Oct. 11, 2008

Final Stats |  Photo Gallery 

CLINTON, S.C. - Three feet. That proved to be the difference in the game.

North Carolina Central University battled back from an 18-point second-half deficit with an opportunity to defeat Presbyterian College from the 1-yard line.

The visiting Eagles, however, fumbled the snap from center on first-and-goal and Presbyterian recovered the loose ball to secure a 28-24 victory at Bailey Memorial Stadium in Clinton, S.C.

NCCU (1-5) trailed 28-10 late in the third quarter after Presbyterian tight end Sam Wilson caught a 44-yard pass from Brandon Miley for a touchdown with 3:21 left in the third stanza.

The Eagles, playing in their fifth straight game away from home, appeared down and out after the score.

However, freshman quarterback Michael Johnson came off the bench to rally the Eagles offense. On only his fourth college snap from center, Johnson connected with Will Scott for a 52-yard touchdown strike to give NCCU a ray of hope with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter.

The NCCU defense forced Presbyterian into two punts and a missed field goal before the Eagles struck again, this time on a 24-yard Johnson pass to Wayne Blackwell. Brandon Gilbert's 96th consecutive extra-point kick pulled the Eagles to within 28-24 with 3:54 left in the game.

NCCU head coach Mose Rison showed a lot of faith in his defensive unit by booting the ensuing kickoff deep, rather than attempt an onsides kick. The Eagles defense did not let him down, forcing a Blue Hose punt on a three-and-out series and giving NCCU the ball with 2:07 on the clock.

On third down and six yards to go from the NCCU 44-yard line, Johnson threw a 37-yard post pass to Deshawn Spears, who made a diving catch at the Presbyterian 19-yard line.

On the next play, sophomore running back Tony McCord found enough running room on the right side to cover 18 yards to the 1-yard line.

Presbyterian called timeout with 47 seconds left in the contest, as the Eagles were staring at first down and goal and only three feet from a dramatic come-from-behind victory.

On a quarterback sneak play, Johnson mishandled the snap from center and the ball was up for grabs near the goal line. After the officials uncovered the pile of blue and white jerseys, it was Presbyterian sophomore lineman Bryan McDaniel who came away with the fumble to preserve the victory for the host Blue Hose.

Johnson came off the bench to complete 8-of-9 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns in his college debut.

Spears and Blackwell caught five passes each for 83 and 47 yards, respectively. Scott had four receptions for 75 yards.

NCCU managed its second straight 100-yard ground effort with 123 rushing yards, led by McCord's 80 yard. Sophomore fullback George Mobley scored his first touchdown as an Eagle.

NCCU's starting quarterback Keon Williams completed 6-of-11 passes for 36 yards before leaving the game following a hard helmet-to-helmet hit in the third quarter.

There were several standouts on the NCCU defense. Three Eagles, sophomore lineman Teryl White, sophomore safety Jeffery Henderson and senior linebacker Troy McConico, recorded eight tackles each. Sophomore cornerback David Ingram collected seven stops with a fumble recovery, an interception and a pass break-up, while linebacker Alex Winters grabbed an interception as one of three Eagle takeaways.

NCCU finished with 318 yards of total offense, compared to 336 total yards by the Blue Hose.

Presbyterian (3-4) was sparked by red-shirt freshman Brandon Miley with 210 yards of total offense in his first career start. Miley threw for 148 yards and a touchdown, while adding 62 yards and a score on the ground.

PC junior running back S.J. Worrell rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching a team-best five passes for 29 yards.

Senior linebacker Antwan Thomas topped the Blue Hose defense with nine tackles (seven solo), including 2.0 hits for a loss with a sack, and two pass break-ups.

NCCU will return to South Carolina next week for its sixth consecutive road game of the season against Coastal Carolina.