Sept. 30, 2008

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THE GAME: North Carolina A&T State University "Aggies" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

THE KICKOFF: Saturday, October 4, 2008 - Kickoff at 5:00 p.m.

THE SITE: Memorial Stadium (24,000 capacity/natural grass surface) - Charlotte, N.C.

2008 RECORDS: North Carolina A&T (2-3 overall); North Carolina Central (0-4 overall)

THE EVENT: The historic 80th gridiron meeting between long-time rivals North Carolina Central University and North Carolina A&T State University. The game regularly draws so much fan interest that NCCU opted to move its home game to historic Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., since its capacity of 24,000 is more than double of the Eagles' home O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity).

THE SERIES: N.C. A&T leads the series 45-29-5. This will be the 80th meeting between the Eagles and Aggies, dating back to 1924 when N.C. A&T tied NCCU, 13-13, in Durham, N.C. N.C. A&T has won 14 of the last 17 meetings, but NCCU has won the last two contests, including a 27-22 victory in the last match-up on Sept. 22, 2007 in Greensboro and a 23-22 win on Sept. 5, 2005 in Raleigh. These two rivals played in Charlotte on Sept. 1, 1990, when A&T defeated the Eagles 21-6 in front of an announced crowd of 14,800.

LAST WEEK FOR NCCU: (Bye Week) North Carolina Central University had an open week in the schedule after dropping a road game to Central Connecticut State University, 35-23, on Sept. 20.

LAST WEEK FOR NC A&T: (Coastal Carolina 20, NC A&T 7 - Greensboro, N.C.) Coastal Carolina held North Carolina A&T to 146 yards of total offense, sacked Aggies quarterback Herb Miller seven times and intercepted two passes in a 20-7 win over N.C. A&T. For the Chanticleers (3-2) it was their third straight win, while the Aggies (2-3) lost their third straight. Chanticleers quarterback William Richardson scored two touchdowns on the ground. N.C. A&T's offense was missing a key player. The Aggies played without star running back Michael Ferguson. Dione McNair had 71 yards on 23 carries in his place. Meanwhile, the Aggies defense did have its moments too. They forced three Chanticleer turnovers. But no matter how much the Aggies defenders tried to help their offensive mates, the Chanticleer defense halted all N.C. A&T offensive efforts.

THE LAST MEETING: (Sept. 22, 2007 - NCCU 27, NC 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. In 2007, 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 suffered its 20th consecutive defeat despite out-gaining NCCU 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.

THE COACHES: Mose Rison is in 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.

Lee Fobbs is in his third season as the head football coach at North Carolina A&T. Over the first two seasons of his era, he has been the overseer and facilitator of a rebuilding project that has produced a 2-25 record. He was announced as the 14th head coach in Aggie football history on December 2, 2005. Fobbs brought national recognition to the Aggies program by being named an assistant coach for the 61st annual Hula Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. Before coming to N.C. A&T, Fobbs, 58, ended a three-year stint as the Texas A&M Aggies' running back coach to become the Aggies new leader. In his 30 years of coaching, he has excelled on the high school, Division I-AA and Division I-A levels. He has played a vital role on eight different Division I-A staffs as an assistant. He began his coaching career in 1975 as a graduate assistant under the legendary Eddie Robinson. After leaving Grambling he eventually became the head football coach and athletics director for his high school alma mater, Carroll High School from 1985-1988. In his final two seasons there, he led Carroll to the Louisiana State Class 2AA semifinals and Class 2AAA quarterfinals respectively. Fobbs coached running backs at three different Division I-A schools over a nine-year span, including Texas A&M, Alabama and Baylor. Fobbs played professionally with the Canadian Football League's Ottawa Rough Riders and Winnipeg Jets, and the WFL's Detroit Wheels and Birmingham Stallions. In 1976, Fobbs earned his master's degree in sports administration from Grambling. Fobbs is a Monroe, La., native.

BREAKOUT GAME FOR NCCU QUARTERBACK BROWN: Two weeks ago (Sept. 20) at Central Connecticut State, NCCU senior quarterback Stadford Brown threw for more than 300 yards for only the second time in his college career. Brown finished the afternoon by completing 22-of-34 passes for 309 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. In the second half alone, Brown was 17-for-26 for 252 passing yards and had a hand in all three touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush).

NCCU'S CAMPBELL HAS A NOSE FOR THE BALL: NCCU junior safety Kurtis Campbell has had a nose for the football this season. Currently second on the team lead with 22 total tackles (11 solo), Campbell also has two recovered fumbles, a forced fumble, a blocked kick and the team's only interception of the season.

HISTORIC STADIUM HOSTS HISTORIC RIVALRY: Constructed in 1936, Memorial Stadium has played host to a speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, the Shrine Bowl from 1937 to 2000, and, more recently, the filming of the movie "Leatherheads," starring George Clooney, in April 2007.

