North Carolina Central University

FOOTBALL

THE GAME: Saint Augustine's College "Falcons" at North Carolina Central University “Eagles”

THE KICKOFF: Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007 – Kickoff at 6:00 p.m. 

THE SITE: O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium – Durham, N.C. (10,000) 

2007 RECORDS:  St. Augustine's (0-1 overall, 0-0 CIAA); NCCU (1-1 overall) 

THE EVENT: The NCCU Department of Athletes pays tribute to the “$1,000 Eagles” donors with a special halftime recognition during “$1,000 Eagles Day.”

THE SERIES: This will be the 29th meeting between NCCU and St. Augustine’s, since the first contest in 1924.  The Eagles hold a 25-2-1 overall advantage in the series. The two teams have split the past four meetings, with NCCU winning both games in Raleigh and SAC winning both games in Durham. The Eagles have not beaten the Falcons in Durham since a 25-0 victory on Oct. 10, 1964. St. Augustine’s stopped playing football in 1967, then reinstated the program in 2002. The tie game occurred on Oct. 9, 1965, a 12-12 final in Raleigh, N.C. 

 LAST FIVE MEETINGS:
 Oct. 7, 2006 – NCCU 27, SAC 18 (Raleigh, NC)
 Oct. 1, 2005 – SAC 22, NCCU 8 (Durham, NC)
 Oct. 2, 2004 – NCCU 10, SAC 7 (Raleigh, NC)
 Oct. 11, 2003 – SAC 34, NCCU 31 (Durham, NC)
 Oct. 5, 2002 – NCCU 28, SAC 0 (Raleigh, NC)

LAST MEETING BETWEEN NCCU, ST. AUGUSTINE'S: (Oct. 7, 2006 - NCCU 27, SAC 18 – Raleigh, NC) North Carolina Central University, after leading 27-6 in the fourth quarter, allowed two late touchdowns, including a 75-yard punt return, but held on to defeat Saint Augustine's College 27-18 in Raleigh, N.C. NCCU, who tops the CIAA in scoring defense (12.2 points per game ) and rushing defense (70.8), dominated a porous Saint Augustine's offense for three quarters, limiting them to just 87 total yards in the first three frames. The Eagle defense was led by linebacker Naim Adbul-Malik, who recorded six tackles and an interception return for 35 yards. NCCU linebacker Derrick Ray added four tackles, including three hits for a loss, while D.J Fretwell amassed six tackles and recovered one fumble. The Eagles jumped out to an early 7-0 lead when quarterback Stadford Brown connected with wide receiver Charles Futrell from 10 yards out in the right corner of the end zone at Broughton High School at the 8:53 mark of the first stanza. Junior place kicker Brandon Gilbert capped off a 10-play drive by connecting on a 36-yard field goal to give NCCU a 10-0 advantage with 2:32 left in the first quarter. With just 54 seconds remaining in the first quarter, defensive back Craig Amos intercepted a SAC quarterback Kevin Johnson pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown, his second of the season. Senior wide receiver Julius McClellan streaked down the right sideline and caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Brown, giving NCCU a 24-0 lead with just 1:33 minutes left in the first half. After allowing a 27-yard touchdown pass from back-up quarterback Duane Smith to tight end Eric McLaughlin with just 53 seconds left before the break, NCCU led at halftime 24-6. Neither team managed a score in the third quarter, but NCCU added another Gilbert field goal early in the fourth quarter as he connected from 22 yards out. Senior Andre McGlone then sparked the Falcons with a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown with 5:05 left in the game to narrow the gap to 27-12. SAC recovered the ensuing on-side kick and drove 50 yards with just three plays, capped by an 11-yard connection from Smith to McLaughlin, to make things interesting with 3:57 on the clock. Smith's pass attempt on the two-point conversion missed the mark, keeping the score 27-18. The Falcons attempted a second straight on-side kick, but NCCU rookie Micguel Johnson recovered to seal the victory. Brown and the NCCU passing attack, which averaged 238.2 yards per game, was limited to just 147 yards. Brown completed 12-of-29 attempts for 147 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Entering the contest, Brown had only thrown three interceptions in his previous five games. For the second consecutive game, sophomore running back Jeff Toliver led NCCU in rushing, carrying the ball 14 times for 57 yards. Senior running back Greg Pruitt, Jr. rushed nine times for 55 yards, while senior running back Corey Brown carried the ball four times for 45 yards. SAC was paced by Smith, a wide receiver who replaced starting quarterback Kevin Johnson in the second quarter and connected on 13-of-23 attempts for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Rashard Wilson had five catches for 41 yards, and McLaughlin added three catches for 64 yards, including his two touchdown receptions. 

