Oct. 31, 2009

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DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University scored on five of its first six possessions and amassed 492 yards of total offense during a 53-22 Homecoming victory over Central State University in front of a capacity crowd of 10,319 inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Saturday.

Five different Eagles found the end zone, with five scores coming on the ground and two through the air. NCCU junior running back Tim Shankle and senior receiver Will Scott had two touchdowns apiece, while senior fullback Saeed Abdul-Azeez, sophomore quarterback Michael Johnson and rookie running back Arthur Goforth each rushed for a score.

NCCU's Shankle ran for a game-high 88 yards on 16 carries, while Scott caught six passes for 121 yards. Johnson completed 14-of-25 passing for a career-high 246 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Geovonie Irvine had four receptions for 84 yards, and Tony McCord added 80 yards on 13 rushing attempts.

Freshman kicker Frankie Cardelle made 2-of-3 field goals, along with six extra-point kicks to account for 12 points.

NCCU's 492 total yards was a balanced 246 yards rushing and 246 yards passing.

The Eagles defense held Central State to just 198 yards of total offense, including only 37 rushing yards on 27 attempts. For the second straight contest, the NCCU defense intercepted four passes, with Rakeem Vick, Robert Stewart, David Ingram and Brandon Outlaw collecting picks.

Junior linebacker Donald Laster tallied a team-best six tackles with a sack for NCCU (2-6)

Central State (1-8) was topped by sophomore running back Joshua Andrews with three rushing touchdowns and 40 yards on 19 carries. Quarterback Jeff Brooks completed 9-of-33 passes for 161 yards.

The Marauders defense was sparked by sophomore linebacker Darius Wilson with a game-high 14 tackles.

NCCU visits Old Dominion next Saturday. Kickoff for ODU Homecoming is set for 2 p.m.