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DURHAM, N.C. – A sellout homecoming crowd of 13,562 packed into O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium to watch the Eagles of North Carolina Central University cruise to a 20-7 victory over Edward Waters College on Saturday.

The Eagles have won all four meetings against Edward Waters out of Jacksonville, Fla., and are now 58-17-2 all-time on homecoming, including five consecutive wins.

NCCU (3-5) stormed out of the locker room and set the tone for the afternoon with a season-long 59-yard pass from quarterback Michael Johnson to receiver Geovonie Irvine on the first play from scrimmage.

On the next drive, NCCU senior running back Tim Shankle broke a few tackles and made a cutback to open space for a 22-yard touchdown run, capping a three-play, 54-yard drive for the first score of the game at 9:33 of the first quarter.

Following an interception by NCCU senior cornerback Rashad Fox, Johnson connected with Irvine again on the Eagles’ second drive of the second quarter, this time for a 47-yard touchdown. Frankie Cardelle’s extra-point kick made the score 13-0 in favor of NCCU with 9:54 on the clock.

Three minutes later, NCCU junior cornerback David Ingram’s interception set the Eagles up on the EWC 35-yard line. Johnson completed an 18-yard pass to Irvine, followed by an 8-yard strike to Corey Harris, allowing fullback Justin Manning to power into the end zone from a yard out. Cardelle converted the extra-point kick to give NCCU a 20-0 cushion with 5:03 left before intermission.

NCCU amassed 234 yards of total offense in the first half, including 207 yards through the air on 11-of-14 passing by Johnson. Irvine had six catches for a career-high 153 receiving yards and a score in the opening 30 minutes.

Edward Waters (0-7) avoided the shutout by pinning the Eagles back to their own 1-yard line courtesy of a 48-yard punt by Jerry Martin. NCCU ran three plays, but were still at the 1-yard line when Cardelle managed a 27-yard punt. The Tigers needed only one play to cover that distance, as quarterback Brandon Turman found Quinntavious Graham for a 28-yard touchdown pass with only 3:11 remaining in the contest.

Johnson finished the afternoon with 220 passing yards, completing 12-of-17 passes with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Eagles.

The NCCU defense was topped by junior linebacker Stephen Manuel with eight tackles, including a stop for a loss and a crushing hit that made the homecoming fans take notice. Fox added seven tackles and two passes defended, while James Reese, Eliezer Sandifer and Brandon Outlaw each contributed five takedowns. Sophomore safety Marc Lewis had two of the Eagles four interceptions.

Turman led the Tigers offensively with 184 yards on 19-of-36 passing with a touchdown toss and three interceptions. Defensively, lineman Matt Bates amassed a game-high 10 tackles and a forced fumble.

After snapping a three-game losing skid with a homecoming victory, NCCU travels to Dover, Del., next week to challenge the Hornets of Delaware State University.