LAST WEEK FOR NCCU: (Sept. 2, 2007 - NCCU 17, Fayetteville State 0 – Durham, NC) North Carolina Central University blanked Fayetteville State University, 17-0, as the Eagles won their Division I-FCS home opener with solid performances in all three phases of the game during the annual Labor Day Classic on Sunday at NCCU's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. NCCU (1-1) had a balanced offensive attack with 296 yards of total offense, including 154 yards on the ground and 142 yards through the air. The Eagles' defense kept the Broncos from scoring by forcing five turnovers with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. On special teams, NCCU blocked three kicks, including a punt and two field goal attempts, while senior place-kicker Brandon Gilbert made two extra points and a field goal to become the school's all-time leading scorer. Gilbert now has 234 career points as he passed former All-American wide receiver Robert Clark, who amassed 232 career points from 1983-86, on NCCU's all-time career scoring list with a fourth quarter 22-yard field goal. Gilbert also extended his consecutive extra-point kicks streak to 83 in-a-row. NCCU sophomore quarterback Stadford Brown completed 14-of-22 passes for 142 yards and two touchdown passes, both caught by junior receiver Will Scott, who finished with five receptions for 53 yards and the two scores. Brown's first touchdown pass was a 6-yard strike to Scott with 5:42 left in the second quarter to cap a 12-play, 80-yard drive that used 6:55 of the game clock. On Fayetteville State's next possession, NCCU senior safety Darren Brothers forced a fumble that was scooped up by senior cornerback Craig Amos and returned 40 yards to the FSU 15-yard line. On the Eagles' first play from scrimmage, Brown lofted a fade pass to the back corner of the end zone where Scott made an over-the-shoulder catch to put NCCU ahead 14-0 with 3:50 remaining before intermission. FSU (0-2) managed to move the pigskin into the red zone twice, getting to the 8-yard line before a fumble and to the 5-yard line that ended with a blocked field goal. Late in the fourth quarter, NCCU rookie punter Taylor Gray knocked a 44-yard punt out-of-bounds at the Broncos' 1-yard line. On FSU's first play, senior quarterback Jay Autry threw an interception to Amos, giving the Eagles the ball on the 11-yard line. After three rushes netted seven yards, Gilbert strolled on the field to make history with a 22-yard chip shot with 27 seconds left in the contest. If not for Gilbert's record-setting performance, the day belonged to Amos, who finished with four tackles (three solo), two blocked field goals, two fumble recoveries for 40 yards, an interception (he had another interception in the third quarter negated by a roughing the passer penalty), and a pass break-up. A few other Eagle defenders posted big games, as well. NCCU senior lineman Courtney Coard led the team with eight tackles, including a sack. Brothers finished with six tackles (four solo), two interceptions, another pass break-up and a forced fumble. Red-shirt freshman Tim Shankle topped the Eagles ground game with 72 yards on 18 carries, while senior Jeff Toliver added 47 yards on eight rushes before leaving the game with a right foot sprain. FSU finished with 219 yards of total offense with 92 rushing yards and 127 passing yards. Autry was 5-of-12 for 80 yards with two interceptions, while freshman quarterback Ben Williams completed 5-of-11 passes for 47 yards and an interception. Freshman running back Richard Medlin ran for a team-high 59 yards on 16 attempts. The Broncos' defense was topped by junior linebacker Terrel Allen with 11 tackles, including 2.5 hits for a loss, while sophomore safety Jeff Gowdy recorded 10 tackles (five solo). Sunday's victory marked the first career win for NCCU head coach Mose Rison.

