North Carolina Central University

ATHLETICS

THE GAME: Presbyterian College “Blue Hose” at North Carolina Central University “Eagles”

THE KICKOFF: Saturday, September 29, 2007 – Kickoff at 2:00 p.m. (ET)  

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

2007 RECORDS:  Presbyterian (1-3 overall); NCCU (4-1 overall)  

THE EVENT: A first time meeting between two football programs that are each in their first season of NCAA Division I-Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) competition. NCCU puts the longest college football win streak (four games) in the state of North Carolina on the line.

THE SERIES: This is the first gridiron meeting between Presbyterian College and North Carolina Central University.

LAST WEEK FOR NCCU: (Sept. 22, 2007 - NCCU 27, N.C. A&T 22 – Greensboro, N.C.) For the third straight time in the historic gridiron rivalry between North Carolina Central University and North Carolina A&T State University, the outcome was decided in the closing seconds of the game. This year, NCCU senior linebacker Eric Ray made a game-saving interception at the 1-yard line with 14 seconds left to play as the Eagles held off the Aggies’ final push for a 27-22 victory in front of 19,320 fans inside Aggie Stadium in Greensboro, N.C. A&T (0-4) suffered its 20th consecutive defeat despite out-gaining NCCU (4-1) 412 total yards to 199. The Aggies amassed 248 yards through the air, but threw three costly interceptions, including two that were returned for Eagle touchdowns in the fourth quarter. NCCU scored on the opening possession of the game, courtesy of a Stadford Brown pass to Will Scott, who took the short slant 44 yards for a touchdown. Rookie kicker Taylor Gray made his first career extra-point kick to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead at 12:33. Early in the second quarter, A&T’s Nick Johnson blocked Gray’s punt into the end zone, but a host of Aggies failed to recover the bouncing ball and the 5-10, 145-pound punter snuck into the pile to recover the pigskin for a safety. That proved to be a huge play for the Eagles, and made the score 7-2 at 11:23 of the second quarter. A&T took the lead 9-7 after a 10-play, 58-yard drive ended with a 1-yard run by Michael Ferguson, the first Aggie touchdown rush of the season, with 6:41 left before intermission. NCCU answered with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a 4-yard touchdown catch by tight end Christopher Edwards, giving the Eagles a 14-9 advantage with 48 seconds on the first-half clock. A&T regained the lead early in the third quarter with a 1-yard plunge by Dion McNair, putting the Aggies on top 16-14 at 11:30. A&T increased the cushion to 19-14 at 4:13 of the third stanza when kicker Eric Houston nailed a 27-yard field goal, the first for the Aggies in 68 quarters of play, dating back to Oct. 2005. On A&T’s second play of the fourth quarter, Shelton Morgan’s pass to the flat was picked off by senior linebacker Derrick Ray (twin brother of Eric) and returned 23 yards for the go-ahead score. Gray’s extra-point kick gave the Eagles a 21-19 lead at 12:30. On the ensuing possession, Morgan threw another interception, this time to freshman safety Jeffery Henderson, who wove through traffic for 72 yards and a touchdown. Gray’s extra-point try was blocked, leaving the NCCU advantage at 27-19 with 8:30 on the clock. A&T junior David Robinson returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Eagles’ 32-yard line, setting up a 39-yard field goal by Houston to narrow the deficit to 27-22 with 4:51 remaining. After holding NCCU to just one first down and forcing a punt, A&T took over at its own 20-yard line with 2:17 on the clock. Miller completed five consecutive passes to drive the Aggies to the Eagles’ 11-yard line. On a third-and-five play, Miller then used his legs to run for a first down to the 6-yard line. After spiking the ball into the turf on first down to stop the clock, Miller’s second down pass over the middle was intercepted by Eric Ray to end A&T’s hopes of dramatic come-from-behind victory. NCCU’s stellar defense had many heroes. Senior linebacker D.J. Fretwell amassed a game-high 15 tackles, Eric Ray finished with 11 takedowns, including three hits for a loss, and senior end Xavier Joe collected six tackles (five solo), including three hits for a loss and two sacks. NCCU’s Brown completed 11-of-18 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Rookie running back Tim Shankle topped the Eagles’ ground game with 66 yards on 14 carries, while junior receiver Wayne Blackwell caught four balls for 18 yards. A&T signal callers combined for 22-of-30 passing for 248 yards. Morgan was 13-of-17 for 121 yards with two interceptions, while Miller was 9-of-13 for 127 yards with a pick. Ferguson finished with a game-high 113 yards rushing for the Aggies, including a 74-yard blast up the middle to open the second half and set up a touchdown.

