Sept. 2, 2008
EAGLES FOOTBALL 2008 - GAME #2
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY (0-1)
AT
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY (0-1)
THE GAME: North Carolina Central University "Eagles" at James Madison University "Dukes"
THE KICKOFF: Saturday, September 6, 2008 - Kickoff at 6:00 p.m.
THE SITE: Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field - Harrisonburg, Virginia (Capacity: 15,500 / Surface: FieldTurf)
2008 RECORDS: North Carolina Central (0-1 overall); James Madison (0-1 overall)
THE EVENT: Both NCCU and JMU are coming off season-opening losses in Durham, N.C. The visiting Eagles, in their second year as a reclassifying Division I-FCS competitor, challenge the host Dukes, ranked No. 2 in The Sporting News 2008 preseason poll.
THE SERIES: This will be the first gridiron meeting between NCCU and James Madison.
THE JAMES MADISON DUKES: James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, Va., and boasts an enrollment of 17,500. The Dukes are members of the NCAA Division I-Football Championship Subdivision and the Colonial Athletic Association. Last season, the Dukes competed in the NCAA playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons, finishing with an 8-4 record. JMU was ranked seventh in the final FCS coaches poll and 12th in the final Sports Network poll, and were ranked No. 2 in The Sporting News 2008 preseason poll. JMU won the NCAA Division I-AA Football National Championship in 2004.
LAST WEEK: (Fayetteville State 33, NCCU 22 - August 31 in Durham, N.C.) North Carolina Central University committed five turnovers and two special teams blunders which led to a 33-22 Fayetteville State University upset victory, ruining the Eagles home-opener in front of 8,853 fans at NCCU's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. FSU scored its first four touchdowns following NCCU mistakes, including two fumbles, a blocked punt and a snap that sailed over the punter's head. On the day, NCCU fumbled six times, four of which were recovered by the visiting Broncos, and threw an interception. The host Eagles amassed 339 yards of total offense, including 284 yards passing by senior quarterback Stadford Brown, but managed only 55 rushing yards as a team. FSU only needed 257 total yards with 172 through the air and 85 on the ground. The Broncos longest scoring drive of the contest was 26 yards, with two others covering 21 and 11 yards. NCCU's Brown completed 19 of 43 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown. NCCU senior receiver Will Scott had a team-high six receptions for 112 yards, while fellow senior receiver Wayne Blackwell caught five passes for 80 yards and a score. NCCU's defense was topped by senior linebacker Troy McConico with a game-high eight tackles, including 1.5 hits for a loss. Sophomores Donald Laster and Rakeem Vick contributed 1.5 sacks each. The Eagles totaled 9.0 tackles for a loss of 51 yards, including 4.0 sacks for 27 yards lost.
(Duke 31, James Madison 7 - August 30 in Durham, N.C.) Duke scored a trio of touchdowns during a 6:09 period midway through the game and beat James Madison 31-7 in the season-opening football game for both teams at the Blue Devils' Wallace Wade Stadium on Aug. 30. Duke finished with 364 total yards (218 rushing, 146 passing) to JMU's 239 yards (188 rushing, 51 passing) and converted on nine of 18 third-down attempts. JMU failed to convert on any of its eight third-down situations. In addition to the two turnovers that set up Duke touchdowns, JMU also lost a fumble after reaching the Devils' nine early during the fourth quarter. JMU got its points on a 47-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Rodney Landers with 4:31 left in the first quarter. The scoring run capped a five-play, 79-yard series and pulled JMU into a 7-7 tie. Landers was JMU's top rusher with 96 yards on 16 carries, and senior tailback Eugene Holloman ran 13 times for 55 yards. Landers completed four of nine passes for 51 yards. Senior free safety Marcus Haywood had 12 tackles and senior linebacker D.J. Brandon (Raleigh, N.C./Enloe) 10 for JMU.
THE COACHES: Mose Rison enters his second season as head coach at NCCU after finishing the 2007 campaign with a 6-4 record. Rison was announced as the school's 19th head football coach on Feb. 6, 2007, assuming the role of head coach for the first time in his 25-year coaching career. Rison served as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the Eagles historic 11-1 campaign in 2006. He continues 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 (22) and Tara (19). Dominique lives in Charlotte, N.C. and attends Johnson & Wales University. Tara is a sophomore at North Carolina Central University majoring in business.
James Madison head coach Mickey Matthews has directed the JMU football program through an outstanding nine-year period. Poised to become JMU's all-time winningest football coach during the 2008 season, Matthews has led teams to an NCAA championship (2004) and to three other playoff appearances (1999, 2006, 2007). The 10th-year head coach has a 64-45 JMU record and needs but four victories to surpass Challace McMillin's (1972-84) program record for wins. McMillin, JMU's first football coach, had a 67-56-1 mark. Matthews twice has been national coach of the year (1999 Eddie Robinson Award by The Sports Network, American Football Coaches' 2004 award) and was Atlantic 10 coach of the year in 1999. JMU in 2004 was 13-2 and the first team to reach the Division I-AA title game with three road wins. JMU won at Lehigh (14-13), Furman (14-13) and William & Mary (48-34) and beat Montana (31-21) for the national crown. The 13 wins were a team season record, and the Dukes tied their regular-season wins mark with a 9-2 pre-playoff record and tied for the A-10 title. JMU's 2004 losses were to nationally ranked Division I-A West Virginia and to a William & Mary team it later beat during the playoffs. The Dukes beat four nationally ranked teams during the regular season. JMU reached the 2006 playoffs while going 9-3 and 2007 post-season play while going 8-4. Matthews led JMU to a share of the A-10 title and to the league's automatic playoff bid in 1999 during his first year as a head coach. The Dukes were 8-3 during the regular season after being 3-8 the previous year.
TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON:
Category NCCU JMU
Scoring Offense: 22.0 pts/gm 7.0 pts/gm
Scoring Defense: 33.0 pts/gm 31.0 pts/gm
Total Offense: 339.0 yds/gm 239.0 yds/gm
Total Defense: 257.0 yds/gm 364.0 yds/gm
Rushing Offense: 55.0 yds/gm 188.0 yds/gm
Rushing Defense: 85.0 yds/gm 218.0 yds/gm
Passing Offense: 284.0 yds/gm 51.0 yds/gm
Passing Defense: 172.0 yds/gm 146.0 yds/gm
THE STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH:
North Carolina Central University -
#2 - QB - Stadford Brown (Sr., 6-1, 207) - 19-of-43 passing, 284 yards, 1 touchdown vs. Fayetteville State.
#7 - LB - Rakeem Vick (So., 5-10, 208) - Recorded 1.5 sacks vs. Fayetteville State.
#11 - DL - Donald Laster (So., 6-0, 233) - Collected 5 tackles, including 1.5 sacks vs. Fayetteville State.
#16 - PK - Brandon Gilbert (Sr., 5-10, 190) - NCCU's all-time leading scorer with 236 career points.
#25 - RB - Tim Shankle (So., 5-10, 220) - Team-high 598 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 2007.
#52 - LB - Troy McConico (Sr., 6-0, 220) - Amassed team-high 8 tackles, including 1.5 TFL vs. Fayetteville State.
#83 - WR - Will Scott (Sr., 6-2, 180) - Team-best 6 receptions for 112 yards vs. Fayetteville State.
#87 - WR - Wayne Blackwell (Sr., 6-2, 209) - Caught 5 passes for 80 yards and a TD vs. Fayetteville State.
James Madison University -
#7 - QB - Rodney Landers (Sr., 6-1, 220) - 4-of-9 passing for 51 yards; rushed for 96 yards and a TD at Duke.
#11 - LB - D.J. Brandon (Sr., 6-1, 230) - Collected 10 tackles (4 solo) at Duke.
#13 - WS - Gerren Griffin (Jr., 6-1, 200) - Recorded 9 tackles (5 solo) at Duke.
#14 - RB - Eugene Holloman (Sr., 5-11, 185) - Rushed for 55 yards on 13 carries at Duke.
#34 - FS - Marcus Haywood (Sr., 6-0, 190) - Amassed 12 tackles, including 1.0 TFL, PBU, forced fumble at Duke.
GILBERT INCREASES SCHOOL SCORING RECORD: NCCU senior place-kicker Brandon Gilbert converted on both of his extra-point kicks against Fayetteville State on Sunday, Aug. 31 to increase his school scoring record to 236 career points.
GILBERT CONTINUES EXTRA POINT STREAK: NCCU senior place-kicker Brandon Gilbert has made 85 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).
BROWN'S STATUS IN THE NCCU RECORD BOOKS: NCCU senior quarterback Stadford Brown has already solidified himself as one of the top Eagle signal callers in school history. In only his third season at NCCU, Brown currently ranks fifth in career passing yards (4,572), fifth in pass completions (342), tied for fifth in touchdown passes (41), and fifth in total offense (4,591).
TOUCHDOWN PASSING STREAK FOR NCCU'S BROWN: NCCU senior quarterback Stadford Brown has thrown a touchdown pass in 12 consecutive games, dating back to the final contest of the 2006 season. In fact, the three-year Eagle has completed at least one touchdown pass in all but one game during his Eagle career (22 of 23), with the 2006 CIAA Championship Game versus Elizabeth City State University on Nov. 11 being the lone standout.
GRAY BLASTS SCHOOL'S EIGHTH-LONGEST PUNT: NCCU sophomore punter Taylor Gray booted a 71-yard punt in the second quarter against Fayetteville State on Aug. 31, tying for the eighth-longest punt in school history.
FOUR EAGLES EARN PRESEASON HONORS: Four NCCU seniors -quarterback Stadford Brown, wide receiver Wayne Blackwell, place-kicker Brandon Gilbert and offensive lineman Jovan Olafioye - earned a spot on the 2008 Preseason All-Independent First Team by Phil Steele's 2008 College Football Preview magazine. Brown was also a repeat selection as the 2008 Preseason Independent Offensive Player of the Year.
JAMES MADISON QUARTERBACK DOUBLE THREAT: Here's what James Madison says about senior quarterback Rodney Landers (6-1, 220, Virginia Beach, Va.): At JMU: Fifth-year Duke and returning QB starter... Payton Award and league player of the year candidate as a combined rushing/passing threat... nation's top returning QB rusher after being among only two QBs in the top 65 nationally in rushing in 2007... team leader who can build on a strong junior season by continuing to develop his consistency, said offensive coordinator Jeff Durden... enters 2008 second in team history in passing percentage (.638) and pass efficiency (148.0), eighth in total offense (3,461), tied for ninth in TD passes (14) and TD responsibility (29), 11th in completions (139), 12th in passing yards (1,754), 13th in rushing yards (1,707) and rushing TDs (15), and 14th in passes (218).
LISTEN TO NCCU FOOTBALL VIA THE INTERNET: Every game of the 2008 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 www.NCCUEaglePride.com.
SPORTS INFORMATION CONTACTS:
NCCU: Kyle Serba (919) 530-7054 / James Madison: Gary Michael (540) 568-6154
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Special Thanks to
THE CHICKEN HUT
3019 Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC
(919) 682-5697
The Official Host of the NCCU Weekly Football Press Conference
Longtime supporter and friend on NCCU Athletics
