Dec. 2, 2008
The Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone with all the turkey and stuffing sitting in everyone's fridge awaiting the next "leftover" meal, I feel like it's time to sit back and reflect on the 2008 football season. One that many of you Eagle fans will look back and think about how bright the future is here in the Bull City. Let's just say the theme of this blog is Youth and Inexperience.
Looking back, it's easy to say that 4-7 is not a good record, and you are right in thinking it's not a great record, but there's so much more than just the 4-7 record if you look underneath the surface. Taking a look at NCCU's wins this season. Two against in-state foes North Carolina A&T and Winston-Salem State (a team that beat the Eagles 35-10 last season in Winston-Salem). Back on October 4th, Mose Rison and company got win number one of the season against A&T 28 to 27, but if Stadford Brown doesn't get hurt, the Eagles win that game big time, instead of hanging on at the end. I know you can split hairs thinking of the "would'ves" and "should'ves", but that offense was looking stellar and the defense was starting to grow right before our very eyes. Either way, beating the Aggies and the Rams in the same season is Grade A in my book. The last two wins were homecoming against Edward Waters (34-14), and Savannah State (10-7). So yeah, the Eagles finished 4-7, but in the month of November, the Eagles won three of their last four. Assistant Coach Darryl Bullock kept yelling to his team during practice, and I really thought this was a great quote, "Remember, remember the month of November, everyone remembers how you finish. How are you going to finish gentlemen?"
You can speculate all you want what the Eagles should have done this season, and just for this moment, I'll take a minute to do that. Okay, the NCCU that took the field at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in late November would have easily dispatched Fayetteville State. Turnovers killed the Eagles in the season opener, so add one more win there, because this team matured offensively each and every week. Later on in the year, add another win by the unfortunate fumble at the goal line against Presbyterian. If all the "ifs and buts" happened in this case, the Eagles finished 6-5, and everyone would be singing the praises, but the youth and inexperience in both games were too much to overcome, so to point to one single moment in each game as the reason that NCCU lost, would be both unfair and a waste of time.
North Carolina Central's schedule was ridiculously hard for a second year school in transition. NCCU's opponents had a combined record of 44-46, an astounding record considering two teams made the playoffs (James Madison and Cal-Poly), and a third (Morgan State) was in striking distance coming down the backstretch of the season.
No one said this transition was going to be easy, but Mose Rison and Company are approaching it like a championship program should. Stealing the old adage from Southern Miss back in the day, NCCU will play anyone, anywhere, anytime. Traveling cross-country to California to play the third-ranked Cal Poly Mustangs was a great a experience, but also gave this university concrete evidence of the direction in which it needs to head. Cal-Poly Head Coach Rich Ellerson told Mose Rison, "Hey, this took me nine years to build." That's what it may take to get up to the FCS playoff level. A solid commitment from the University, the Athletics Department, and the most important of the three, YOU the fans is necessary. We need you to stick with this team and all the others as we continue to make this move to Division I. We want people to notice that the Maroon and Gray travels in legions to wherever the Eagles play.
Kudos go out to Head Coach Mose Rison for staying sane while having to break in three quarterbacks during the season. Ask Stadford Brown, the offense is very complex and the mere fact that both Keon Williams and Michael Johnson were able to do anything with the football was due to great coaching on Coach Rison's part. Stadford Brown's injury was very disheartening, and despite losing their leader, this team still battled, and by season's end was a complete football team. A sign of a good football team and good coaching staff is if the team gets better week by week. As far as that goes, you can put two checks for the Eagles in those categories.
Of the top ten tacklers on the team, eight of them will strap on the Maroon helmet next season. The list includes Alex Winters, Teryl White, Jeffery Henderson, Calvin Hillie, Donald Laster, and Roger Stewart among others. How can you not be excited for the future? The offense, after having to throw three different quarterbacks out there, was still able to move the football, and showed spurts of greatness. Tony McCord, Tim Shankle, Will Scott, Deshawn Spears, DeMarcus Hill, Gabriel Manns, along with other players return in '09 on the offensive side of the ball, which bodes well for NCCU. As we close the book on the 2008 season, I leave you with this - there were too many positives not to be excited about next season.
Finally, I want to salute the Seniors who gave their heart and souls to NCCU. Stadford Brown Wayne Blackwell, Brandon Gilbert, Derek Harvey, Jeff Toliver, Jovan Olafioye, Eric Smalls, Greg Greene, and Troy McConico. Brandon Gilbert leaves NCCU as the leading scorer in school history while Stadford entrenched his name to the record books under center at North Carolina Central leading the Eagles to Back-to-back CIAA Championships. It's individuals like the 9 seniors that solid programs depend upon.
Until then we thank each and every one of you for your continued support of Eagle Athletics.
With Eagle Pride,
Chris Hooks
NCCU Sports Network Play-by-Play Announcer/Sports Information Assistant
