North Carolina A&T’s offense stood at center stage Saturday in the inaugural Celebration Bowl after taking a backseat to the Aggies’ nationally ranked defensive unit all season.
With junior running back Tarik Cohen running rings around the Alcorn State defense North Carolina A&T held on for a 41-34 nationally televised (ABC) victory at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta to clinch the 2015 Black College National Championship. Cohen, the two-time MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, ran for 295 yards and scored three touchdowns on runs of 84, 73 and 74 yards en route to earning MVP honors.
“We’ve said all along Tarik’s special,” said North Carolina Coach Rod Broadway. “I guess the nation got a chance to see what we’ve been looking at what he is capable of doing for three years now. He had a big game for us, and we needed it.’’
Cohen’s performance was the fourth 200-yard plus game of his career, his seventh consecutive game with 100 or more rushing yards and the 21st time he has surpassed the century mark during his career. He also caught two passes for 53 yards.
“He was a difference-maker in the football game,” Alcorn coach Jay Hopson said. “A couple of times we had him wrapped up and he made a play, but you have to give great players credit. He stood up and made big plays.”
Cohen wasn’t the only big-play maker for the Aggies. Khris Gardin jump-started North Carolina A&T with a first period 74-yard punt return touchdown for the game’s first points. Gardin broke the FCS record for return yards in a season with 814 on that play.
Alcorn matched Gardin’s touchdown with an Anthony Williams 84-yard score on a punt return that made the score 7-6 following a botched extra point attempt. Cohen ripped off long touchdown runs on each of the Aggies next two possessions, and Cody Jones added a 45-yard field goal to give the Aggies a 24-6 lead early in the second quarter.
Alcorn battled back and tied the score 27-all and again at 34-all. Cohen gave North Carolina A&T its final lead with his third touchdown run, a 74-yarder, with 4:17 remaining.