EAGLES ON THE ROAD AGAIN: NCCU will play its fourth of six consecutive road games on Saturday (Oct. 4). NCCU's seven total road games this season will take the Eagles to five different states, including Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, South Carolina and California. The Cal Poly trip will be NCCU's first journey to California in 20 years, when the Eagles played Cal State Sacramento in the second round of the NCAA playoffs on Nov. 27, 1988. In contrast, just three seasons ago in 2005, NCCU played 12 football games and never left North Carolina.

SCOTT RECORDS THIRD 100-YARD RECEIVING EFFORT FOR EAGLES: NCCU senior receiver Will Scott caught six passes for 121 yards at Central Connecticut State (Sept. 20) for his third 100-yard receiving effort of the season. Scott had six catches for 112 yards in the season-opener versus Fayetteville State (Aug. 31) and six receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown at Morgan State (Sept. 13). He now has four career 100-yard performances, including a career-high 134 receiving yards on eight grabs versus Presbyterian (Sept. 29, 2007).

GILBERT INCREASES SCHOOL SCORING RECORD: NCCU senior place-kicker Brandon Gilbert made a field goal and converted on two extra-point kicks against Central Connecticut State on Saturday, Sept. 20 to increase his school scoring record to 243 career points.

GILBERT CONTINUES EXTRA POINT STREAK: NCCU senior place-kicker Brandon Gilbert has made 89 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 fourth in career passing yards (5,140), third in pass completions (392), tied for third in touchdown passes (45), and fourth in total offense (5,136).

TOUCHDOWN PASSING STREAK FOR NCCU'S BROWN: NCCU senior quarterback Stadford Brown has thrown a touchdown pass in 15 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 (24 of 25), 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.

LISTEN TO NCCU FOOTBALL ON WRJD 1410 AM OR VIA THE INTERNET: Every game of the 2008 North Carolina Central University Eagles football season will be covered by WRJD 1410 AM. Play-by-play announcer Chris Hooks will call all of the live action, starting with the pre-game show a half-hour prior to kickoff. Fans may also listen to the broadcast via the internet by visiting the NCCU Athletics web site at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.

THE 2005 MEETING - EAGLES RALLY LATE, HOLD OFF AGGIES: (Sept. 5, 2005 - NCCU 23, NCA&T 22 - Raleigh, NC) The closing seconds of the 12th annual Aggie-Eagle Classic was strangely similar to the end of last year's contest. This year, however, North Carolina A&T State University missed a 43-yard field goal with eight seconds left and North Carolina Central University celebrated a 23-22 victory over its long-time rival. The 2004 meeting ended with Carlos Davalos booming a 50-yard field goal as time expired to give the Aggies a stunning 16-15 victory. In 2005, the field goal attempt was seven-yards shorter and was left up to freshman kicker Joseph Arroyo with eight seconds on the clock. After back-to-back timeouts by NCCU, Arroyo's kick sailed wide right and the Eagles stormed the field at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. While the missed field goal is the play that fans will be talking about, the play of the game was a 46-yard touchdown catch-and-run by NCCU senior receiver Torey Ross. The Eagles faced third down and 11 yards to go when quarterback Adrian Warren hit Ross on a 10-yard out, which a determined Ross turned into the game-winning score after eluding four Aggie defenders on his way to the end zone. Ross finished with seven catches for 104 yards to lead a balanced NCCU receiving corps. Warren completed 19-of-38 pass attempts for 269 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown toss went to junior transfer Daunte' Fields, who took a screen pass 45 yards for a go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter. NCCU junior running back Greg Pruitt, Jr. rushed for 130 yards on 23 carries to earn offensive M.V.P. honors for the Eagles, who amassed 400 yards of total offense. The Eagles defense was topped by sophomore Derrick Ray, NCCU's defensive M.V.P., with a team-best eight tackles and a quarterback hurry. Linebackers Andre' Cannon and Tiquan Collins added six tackles each. NC A&T was topped by running back Brandon Sweeney, who ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries, while also catching three passes for 22 yards. Aggie defensive back Theron Thomas recorded a game-high 11 tackles, including a hit for a loss, but it was Wilbert Johnson who claimed defensive M.V.P. honors for A&T with seven tackles and five passes defended, including an interception that set up a touchdown.

