CONWAY, S.C. – Freshman receiver Larry Raper has all the tools to become the playmaker the North Carolina A&T football team has been looking for the past few seasons.

He is confident.

“I came into game knowing this was going to be the game I scored my first touchdown,’’ said Raper, who scored on a 9-yard touchdown run with an end-around that served as the Aggies only score in a 28-7 loss at Coastal Carolina Saturday night.

“My old teammate Tarvorris Jolly is on (Coastal Carolina’s team), and I told him before the game I was going to get a touchdown this game,’’ Raper continued.

He is fast.

“The big difference from high school to the college game is the speed of the game,’’ said Raper. “But it’s not so fast where I can’t use my speed.”

Did we mention he was confident?

The biggest component of a big-play receiver Raper has is the fact that he actually makes big plays. Out of the 12 plays that have gone for more than 20 yards this season for the Aggies, Raper has been a part of three of them, including the 51-yard reception that set up his first collegiate touchdown.

“Larry is the kind of player you definitely want to get the ball to,’’ said senior Aggies quarterback Carlton Fears. “We felt like we could have got him the ball a little bit more tonight, but we’re going to have a few more opportunities throughout the year to get him the ball because it’s only going to help our offense.”

Over the past few seasons, the Aggies only proven big-game threat was running back Michael Ferguson. The 2009 Aggies appear to have a nice collection of young big-play threats. Sophomore running back Mike Mayhew is off to a good start. He has two runs of 50 or more yards this season, including a 56-yard run on Saturday.  Freshman Dontavious Payne has tremendous speed coming out of the backfield and freshman receiver Buster Cooper is another burner.

Once the Aggies obtain a rhythm offensively, the talent of those players should only make Raper a scarier player for opposing defenses.

“You just have to motivate yourself and go out there and make it happen,’’ said Raper. “I know if I get the ball in my hands I can make things happen. I need to work hard to make sure the coaches want to run plays my way.”

Again, he doesn’t lack confidence.