LAST WEEK FOR PRESBYTERIAN: (Sept. 22, 2007 – Western Carolina 33, Presbyterian 20 – Cullowhee, N.C.) Presbyterian College gave up 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and the Blue Hose fell 33-20 to the Western Carolina Catamounts before 8,365 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium on Saturday evening. PC was led in the loss once again by running back S.J. Worrell , who finished the contest with 125 all-purpose yards. Worrell ran for a season-best 76 yards on 11 carries, while also grabbing three passes for 49 yards. Terrance Butler and Larry Thomas both tied for the reception-high in the game with seven catches each. The seven catches also tied them for the PC single game season-high. Butler ended the game with seven catches for 79 yards, while Thomas finished the evening in his first game of 2007 with seven grabs for 66 yards. The Blue Hose had two quarterbacks pass for over 100 yards for the second time in the last three weeks as Tim Webb and Grayson Mullins both passed for over 100. Webb came into the game in the second half and threw for 104 yards, going 10-for-13 on his pass attempts. Mullins was 10-for-23 for 142 yards with one interception in the first half. Webb also threw for a touchdown. Chris Bowman ended the night with 13 tackles.

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.    

 Head coach Bobby Bentley is in his first season in charge of the Presbyterian College football program. A 1990 alumnus of PC, Bentley is 1-3 as a college coach and will be looking for his first intercollegiate road victory in the North Carolina Central game.

THE STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH:  
 North Carolina Central University –  
 #2 - QB - Stadford Brown (So., 6-1, 201) – 58-of-115 passing, 604 yards, 7 touchdowns, 3 interceptions.
 #4 - LB - Derrick Ray (Sr., 6-0, 215) – Has 26 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions.
 #13 – DE – Xavier Joe (Sr., 6-2, 253) – Has 23 tackles, 8.0 tackles for a loss, team-high 5.5 sacks, 3 QB hurries.
 #32 – CB – Craig Amos (Sr., 5-10, 180) – 23 tackles, 3 INTs, 5 pass break-ups, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 blocked kicks.
 #25 - RB – Tim Shankle (Fr., 5-10, 220) – Leads team with 289 rushing yards (4.1 yards per carry).
 #56 - LB - D.J. Fretwell (Sr., 6-1, 243) – Team-high 49 tackles with 2.5 tackles for a loss.
 #83 - WR - Will Scott (Jr., 6-2, 169) – Has 11 receptions for 203 yards (18.5 yards per catch) and 3 touchdowns.
 #87 - WR - Wayne Blackwell (Jr., 6-2, 204) – Leads team with 16 catches for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns. 

 Presbyterian College – 
 #1 - WR - Terrance Butler (Jr., 5-9, 193) - Tops team with 23 catches for 350 yards, 2 touchdowns.
 #7 - WR - Justin Durant (Sr., 6-1, 203) - Third on PC with 15 receptions for 160 yards, 1 touchdown.
 #12 - QB - Grayson Mullins (Jr., 6-0, 184) - 66-of-123 passing, 980 yards (245.0 per game), 9 TDs, 5 interceptions.
 #14 - SS - Anthony McKnight (Jr., 5-11, 191) - 18 tackles (12 solo), 3.5 tackles for a loss, INT, 4 pass break-ups.
 #19 - FS - Caleb Massengill (Jr., 6-1, 183) - Second on PC with 23 tackles (15 solo), interception, forced fumble.
 #26 - OLB - Chris Bowman (So., 6-0, 224) - Leads team with 24 tackles (16 solo) with 1 tackle for a loss.
 #31 - RB - S.J. Worrell (R-So., 5-7, 207) - Leads team with 215 yards rushing on 42 carries (5.1 yards per carry); 
  second on squad with 16 receptions for 195 yards, 2 touchdowns.

TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON:
 Category               NCCU ... Presbyterian
 Scoring Offense: 15.6 pts/gm ... 29.5 pts/gm
 Scoring Defense: 9.6 pts/gm ... 28.5 pts/gm
 Total Offense: 215.0 yds/gm ... 462.2 yds/gm
 Total Defense: 263.0 yds/gm ... 418.2 yds/gm
 Rushing Offense: 94.2 yds/gm ... 119.8 yds/gm
 Rushing Defense: 127.6 yds/gm ... 208.8 yds/gm
 Passing Offense: 120.8 yds/gm ... 342.5 yds/gm
 Passing Defense: 135.4 yds/gm ... 209.5 yds/gm

NCCU BOASTS LONGEST WIN STREAK IN NORTH CAROLINA: After defeating North Carolina A&T on Saturday (Sept. 22), NCCU boasts the longest college football win streak in the state of North Carolina. After a season-opening loss at Albany State (10-16), the Eagles posted back-to-back shutouts in wins over Fayetteville State (17-0) and St. Augustine’s (6-0), then defeated Elizabeth City State (18-10) during the Whitney Young Classic inside Giants Stadium, and most recently beat North Carolina A&T (27-22).

NCCU WINS, DROPS OUT OF TOP 25 POLL: After NCCU received votes worth 18 points in last week’s NCAA Division I-FCS Top 25 football poll (Sept. 17), conducted by The Sports Network, the Eagles did not receive any votes this week despite earning their fourth straight victory. 

NCCU AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS: NCCU is not officially eligible to be included in NCAA Division I-Football Championship Subdivision statistics until the 2011 football season as part of its reclassification period, but the Eagles would figure in prominently in the FCS statistics. NCCU would currently lead the Division I-FCS in turnovers gained with 16 and scoring defense with an average of 9.6 points per game allowed. NCCU would also rank tied for second in interceptions (10), tied for fourth in turnover margin (2.00), fifth in pass efficiency defense (80.74 rating), ninth in total defense (263.0 yards per game), and 10th in pass defense (135.4 yards per game).

EAGLES SCORING IN THE AIR:  Through five games, the NCCU offense has found the end zone eight times, all but one through the air. On Sept. 15 versus Elizabeth City State, NCCU rookie running back Tim Shankle scored the team’s only rushing touchdown of the season with a two-yard plunge at 10:07 of the fourth quarter. Sophomore quarterback Stadford Brown has thrown seven touchdown passes, with three going to junior receiver Wayne Blackwell, three to junior receiver Will Scott and one to senior tight end Christopher Edwards. The Eagles’ special teams has accounted for one touchdown this season with senior Craig Amos recovering a fumble in the end zone versus Elizabeth City State on Sept. 15, while the NCCU defense has scored the other two touchdowns courtesy of interception returns at North Carolina A&T (Sept. 22) by senior linebacker Derrick Ray (23 yards) and freshman safety Jeffery Henderson (72 yards).

NCCU’S AMOS STUFFING THE STATS:  NCCU senior cornerback Craig Amos has been a super stat-stuffer so far this season. The Winston-Salem native had an MVP performance in the Whitney Young Classic (Sept. 15) when he scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery, intercepted a pass, collected a team-best six tackles (four solo) and deflected four other passes. On Sept. 2 against Fayetteville State, Amos collected 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. Through five games, Amos has 23 tackles (15 solo), three interceptions for 14 yards, five pass break-ups, three fumble recoveries for 40 yards and a touchdown, and two blocked kicks. Amos now has 15 career interceptions and eight career blocked kicks.

SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Sophomore quarterback Stadford Brown is climbing his way in the NCCU record books. Courtesy of an amazing 2006 rookie campaign, Brown currently ranks seventh on the school’s all-time career passing list with 3,181 passing yards and is seventh on the Eagles’ career total offense list with 3,134 total yards (statistics as of Sept. 25). Brown threw for 2,577 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, while starting all 12 games for the 11-1 Black College Football National Champions.

ALSTON INCREASES SCHOOL’S CAREER PUNT RETURN RECORD:  NCCU senior wide receiver and return specialist Brandon Alston continues to improve upon the career punt return record he broke as a junior in 2006. Alston is the school’s all-time leading punt returner with 1,109 career yards (as of Sept. 25).

AMOS PICKING OFF THE OPPOSITION: With his third interception of the season on Saturday (Sept. 15), NCCU senior Craig Amos jumped into seventh place on the school’s all-time career interceptions list with 15 picks. Amos needs one more to equal Tony Lindsey’s 16 interceptions from 1985-88. The NCCU all-time interceptions leader is Melvin Wallace with 22 picks from 1982-85. Amos is also ranked eighth on NCCU’s career passes defended list with 40 (15 interceptions, 25 pass break-ups).

