Sept. 8, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

THE GAME: North Carolina Central University "Eagles" vs. Liberty University "Flames"

THE KICKOFF: Saturday, September 12, 2009 - Kickoff at 7:00 p.m.

THE SITE: Williams Stadium (12,000 capacity / FieldTurf) - Lynchburg, Virginia

2009 RECORDS: North Carolina Central (0-1 overall); Liberty (0-1 overall)

THE EVENT: North Carolina Central University returns to Virginia for week two of the 2009 season for a first-ever gridiron meeting with Liberty University. Liberty is the two-time defending champions of the Big South Conference. The Flames return 11 starters from a team that posted an impressive 10-2 record last season and finished ranked No. 14 in the nation.

RADIO COVERAGE: WRJD 1410 AM - "Eagle Gameday" pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m.

THE SERIES: This will be the first gridiron meeting between NCCU and Liberty University.

LAST WEEK (NCCU): North Carolina Central University played well enough to win its season-opener at MEAC foe Hampton University on Saturday night in Hampton, Va. The visiting Eagles, however, could not overcome a handful of miscues and a baker's dozen worth of penalties, as Hampton pulled out a 31-24 victory inside Armstrong Stadium. NCCU was flagged 13 times for 106 penalty yards, not including the positive yards gained on plays that were negated by the yellow markers on the field. Most notably, an apparent 57-yard touchdown strike to red-shirt freshman receiver Andrew Johnson that would have put the Eagles on top by eight points with three minutes left in the game, was called back from a holding penalty. That was immediately followed by a delay of game penalty and an illegal motion infraction that backed the Eagles up to their own 24-yard line. Trying to protect a one-point lead and facing fourth down and 32 yards to go, NCCU rookie punter Brian Haselsberger could not handle a bouncing snap from center and managed to only kick the ball back to the line of scrimmage. Two plays later, Hampton senior running back LaMarcus Coker rumbled 29 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 1:28 left. The Pirates converted the two-point conversion to make the margin seven points, which held up as the final score. NCCU out-gained the Pirates with 284 yards of total offense, including 152 yards rushing, compared to 226 total yards by the home team. NCCU red-shirt sophomore quarterback Michael Johnson was responsible for three touchdowns, including two through the air and one via the ground. He completed 9-of-21 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns with a pair of interceptions. Johnson, who was taken to the locker room early in the third quarter for treatment of cramps, returned to the contest to engineer a four-play, 41-yard drive that he capped with an 11-yard dash into the end zone to put the Eagles on top 24-23 with 11:08 remaining in the contest. Senior receiver Will Scott caught three passes for 18 yards and a touchdown, while adding a 48-yard rush to set up a 30-yard field goal by rookie kicker Frankie Cardelle. Junior tight end Earthan Ward had four receptions for 59 yards to lead the Eagles, while red-shirt freshman Geovonie Irvine made the most of his one catch with a 34-yard touchdown. NCCU's rushing effort was paced by junior Tim Shankle with 58 yards on 10 carries. The Eagle defense flew around the field, making 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage with three sacks, forcing four fumbles and recording two turnovers. Junior linebacker Calvin Hillie topped the NCCU defense with seven tackles, including 2.5 hits for a loss with a forced fumble and a pass break-up. Junior safety Ja'Quez Canty recorded six stops with a sack, while junior linebacker Donald Laster added five solo takedowns with a sack, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble and three quarterback hurries. Junior corner back David Ingram contributed four tackles, two pass break-ups, an interception and a forced fumble for the Eagles.

LAST WEEK (Liberty): Facing one of the nation's top FBS programs, Liberty began the 2009 season with a 33-20 setback to West Virginia on Mountaineer Field in Milan Puskar Stadium. Liberty, which is coming off its best season of football in 2008 when the Flames finished ranked No. 14 in the nation and with a 10-2 record, fell to 0-1 on the year, dropping its opener for the first time since the 2003 season.

THE COACHES: Mose Rison is in his third season as head coach at NCCU with an overall record of 10-12. 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).

