Nov. 17, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

THE GAME: Savannah State University "Tigers" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

THE KICKOFF: Saturday, November 21, 2009 - Kickoff at 1:30 p.m.

THE SITE: O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity / Mondoturf) - Durham, N.C.

2009 RECORDS: North Carolina Central (3-7 overall); Savannah State (2-7 overall)

THE EVENT: The final game of the 2009 season for North Carolina Central University and Savannah State University. NCCU will honor five Eagles - fullback Saeed Abdul-Azeez, defensive back Derek Harvey, offensive lineman Gabriel Manns, receiver Will Scott, and linebacker Alex Winters - as part of "Senior Day" with a pre-game recognition. NCCU looks to win its fourth game in the last five contests to finish its third Division I-FCS season with a 4-7 record.

RADIO COVERAGE: WRJD 1410 AM - "Eagle Gameday" pregame show begins at 1:00 p.m.

THE SERIES: This will be the fifth football meeting between Savannah State University and North Carolina Central University. NCCU leads the series 3-0-1. In the first contest between the Tigers and Eagles, the two teams played to a 0-0 tie to open the 1974 season (Sept. 14, 1974) in Savannah, Ga. The following year in Durham, N.C., NCCU defeated the Tigers 30-0 in another season-opener on Sept. 13, 1975. Two years ago, NCCU earned a 30-14 road victory over Savannah State on Oct. 20, 2007. Last season, NCCU edged the Tigers 10-7 in Durham, N.C.

THE LAST MEETING: (NCCU 10, Savannah State 7 - Nov. 22, 2008 - Durham, N.C.) North Carolina Central University scored 10 first half points and the Eagles' defense held Savannah State University to just 122 total yards as NCCU defeated the visiting Tigers 10-7 on Senior Day at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, N.C. NCCU amassed 330 yards of total offense, including a career-high 216 passing yards by red-shirt freshman quarterback Keon Williams, who completed 15-of-20 attempts through the air. Sophomore running backs Tim Shankle and Tony McCord combined for 155 rushing yards, with Shankle recording a team-best 88 ground yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run at the beginning of the second quarter which proved to be the game-winner. A stifling NCCU defense held Savannah State to only 23 yards rushing on the afternoon, including negative-4 yards on the ground in the first half. The Eagles recorded six tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including four sacks, while forcing two turnovers. In the critical fourth quarter, the NCCU defense held the Tigers to just one first down, 33 yards passing and zero yards rushing. The Tigers were led offensively by freshman quarterback Kurvin Curry, who completed 8-of-18 passes for 99 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown to Isaiah Osborne with 3:49 left in the third quarter.

LAST WEEK (NCCU): (NCCU 18, Winston-Salem State 10 - Winston-Salem, N.C.) North Carolina Central University scored both of its touchdowns following Winston-Salem State University turnovers during an 18-10 victory in front of 11,232 at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. The win was the first for the Eagles on an opponent's home field since Oct. 20, 2007, when NCCU defeated Savannah State, 30-14. Mose Rison's squad has now won three of its last four contests. An aggressive NCCU defense forced four WSSU turnovers (two interceptions, two fumble recoveries) and chased the Rams' top two quarterbacks from the game with injuries. Sophomore linebacker Roger Stewart topped the Eagles with 10 tackles, including 2.0 hits for a loss. However, it was junior linebacker Donald Laster who caught the Rams' attention with eight stops, including 2.5 tackles for a loss with 1.5 sacks, and his first career interception. WSSU posted the game's first points when Dominique Fitzgerald return a punt 34 yards to the NCCU 16-yard line to set up a 37-yard field goal by Landen Thayer at 2:20 of the first quarter. On the ensuing possession, NCCU used two 15-yard penalties by the Rams to drive 55 yards on eight plays for a game-tying 24-yard field goal by Frankie Cardelle at 13:19 of the second quarter. Two plays into WSSU's next drive, NCCU safety Derek Harvey blasted Ram receiver Nathan Mumford to force a fumble, which was recovered by Eagle linebacker Alex Winters at the WSSU 37-yard line. On third-and-10, NCCU quarterback Michael Johnson completed a 32-yard pass to Geovonie Irvine to the 5-yard line. Junior running back Tim Shankle did the rest, plunging into the end zone at 12:06 of the second quarter. Cardelle missed his first extra-point kick of the season, keeping the score 9-3 in favor of the visitors. WSSU regained the lead courtesy of NCCU's second special teams mishap, as a Ram punt touched the leg of the Eagle returner and the home team recovered inside the red zone. On third-and-goal from the 11-yard line, back-up signal caller Branden Williams connected with Omar Kizzie for a touchdown. Thayer's extra point kick put the Rams up 10-9 with 3:02 remaining in the second stanza. After Johnson threw just his second interception in the past five games, NCCU junior cornerback Rashad Fox responded with an interception of his own and returned the pick 49 yards to the WSSU 4-yard line. One play later, Johnson found fullback Saeed Abdul-Azeez on a play-action pass for the go-ahead touchdown with 55 seconds left before intermission. Cardelle missed his second PAT kick of the game to make the NCCU advantage 15-10 at intermission. After a scoreless third quarter, NCCU drove 70-yards on 11 plays, including a 31-yard rush by Tony McCord, to set up a 26-yard field goal by Cardelle at 6:37 of the fourth quarter. WSSU moved the pigskin as close as the NCCU 31-yard line, but on a fourth down play Williams was sacked by Laster and Thomas Wallace to seal the Rams' fate. Johnson finished with 115 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-21 passing, while Shankle topped the NCCU ground game with 80 yards and a score on 21 carries. Irvine collected three receptions for 51 yards and senior receiver Will Scott had three grabs for 34 yards.

