North Carolina Central University

FOOTBALL

     DURHAM, N.C. - The North Carolina Central University defense pitched its second consecutive shutout during a 6-0 victory over Saint Augustine's College on Saturday at NCCU's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. NCCU improves to 2-1, while St. Augustine's falls to 0-2.
     The Eagles' defense forced two turnovers, held the Falcons to 226 total yards and, more importantly, kept the opposition out of the end zone. St. Augustine's, however, made things interesting with a last-ditch 12-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 16-yard run by third-string quarterback Kevin Williams to the NCCU 12-yard line on the game's final play.
     NCCU's offense, which was held to zero yards of total offense on 24 plays in the first half, posted 148 total yards after intermission, including 123 through the air.
     The lone score of the contest came with 10:08 left in the third quarter when NCCU sophomore quarterback Stadford Brown connected with junior receiver Wayne Blackwell for a 21-yard touchdown strike. The extra-point conversion failed after a low snap from center and a rush attempt by the holder Craig Amos.
     The St. Augustine's offense, which crossed midfield only four times, pushed the pigskin into the red zone only once - on the final play of the game.
     Defensively, NCCU was topped by senior linebacker D.J Fretwell with nine tackles, while senior cornerback Craig Amos recorded seven takedowns and an interception, senior linebacker Derrick Ray tallied seven tackles with two hits for a loss, senior end Xavier Joe collected seven tackles with two sacks and two quarterback hurries, and senior linebacker Eric Ray added six solo takedowns with four hits behind the line of scrimmage.
     The SAC defense was charged by junior end Marcus Crump with a game-high 12 tackles, including 1.5 sacks. The Falcon offense was paced by running back Arnold Mullins with 77 yards rushing on 20 carries, while starting quarterback Anthony Brown completed 6-of-15 passes for 87 yards with an interception and receiver Tim Lovick caught three balls for 75 yards. 
     NCCU signal caller Brown completed 8-of-23 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, including two receptions for 72 yards by junior Will Scott.