THE 2004 MEETING - THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: (Sept. 5, 2004 - NC A&T 16, NCCU 15 - Raleigh, NC) All North Carolina Central University had to do was snap the football, kneel down, and celebrate an upset victory over Division I-AA rival North Carolina A&T State University. However, the Aggies recovered the failed exchange with a little over a minute remaining, marched down the field, and blasted a 50-yard field goal as time expired to shock the devastated Eagles, 16-15, in the 11th annual Aggie-Eagle Classic at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC. NCCU's defense, which had stifled A&T's offense all game, held true to form late in the final stanza. With the Eagles holding a 15-13 advantage and the Aggies backed-up in their own territory with under two minutes to play, NCCU senior linebacker Joel Lowe, an A&T graduate who is pursuing a master's degree at NCCU, sacked Marshall Glenn on fourth down and six to go to give the Eagles the ball and an apparent win. NCCU took over at the A&T 36-yard line with 1:18 left in the game. While attempting to run out the clock, an Aggie defender appeared to jump offsides and disrupt the snap of the ball, which A&T recovered at the 38-yard line. After two incomplete passes, Aggie quarterback Rico Watkins found Brandon Trusty for a 21-yard completion plus a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty, giving A&T a first down at the NCCU 26-yard line. Three plays later, A&T was whistled for holding and the pigskin was moved back to the 34-yard line. After an incomplete pass, A&T sophomore Carlos Davalos boomed the 50-yard, game-winning kick, his first successful field goal during his brief college career. NCCU had more first downs (18 to 11), more total offense (276 to 211), and controlled the ball more than 10 minutes longer than A&T (35:31 to 24:29), but turnovers and costly penalties doomed the Eagles. The Eagles were topped by Pruitt, who was voted as NCCU's Offensive M.V.P., with 110 yards and a score on 20 carries. NCCU quarterback Adrian Warren completed 10-of-22 for 74 yards and an interception. Junior Torey Ross led Eagle receivers with five catches for 36 yards. A dominant Eagle defense, which held the Aggie ground attack to 55 yards, was led by NCCU Defensive M.V.P. Scheldon Connor with nine tackles, including a sack and a quarterback hurry. Eagle linebacker Bobby Brown also recorded nine takedowns, including a tackle for a loss. DeLeon Raynor and Kurtis Stewart each had interceptions for the Eagles. The Aggies were led by Glenn, who completed 8-of-15 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown to earn Offensive M.V.P. honors for A&T. Perry finished with four receptions for 65 yards and a score. Three Aggies - Chamar Milton, Darrell Hamilton and Lammon Ringgold - amassed a game-high 10 tackles. Lewis finished with seven tackles, including a sack and the team's first touchdown.

THE 2002 MEETING - A MIRACLE COMEBACK: (Sept. 1, 2002 - NCCU 33, NC A&T 30 Overtime - Raleigh, NC) North Carolina Central University snapped a 12-game losing skid to rival North Carolina A&T State University with a dramatic come-from-behind 33-30 overtime victory in the ninth annual Aggie-Eagle Classic at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. Donnie Pippen's 2-yard dive into the end zone in the extra session sent the Eagle fans into a frenzy and provided NCCU with its first win over the NCAA Division I-AA Aggies since Sept. 3, 1988. In the first quarter of play it seemed as though A&T was on its way to another route. The Aggies scored 27 unanswered points in the first 11 minutes of the contest, courtesy to four NCCU turnovers (2 fumbles and 2 interceptions). The Eagles, however, answered the call... loudly. NCCU freshman kicker Brian Burke put the Eagles on the board with a 34-yard field goal at 7:47 of the second quarter. Moments later, senior corner back Hassan Smith's interception set up an 18-yard touchdown connection from Sean Williams to Nathaniel Fitch, cutting the score to 27-10 at the half. After the break, Luis George's interception and 44-yard return led to Fitch's second touchdown of the game, this time from Lawrence Fuller, who was taking his first snap from center after starting at tailback. With 2:11 left in the third quarter, Burke capped off a 12-play, 48-yard drive for NCCU with a 25-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 27-20. After the two squads exchanged punts, the Eagles tied the game with 4:50 remaining after a quarterback sneak by Fuller from the 1-yard line and the ensuing point-after kick by Burke. NCCU's defense stopped A&T in "three-and-out" fashion, giving the Eagles possession at their own 32-yard line and 3:21 left to play in regulation. Nine plays and 53 yards later, NCCU was lined up for the potential game-winning field goal with just four ticks on the game clock. Burke's 32-yard effort missed its mark wide left and the game went into overtime. In overtime, A&T got as close as the 3-yard line, but had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Pat Simcox to go ahead 30-27. The Eagles started their overtime possession heading in the wrong direction. An incomplete pass and penalty put NCCU back to the 30-yard line and facing second down and 15 yards to go. However, two pass interference penalties against the Aggies put the Eagles on the 2-yard line, setting up Pippen's game-winning plunge. NCCU's stifling defense held the Aggies to 179 yards of total offense, including only 77 yards after halftime. George led the way with 8 tackles and an interception, earning NCCU's Defensive M.V.P. honors. DeLeon Raynor added 6 tackles, a forced fumble and a blocked punt for the Eagles, while Hassan Smith, one of only three NCCU seniors on the roster to have played in the Classic the past four years, contributed 5 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and two pass break-ups. Freshman Andre George, Luis' younger brother, chipped in 5 tackles in his Eagle debut. NCCU, which had zero yards of total offense in the first quarter, finished the contest with 249 total yards, including 138 through the air. Fuller, NCCU's Offensive M.V.P. and recipient of the game ball, connected on 6-of-12 pass attempts for 83 yards and a touchdown, while running for a team-best 40 yards and a touchdown. Williams completed 5-of-14 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown for NCCU (1-0), while adding 20 yards on the ground. Senior running back Ernest Rice was the Eagles' second-leading rusher with 30 yards on 8 carries. Pippen finished with 24 yards on 15 rushes and 31 yards on 2 pass receptions. Fitch caught six passes for 82 yards and two trips to the end zone.