LAST WEEK (SAVANNAH STATE): (Savannah State 20, Webber International 35 - Savannah, Ga.) Webber International amassed 424 yards of total offense and scored in every quarter during a 35-20 victory over Savannah State. SSU sophomore quarterback Kurvin Curry recorded 226 total yards with a team-high 55 ground yards and 171 yards and two touchdowns through the air to lead the Tigers.

THE COACHES: Mose Rison is in his third season as head coach at NCCU with an overall record of 13-18. 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. 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 (23) and Tara (20).

Savannah State University named Robby Wells as its new head football coach prior to the 2008 season, becoming the 21st football coach in SSU history. Wells last held the position of defensive coordinator and football marketing director for one season at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. In 2007, Benedict was ranked third in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in rushing defense, sacks and red zone defense. Prior, Wells served as the General Manager for the Augusta Spartans Arena Football Team in 2006. His duties included coaching, player personnel decisions, player development, team travel, fund raising and media relations. Wells got his first coaching job at a HBCU in 2002. From 2002-2005 Wells served as the defensive coordinator at South Carolina State University. Under his guidance, SCSU's defense attained numerous national rankings; first in pass defense efficiency, fourth in scoring defense, sixth in pass defense and seventh in total defense. Wells was also apart of the 2004 SCSU football coaching staff that led the Bulldogs to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. Before joining South Carolina State, he spent four seasons at the University of South Carolina as a graduate assistant under USC legendary coach, Lou Holtz. Wells coached the defensive backs from 1998-1999 before moving to middle linebackers coach in 2000. The 19-year coaching veteran began his career as an assistant coach at Greer High School from 1990-1995. Wells received his first opportunity as a head coach at Murray High School from 1995-1997. As a player, Wells was a four-year letterman at Furman University as a fullback and wide receiver (1986-89). He was a member of the 1988 Furman NCAA Division I-AA National Championship team. Wells received his bachelor's in health and physical education from Furman in 1990 and his master's in adult education from the University of South Carolina in 2000.

HITTING THE BOOKS ... WHITE VOTED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM: NCCU junior defensive lineman Teryl White was voted to the 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Football Team, as chosen by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., White was honored on the First Team of the University Division (Division I programs) in District 3 (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia), and will now be placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. White has achieved a 3.479 overall grade point average as a business management and administration major at NCCU. He is the team's leading defender with 46 total tackles, including 9.0 hits for a loss with 2.0 sacks, along with three quarterback hurries. An active participant in community service activities, White also serves as president of NCCU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. "When we recruited Teryl, one of the most impressive things about him was his academic achievements," said NCCU head coach Mose Rison. "He has done an outstanding job of representing NCCU on the field, but he has performed even better academically. Teryl exemplifies everything you look for in a well-rounded student-athlete, and we are so proud of his accomplishments."

NCCU LOOKING FOR ANOTHER STRONG FINISH: After opening the season 0-6, NCCU is looking to cap its third season of NCAA Division I-FCS competition with its fourth win in the last five games. The Eagles enjoyed similar success a year ago, winning three of their last four contests to finish with a 4-7 record.

EAGLES WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: After starting out the season with a turnover margin of minus-eight (-8), NCCU has a plus-11 (+11) turnover margin in the last four games. Overall, NCCU has recovered seven fumbles and intercepted 16 passes, while losing 10 fumbles and throwing 10 interceptions, resulting in a plus-three (+3) turnover margin for the season.

GREAT SCOTT ... SENIOR RECEIVER AMONG NCCU CAREER LEADERS: NCCU senior receiver Will Scott jumped into the 10th position on the school's career receiving yards list courtesy of a career-best 179-yard performance at North Carolina A&T on Oct. 3. He now ranks ninth with 1,855 career receiving yards. Scott's 114 career receptions also ranks ninth in NCCU history. He needs three catches to equal former teammate Wayne Blackwell (117 receptions from 2006-08).

NO PASSING ZONE ... INGRAM TOP PASS DEFENDER SINCE 1996: In the first 10 games this season, NCCU sophomore cornerback David Ingram has recorded 18 passes defended with 15 pass break-ups and three interceptions. Ingram is currently 10th on the NCCU single-season passes defended list. On Oct. 31 versus Central State, Ingram tallied five pass break-ups and an interception.

RUN TIM, RUN ... JUNIOR SHANKLE AMONG TOP NCCU GROUND GAINERS: NCCU junior running back Tim Shankle currently ranks ninth on the Eagles' career rushing list with 1,716 ground yards. Shankle tallied 80 ground yards at Winston-Salem State to move into ninth place, passing Shawn Gibbs (1993-97) with 1,687 rushing yards.

LISTEN TO NCCU FOOTBALL ON WRJD 1410 AM OR VIA THE INTERNET: Every game of the 2009 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 "Eagle Gameday" 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. Archived audio game broadcasts, interviews and highlights can be found at iTunes.com by searching for NCCU Athletics.