In just three seasons at the helm of Liberty's football program, head coach Danny Rocco has accomplished more than some of his peers tally on their coaching record over decades of service. Rocco took over a program that was 1-10 when he was announced as the program's seventh head coach on Dec. 2, 2005. During his first year, Rocco posted a five-win improvement over the previous season (1-10 in 2005 and 6-5 in 2006), earning him Big South Coach of the Year honors, the first in program history. Nationally, the turnabout tied for the best improvement in the country during the season. Rocco brought to Liberty the 3-4 defense he successfully ran at both Virginia and with the New York Jets, and the new scheme paid immediate dividends. Liberty held opponents to 1,433 total rushing yards and 306.6 average yards of offense per game, setting another pair of school and conference bests. In sharp contrast, the 2007 season brought about an onslaught on Liberty's offensive record book. During the course of the season, the Flames set new program and Big South benchmarks for points scored (469), points per game (42.6), average yards per play (6.8) and total touchdowns (61). Rocco's seasoned-veteran squad capped off a memorable year by posting a 31-0 shutout over Gardner-Webb on Nov. 17, 2007. The victory gave Liberty its first-ever Big South title in football. Not satisfied with just climbing to the top of the Big South's standings, Rocco led a change to put the name of Liberty Football on a national level in 2008. The Flames won their first six games of the year, giving them the nation's longest FCS winning streak midway through the year at 11 games dating back to the previous year. On Nov. 15, 2008, the Flames closed out their quest to repeat as Big South champions, downing Gardner-Webb yet again, this time on their home turf, allowing Liberty to celebrate a perfect 5-0 league mark in front of its own fans at Williams Stadium. The following week, Williams Stadium served as the stage for one of the most resounding and noteworthy wins in program history, as Liberty controlled No. 12 Elon from the opening kickoff to the final whistle, resulting in a 26-3 win on Nov. 22, 2008. The victory over the Phoenix completed the first-ever 10-win season in program history and enabled the Flames to finish the year with its highest end-of-the-year national ranking at No. 14 in the Sports Network poll and No. 15 in the FCS Coaches ranking. Individually, Rocco's unprecedented success did not go unnoticed, as he claimed his third-straight Big South Coach of the Year awards. During his three years on Liberty Mountain, Rocco has coached 52 Big South all-conference members and 13 players who have garnered All-America distinctions. In addition to his experience at the NCAA FBS level, he spent the 2000 season on Al Groh's staff as an assistant coach with the New York Jets of the National Football League. Prior to coming to Liberty, Rocco spent the previous five seasons at Virginia, helping the Cavaliers to four-consecutive bowl appearances and 37 victories alongside Groh as an assistant head coach/linebacker coach, starting in 2001. Rocco began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Wake Forest. He spent the 1984 and 1985 seasons as a graduate assistant, before being hired as the defensive line coach prior to the 1986 season. Rocco began his college playing career as a scholarship athlete at Penn State. Rocco earned two varsity letters at Penn State, and participated in the 1979 Liberty Bowl and the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. He then transferred to Wake Forest where he was a two-year starter and senior captain for Groh.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR LU?: Apparently, a little of everything. Liberty University red-shirt sophomore Mike Brown was listed as the squad's top quarterback in the preseason media guide. When quarterback Tommy Beecher transfered to Liberty from South Carolina, Brown moved to the back-up role under center, which freed him up to help the Flames in other areas. Brown is now Liberty's top receiver, punt returner, kickoff returner and (oh yeah) holder on field goal and PAT attempts. Last week at West Virginia, Brown amassed 271 all-purpose yards, including 157 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches, 107 yards on three kickoff returns, and 7 yards and a score on two rushes. As a back-up running back in 2008, he averaged 9.5 yards per carry for the Flames.

LIBERTY RECEIVING VOTES IN NATIONAL FCS TOP 25 POLLS: Coming off an impressive showing in defeat at West Virginia and a 10-2 overall record in 2008, Liberty University is receiving a lot of attention from national FCS pollsters. The Flames received 183 points to place two spots outside of the top 25 poll by Sports Network. Liberty sits right outside of the top 25 in the AGS poll with 37 points. The Flames earned the No. 14 spot in the final 2008 Sports Network poll.