LAST WEEK FOR SAINT AUGUSTINE'S: (Sept. 1, 2007 – Mars Hill 22, St. Augustine's 9 – Raleigh, NC) Mars Hill College scored all of its points off Saint Augustine’s College’s mistakes in a 22-9 non-conference football victory over the Falcons at Broughton High School. The contest was the season-opener for both teams. Mars Hill scored 13 points off three Falcon interceptions, and a safety and free kick led to nine more points. A fumble in the end zone prevented the Falcons from scoring a touchdown. On the Falcons’ first series, quarterback Brandon Franklin (Kannapolis, NC) connected with Tim Lovick (Garner, NC) for 47 yards on a trick play to the Mars Hill two-yard line. Two plays later, the Falcons fumbled in the end zone. Mars Hill scored on a safety with 5:24 in the first quarter for a 2-0 lead. After Mars Hill received the free kick, Chappell Rose capped a five-play drive with a 17-yard touchdown run at the 4:18 mark of the first quarter. Chase Harris kicked the extra point for a 9-0 lead. The Falcons cut the deficit to 9-6 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Franklin with no time remaining in the first half. In the opening minutes of the second half, Franklin tossed an interception which set up Chappell Rose’s two-yard scoring run. Harris converted the extra point to give Mars Hill a 16-6 lead. On the next series, Harris connected on a 37-yard field goal following Franklin’s second interception for a 19-6 Lions’ lead. Addison Daniels (Raleigh, NC) booted a 20-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter to slice the margin to 19-9, but Harris added a 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter after Franklin was picked off for a third time. Lovick (Garner, NC), a wide receiver, caught five passes for 81 yards to lead the Falcon offense. Defensive tackle Marcus Kennedy (Georgetown, SC), a preseason All-CIAA pick, led the Falcon defense with 10 tackles and two sacks. Defensive end Alex Hall (Glenarden, MD), a preseason All-American, added nine tackles and one sack. Both Kennedy and Hall combined for eight tackles for losses. For the game, the Falcons committed 10 penalties for 119 yards while Mars Hill committed five penalties for 47 yards.

THE COACHES: Mose Rison enters his second season at NCCU, but assumes the role of head coach for the first time in his 25-year coaching career. Former NCCU Chancellor James H. Ammons announced Rison as the school’s 19th head football coach on Feb. 6, 2007. Rison served as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the Eagles historic 11-1 campaign in 2006. He will continue calling plays as the offensive coordinator and working with the quarterbacks. With Rison directing NCCU’s offense, the 2006 Eagles scored 371 points (30.9 per game), the most in school history. Under Rison’s tutelage, freshman quarterback Stadford Brown was named as the “SBN Sports Doug Williams Offensive Player of the Year,” the 2006 CIAA Offensive Player of the Year and CIAA Rookie of the Year. A 1978 graduate of Central Michigan University, Rison spent the 2005 season as the Quarterbacks Coach/Passing Coordinator at Davidson College, where the Wildcats averaged more than 200 yards passing per game running a West Coast offensive system. He has also held positions at Livingstone College (Offensive Coordinator, 2004), the University of Arizona (Wide Receivers/Passing Coordinator, 2003), Stanford University (Wide Receivers, 1995-2000), Rutgers University (Wide Receivers/Tight Ends, 1991-94), the U.S. Naval Academy (Wide Receivers, 1988-90), and Central Michigan University (Wide Receivers, 1981-87). During his tenure at Stanford, Rison coached in three bowl games, including the 2000 Rose Bowl. Rison, the cousin of five-time NFL All-Pro receiver Andre Rison, spent two seasons (2001-02) in the National Football League coaching ranks as the wide receivers coach with the New York Jets, helping to develop Laveranues Coles and Santana Moss. He has also held NFL summer internships with the Baltimore Ravens (2000), Chicago Bears (1999), New York Jets (1993) and Detroit Lions (1988). A standout running back for Central Michigan from 1974-77, Rison helped the Chippewas to a 13-1 record and a Division II national title as a freshman. He rushed for 1,283 yards and scored 12 touchdowns as a senior to earn all-conference and team MVP honors. Rison and his wife, Marilynn, have two children, Dominique (21) and Tara (18). Dominique lives in Charlotte, N.C. and attends Johnson & Wales University. Tara is a freshman at North Carolina Central University, majoring in business. 

Michael Costa enters his sixth season as Saint Augustine's College head football coach. He earned the respect of his coaching peers after Saint Augustine's posted an 8-2 record, including an 8-0 start, in 2005 under his direction. The wins tied a school season mark, and the overall record was the program's best since the school revived football in 2002 after three decades. Saint Augustine's also became the first CIAA team to be ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region during the 2005 season. For his coaching efforts, Costa was named 2005 CIAA Coach of the Year and 2005 100% Wrong Club Coach of the Year. A 1971 graduate of Norfolk State University, Costa’s overall collegiate head coaching record is 31-69 in 11 seasons, including an 21-28 mark in six seasons at SAC (as of Sept. 4, 2007).

THE STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH: 
North Carolina Central University – 
 #2 - QB - Stadford Brown (So., 6-1, 201) – 29-of-51 passing, 281 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions.
 #4 - LB - Derrick Ray (Sr., 6-0, 215) – Has 10 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles and 2 pass break-ups.
 #11 - LB - Eric Ray (Sr., 6-0, 235) – Second on the team with 16 tackles.
 #56 - LB - D.J. Fretwell (Sr., 6-1, 243) – Team-high 20 tackles with 2 tackles for a loss.
 #83 - WR - Will Scott (Jr., 6-2, 169) – Caught 5 passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns vs. Fayetteville State.
 #87 - WR - Wayne Blackwell (Jr., 6-2, 204) – Leads team with 8 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. 

