NORFOLK, Va. – North Carolina A&T State quarterback Lamar Raynard was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Player of the Week, the conference announced today. North Carolina A&T State’s Jeremy Taylor was named the Defensive Player of the Week while Bethune-Cookman’s Dwayne Brown was named Offensive Lineman of the Week. North Carolina A&T State placekicker Noel Ruiz was selected as the league’s Rookie of the Week while North Carolina Central punter Nathaniel Tilque was named Specialist of the Week.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
LAMAR RAYNARD
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE
QB
6-4, 200, R-Jr.
HIGH POINT, N.C.
Raynard led the Aggies to their fifth straight win as North Carolina A&T State defeated SC State 21-7 on Saturday evening. The redshirt junior, who was the top passer in the MEAC over the weekend, threw for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 18-of-31 passing, including a 71-yard toss in the third quarter.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JEREMY TAYLOR
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE
LB
5-11, 190, R-Sr.
KINSTON, N.C.
Taylor forced three turnovers in Saturday’s win at SC State. Taylor’s first forced fumble in the second quarter prevented an SC State touchdown deep in A&T territory. Late in the third quarter, Taylor’s second forced fumble stopped another SC State scoring threat on the Aggies’ side of the field followed by a back-breaking interception with 2:38 left in the fourth quarter.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN OF THE WEEK
DWAYNE BROWN
BETHUNE-COOKMAN
OL
6-3, 339, R-Jr.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.
Brown graded out at 92 percent on all assignments in a MEAC home win over Savannah State. He saw action on 96 percent of all plays ran on the afternoon and helped block for a pair of 100-yard rushers. In all, he helped anchor an offensive line that paved the way for a season-high 293 rushing yards in the victory.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
NOEL RUIZ
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE
PK
6-0, 165, Fr.
WILSON, N.C.
Ruiz accounted for nine of North Carolina A&T State’s 21 points on Saturday as the true freshman finished 3-for-3 in field goal attempts. Ruiz booted field goals of 41, 36 and 27 yards with the first two occurring in the first half.
SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
NATHANIEL TILQUE
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
P
6-2, 190, Sr.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Tilque had a solid night as he played a pivotal role in field position with a 43-yard average on seven punts. The senior from Charlotte placed five punts inside the 20-yard line with three punts spanning 50-plus yards. His final punt of the game, a 50-yarder in the fourth quarter, set up the Eagle defense to make a stop deep in Florida A&M territory which led to the game-winning touchdown on the ensuing NCCU offensive possession.
NOTABLE PERFORMERS
Devin Bowers (RB/Florida A&M)
Bowers had a hand in both of Florida A&M’s touchdowns this past Thursday. He rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown versus North Carolina Central in addition to a three-yard touchdown pass.
Marquis Ford (DE/Bethune-Cookman)
Ford registered five tackles and a half-sack in Bethune-Cookman’s win over Savannah State.
Brandon Parker (LT/North Carolina A&T State)
Parker helped the Aggies produce more than 400 yards of offense for the fifth straight consecutive contest following the win at SC State. He also logged four pancake blocks and graded out at 89 percent.
Elijah Price (DE/ Florida A&M)
Richardson recorded six tackles (5 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks for a loss of 14 yards against North Carolina Central.
Davante Reynolds (DB/North Carolina Central)
Reynolds returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown and finished with four tackles in the win at Florida A&M.
Diquan Richardson (SAF/Bethune-Cookman)
Richardson collected a team-high tying seven tackles, including five primary stops from his safety position on the field in the win over Savannah State.
Jamaruz Thompkins (RB/B-CU)
Thompkins has a career-best game of 126 yards rushing and a touchdown in a MEAC home win for the Wildcats.
Courtesy: MEAC