PETERSON RECORDS FIRST N.F.L. SACK WITH BUCCANEERS: Former NCCU defensive lineman Greg Peterson, a 2007 fifth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, recorded his first N.F.L. sack against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday (Sept. 23). Peterson finished the game with five tackles (three solo), including an assisted sack of Marc Bulger, as the Bucs defeated St. Louis 24-3. Peterson now has seven tackles (five solo) in his rookie N.F.L. season.

BACK-TO-BACK BLANKINGS:  On Saturday (Sept. 8), the NCCU defense recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time in 11 years. On Sept. 2, the Eagles posted a 17-0 win over Fayetteville State. On Sept. 8, NCCU notched a 6-0 victory over St. Augustine’s. In the middle of the 1996 campaign, NCCU collected three consecutive shutouts. The 1996 season was also the last time NCCU had two shutouts in the same year. The Eagles finished the 1996 campaign with the No. 1 ranked pass defense in the country (NCAA Division II). 

GILBERT BREAKS SCHOOL SCORING RECORD:  NCCU senior place-kicker Brandon Gilbert scored five points on Sept. 2 versus Fayetteville State 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, and has made 83 consecutive extra-point kicks. Gilbert will miss the rest of the season with a torn quadriceps muscle in his left (kicking) leg.

INJURIES END SEASON FOR TWO NCCU STARTERS: (Sept. 8, 2007) Two NCCU football starters – senior running back Jeff Toliver and senior place-kicker Brandon Gilbert – will miss the remainder of the season due to injury. The duo hope to complete their Eagle gridiron careers during the 2008 campaign after seeking medical red-shirt waivers. Toliver, a 5-9, 207-pound native of Gaithersburg, Md., has a torn ligament in his right foot, an injury he suffered during last week’s 17-0 victory over Fayetteville State. Prior to the start of the season, he was voted by his teammates as one of four team captains. Through the first two games, he was the team’s leading rusher with 92 ground yards. Gilbert, a 5-10, 186-pound native of Graham, N.C., has a torn quadriceps muscle in his left (kicking) leg. He suffered the injury during the team’s pre-season training camp, but continued to play in hopes that the injury would heal and not hinder his performance on the field. After the Sept. 2 contest, however, Gilbert decided he could no longer push ahead. Gilbert is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 234 career points, and also holds the NCCU record for career extra-point kicks made with 126. He is four field goals shy of tying the school record for career field goals.

EAGLES IN NFL STADIUMS:  With an 18-10 victory over Elizabeth City State on Sept. 15 inside Giants Stadium, the Eagles remain undefeated inside National Football League stadiums with a 3-0 record. NCCU edged Morris Brown, 19-16, inside Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa. on Sept. 30, 2000. A year later (Nov. 4, 2001), the Eagles beat J.C. Smith, 34-3, inside the Carolina Panthers’ home, then called Ericsson Stadium, in Charlotte, N.C.

GAME WITH WEST ALABAMA CANCELLED:  On Sept. 12, the University of West Alabama Department of Athletics announced the cancellation of the Tigers’ football game versus North Carolina Central University at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. on Oct. 6. The cancellation is the result of a breach in the game contract by the Varsity Sports Marketing Group, the game’s promoter. “We want all of the UWA and NCCU fans to know that our great universities really wanted to play this football game and we did everything possible to salvage it, but we were unable to resolve the contract difficulties with the game’s promoter,” said UWA Director of Athletics E.J. Brophy. This cancellation will result in an open date for both teams on Oct. 6. “We are disappointed that our football program and our fans will not have the opportunity to travel to Alabama for this event,” said NCCU Director of Athletics Bill Hayes. “We have developed a wonderful relationship with the administration of UWA and we were looking forward to the match-up on the gridiron. All possible efforts were exhausted by NCCU and UWA before having to come to this decision. This is quite unfortunate.”

INAUGURAL DIVISION ONE SEASON:  The 2007 gridiron campaign marks the inaugural season for North Carolina Central University in the NCAA Division I-Football Championship Subdivision. Playing as an independent for the 2007 season, the Eagles were NCAA Division II members in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association before the transition. NCCU won back-to-back CIAA football championships in 2005 and 2006, and was declared the 2006 Black College Football National Champions with an undefeated regular season and an overall record of 11-1.

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

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. Donal Ware will handle play-by-play duties, Eric Curry will provide color commentary and Hanif Omar will call the action from the sideline. 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 / kserba@nccu.edu
 Presbyterian: Brian Hand (864) 833-8252 / bahand@presby.edu