WACO, Texas – Following another campaign that saw gaudy numbers that made defenses stand up and take note, Alabama A&M football has been recognized as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Minority Offensive Staff of the Year as announced at the organization's annual convention earlier this month.
 
Presented to the staff of the top offensive unit in the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) ranks, the award certainly hit its mark with the Fall 2021 edition of the Bulldogs.
 
"It's a testament to the hard work of the guys," said offensive coordinator Duane Taylor. "You are only as good as your players and they listened and bought in. We were blessed with a quarterback who understands football and our entire offensive staff did a great job and coach [Connell] Maynor showed the trust in us and the system. This is the first time the award has been given out and we're very excited to be recognized and to keep building."
 
Over the course of a 10-game season that saw them go 7-3, Alabama A&M's offense notched six marks within the Top-15 in the NCAA National Stats, with four of those coming in the Top-10. Leading the way was a No. 3 ranking in Fourth Down Conversion (.727) followed by the No. 4 Passing Offense (367.2) and No. 7 Scoring Offense (37.9).
 
They also ranked No. 5 in Passing Efficiency (159.42), No. 13 in Passing Yards Per Completion (13.86), No. 23 in First Down Offense (252) and No. 18 in Red Zone Offense (.875). Every single one of those categories also led the SWAC. For good measure, A&M finished No. 21 in Completion Percentage (.624), good for second in the league, and No. 19 in Time of Possession (32:17) which was third in the SWAC.
 
That offensive firepower would be on full display throughout the course of the season as the Bulldogs scored at least 30 points in eight of their 10 games, including 40 or better six times. That would be highlighted by a season ending stretch of four straight games of the latter that saw them average 47.0 points per game, capped by back-to-back 52-point outings.
 
That performance marked just the second time since the program moved to NCAA Division I in 1999 that they scored 50 or more points in consecutive games. That equaled the performance of the 2003 team that had a 50-10 win over Prairie View (9/27/03) and a 63-0 demolition of Texas Southern (10/4/03). The Fall 2021 campaign was also the first to record multiple 50-point games since that 2003 season 18 years prior.
 
In addition to those lofty accomplishments, Alabama A&M produced numerous award winners on the offensive side of the ball, led by graduate quarterback Aqeel Glass (St. Louis, Mo.). In a year that saw him throw for 3,568 yards and 36 touchdowns with an average of 356.8 per game, the 6-5 National Football League (NFL) prospect finished ninth in the Walter Payton Award voting representing the nation's best player at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
 
He would also earn Stats Perform FCS Third-Team and BOXTOROW All-American honors while being named the Offensive Player of the Year for both BOXTOROW and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), the latter for a second straight year.
 
Offensively, Glass was among four BOXTOROW All-Americans, five All-SWAC selections (four First-Team) and eight Phil Steele All-SWAC honorees along with five SWAC weekly honorees and a BOXTOROW National Player of the Week nod. He also remains a finalist for the Deacon Jones Award as the Black College Football Player of the Year, an award he brought home following the Spring 2021 season.
 
The Alabama A&M Fall 2021 offensive coaching staff, led by offensive coordinator Duane Taylor, consisted of running backs coach Fred T. Farrier, offensive line coach Markus Lawrence, quarterbacks coach Jason Mai, tight ends and fullbacks coach Bobby Turner and graduate assistant Eric Caler.