 311 yards makes him the only Eagle to surpass 10,000 career punting yards, completing his NCCU tenure with a school record 10,007 yards.

Another NCCU record was broken on Saturday, as junior kicker Aedan Johnson made a 52-yard field goal on the last play of the first half, the longest field goal in school history topping Brandon Gilbert's game-winning 51-yard field goal to win the 2006 CIAA championship game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.