EAGLES SUFFER TWO SEASON-ENDING INJURIES IN PRESEASON CAMP: The NCCU football program was hit with two significant season-ending injuries during preseason camp. Junior wide receiver Corey Harris (Chesapeake, Va.) dislocated his left clavicle (collarbone), while senior offensive lineman Eric Stanley (Sterling, Va.) suffered a torn meniscus (cartilage) in his right knee, according to NCCU head athletic trainer Sean Thomas. Harris has already had surgery, while Stanley's injury also requires surgery. In regards to the season-ending injury to Harris, Rison said, "We are going to have to count on some freshmen to play for us. Someone else is going to have to step up to fill that void at the receiver position." Rison added about Stanley's injury, "Eric has worked extremely hard in his preparations for this season and had a great fall camp. He will have a chance to come back next season, but this is a significant loss for our offensive line."

RISON ANNOUNCES TEAM CAPTAINS, STARTING QUARTERBACK: The on-field leadership for the 2009 NCCU football program was revealed on Aug. 26, as head coach Mose Rison announced three team captains and the opening day starting quarterback for the Eagles. In a vote by the members of the NCCU football team, senior fullback Saeed Abdul-Azeez (Durham, N.C.) was selected as the offensive captain, junior linebacker Donald Laster (Shaker Heights, Ohio) as the defensive captain, and junior linebacker Anthony Sharp (Chapel Hill, N.C.) as the special teams captain. "Anytime you have an opportunity to be named as captain by your peers, really tells you something about the impression you have made on your football team," Rison said. "It says a lot about all three of them. I am looking forward to them leading our football team." Sophomore Michael Johnson (Durham, N.C.) has received the nod as the Eagles' starting quarterback. As a red-shirt freshman in 2008, Johnson appeared in four games for NCCU, including three as the starter under center. He completed 32-of-62 passes for 517 yards (129.2 passing yards per game) and a team-best six touchdowns. Johnson was selected as the starter over sophomore Keon Williams (Charlotte, N.C.), who appeared in seven games a year ago, including three as the starting quarterback. Williams finished with 462 yards on 38-of-66 passing. "It was a tough decision, because both young men are very capable of leading this football program," Rison said. "Based on their play and what we are trying to do, Michael Johnson will be our starting quarterback." To view the complete interview with Rison making the announcements, visit www.YouTube.com/NCCUEagles.

ARTIFICIAL TURF INSTALLED AT NCCU'S O'KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM: In an effort to maximize the use of its athletic fields and reduce financial and human resources, the NCCU Department of Athletics initiated the process of installing artificial turf inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. On July 13, Medallion Athletic Products, Inc., the company contracted to perform the artificial turf installation, broke ground on the Eagles home football field. The new Mondoturf playing surface is projected to be ready for use by NCCU's football home-opener on Sept. 19 against Morehead State. "We are extremely excited about the new upgrade to our football stadium field," said Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree, NCCU Director of Athletics. "The addition of the artificial turf will provide our student-athletes with an attractive and safe playing surface to improve their performance and showcase their talents." NCCU looked into the possibility of artificial turf because of the amount of use its lone practice field (located inside the track) receives throughout the year by athletics, the band, campus recreation programs and community groups. For more information about the type of artificial turf being installed, visit the Mondoturf web site at www.mondousa.com.

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.

TWO COMMUNITY TICKET OUTLETS EASES ACCESS TO BUY TICKETS: Purchasing tickets to a North Carolina Central University athletic event just got easier. The NCCU Department of Athletics announced the establishment of two community ticket outlets - Eagleland and Ideas! Coffee House, both in Durham, N.C. "We are striving to make it as easy as possible for our fans to access tickets to our athletic events," said Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree, NCCU Director of Athletics. "By extending our ticket offerings into the community where our fans frequently do business, we are able to provide them with improved customer service." Eagleland, which sells a wide range of NCCU paraphernalia, is located at 2501 Fayetteville Street. Ideas! Coffee House is located in the Bentley Ridge complex at 5607 Highway 55. The NCCU Ticket Office is located in the lower level of the W.G. Pearson Cafeteria on Lawson Street. Tickets are also available for purchase via the internet at www.NCCUEaglePride.com. For more ticket information, contact the NCCU Ticket Office at (919) 530-5170, Eagleland at (919) 956-5393 or Ideas! Coffee House at (919) 405-4140, or visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com for a complete list of ticket options and pricing.