 Saint Augustine’s College – 
 #5 - WR - Tim Lovick (Fr., 6-2, 175) – Caught 5 passes for 81 yards; 2 kickoff returns for 43 yards vs. Mars Hill.
 #9 - QB - Brandon Franklin (Jr., 6-5, 220) – 11-of-32, 132 yds, 3 INT; led team in rushing with 38 yds, TD vs. MHC.
 #45 - DE - Alex Hall (Sr., 6-6, 260) – Recorded 9 tackles with 4 TFL and a sack vs. Mars Hill.
 #94 - DL - Marcus Kennedy (Jr., 6-3, 275) – 10 tackles with 4 TFL, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery vs. Mars Hill.

TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON:
Category                   NCCU ... SAC
Scoring Offense: 13.5 pts/gm ... 9.0 pts/gm
Scoring Defense: 8.0 pts/gm ... 22.0 pts/gm
Total Offense: 268.0 yds/gm ... 220.0 yds/gm
Total Defense: 266.0 yds/gm ... 201.0 yds/gm
Rushing Offense: 127.5 yds/gm ... 88.0 yds/gm
Rushing Defense: 165.5 yds/gm ... 91.0 yds/gm
Passing Offense: 140.5 yds/gm ... 132.0 yds/gm
Passing Defense: 100.5 yds/gm ... 110.0 yds/gm

GILBERT BREAKS SCHOOL SCORING RECORD:  NCCU senior place-kicker Brandon Gilbert scored five points on Sunday (Sept. 2, 2007) versus Fayetteville State University to become the school’s all-time career scoring leader. Gilbert currently has 234 points, passing All-American wide receiver Robert Clark, who amassed 232 career points with 38 touchdowns and two extra-point conversions from 1983-86. Gilbert is now four field goals shy of tying the school record for career field goals, currently held by Kevin Houston (1992-95) with 40. Gilbert already holds the school record for career extra-point kicks made with 126.

GILBERT CONTINUES EXTRA POINT STREAK:  NCCU senior place-kicker Brandon Gilbert has made 83 consecutive extra-point kicks, dating back to Sept. 5, 2005 versus North Carolina A&T when a celebration penalty forced a lengthy try. In fact, Gilbert has not missed an extra-point kick against a Division II opponent during his collegiate career. He is 124-of-126 in PAT kicks, with both misses coming against Division I-AA teams (at Delaware State on Sept. 11, 2004, vs. North Carolina A&T on Sept. 5, 2005).

BLOCK PARTY FOR NCCU’S AMOS:  NCCU senior cornerback Craig Amos enjoyed a monster game on Sunday (Sept. 2) against Fayetteville State with four tackles (three solo), two blocked field goals, two fumble recoveries for 40 yards, an interception (he had another interception in the third quarter negated by a roughing the passer penalty), and a pass break-up. Amos now has eight career blocked kicks.

INJURY REPORT: (NCCU) RB – Jeff Toliver, foot sprain (questionable); K – Brandon Gilbert, thigh (questionable).

QUOTES FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH NCCU HEAD COACH MOSE RISON:
On Sunday's win against Fayetteville State:
"I am really pleased with the way we played. We were efficient on offense, especially with the way we ran the football. Defensively, we played extremely well. The defense flew around, created turnovers and gave the offense good field position most of the game.
On the play of the offensive line:
"I was pleased with the progress we made on the offensive line. We did not give up any sacks, we were able to run the football and (quarterback) Stadford Brown looked more comfortable in the pocket."
On Rison's concerns about Saint Augustine's defensive linemen Alex Hall and Marcus Kennedy:
"I have concerns about their whole defensive front. They are big, physical, they run well and they are veteran players. It may be the best defensive front we'll see all year. We need to find a way to slow down their pass rush."

LISTEN TO NCCU FOOTBALL VIA THE INTERNET:  Every game of the 2007 North Carolina Central University Eagles football season will be covered by WRJD 1410 AM. Fans may also listen to the broadcast via the internet by visiting the NCCU Athletics web site at http://ariel.acc.nccu.edu/athletics/audio.html . 

SPORTS INFORMATION CONTACTS: 
NCCU: Kyle Serba (919) 530-7054 
Saint Augustine's: Anthony Jefferies (919) 516-5158