Complete Game Notes Ticket Information
THE GAME
Hampton University “Pirates” vs. North Carolina Central University “Eagles”
THE KICKOFF
Saturday, October 9, 2010 – Kickoff at 4:00 p.m.
THE SITE
O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity / Mondoturf) - Durham, N.C.
2010 RECORDS
Hampton (3-1, 3-0 MEAC); North Carolina Central (2-2 overall)
MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio: NCCU Sports Network - flagship station WRJD 1410 AM (Durham), WHNC 890 AM (Henderson), WELS 1010 AM (Kinston), WYRN 1480 AM (Louisburg), WCBQ 1340 AM (Oxford), WEED 1390 AM (Rocky Mount), WXKL 1290 AM (Sanford); WARR 1520 AM (Warrenton); NCCUEaglePride.com. Starts at 3:30 p.m.
Video: NCCUEaglePride.com features GameCentral by Stretch Internet ($8.95). Starts at 3:45 p.m.
THE EVENT
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe Hampton University visits O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium for the first time in 19 years. The last time North Carolina Central University hosted the gridiron Pirates was on Nov. 16, 1991. After a week off, NCCU looks for its second straight win in an effort to move its record on the winning side of the ledger. Hampton enters the contest on a three-game winning streak with its only setback coming at Central Michigan in the season-opener. The Pirates are on top of the MEAC standings with a 3-0 conference record. NCCU celebrates Eagle Club Appreciation Day and Family Weekend.
TICKETS
Tickets for Saturday’s gridiron clash between Hampton and North Carolina Central may be purchased online at www.NCCUEaglePride.com, at the NCCU Ticket Office (lower level of the W.G. Pearson Cafeteria on Lawson Street/530-5170), or at either of two community ticket outlets - Eagleland (2501 Fayetteville Street/956-5393) and MS Designs Embroidery (803-A Ramseur Street/680-3917). For a complete list of ticket options and pricing, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.
THE SERIES
This will be the 21st football meeting between North Carolina Central University and Hampton University. Hampton leads the series 15-5. The Pirates have won each of the past six meetings, with NCCU’s last victory in the series coming on Sept. 24, 1983 in Durham, N.C., by a score of 24-20. Hampton’s last trip to O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium was on Nov. 16, 1991.
THE LAST MEETING
(Sept. 5, 2009 - Hampton 31, NCCU 24 - Hampton, Va.) North Carolina Central University 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 in Hampton, Va. 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.
LAST WEEK
North Carolina Central University enjoyed a week off after defeating long-time rival North Carolina A&T, 27-16, on Sept. 25 in Durham, N.C. The contest attracted a school-record crowd of 15,173 spectators. NCCU took advantage of seven Aggie turnovers and 120 penalty yards to capture the victory.
Hampton University scored on three straight second-half possessions and rushed for 258 yards during a 20-14 victory over Delaware State University on a rainy Thursday night in Dover, Del. The Pirates remain unbeaten in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.
JOHNSON NEEDS 71 PASSING YARDS TO REACH 3,000 FOR CAREER
NCCU red-shirt junior quarterback Michael Johnson is 71 passing yards away from becoming the 10th Eagle in school history to throw for 3,000 career yards. The Durham, N.C., native has amassed 2,929 yards during his three-year NCCU career, including 481 yards through the air in three games this season.
LASTER EARNS NATIONAL LINEBACKER OF THE WEEK RECOGNITION
North Carolina Central University senior Donald Laster was recognized by College Football Performance Awards as a Division I-FCS National Performer of the Week for his effort during the Eagles’ 27-16 win over rival North Carolina A&T on Sept. 25. Laster, a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, claimed honorable mention honors as a linebacker after collecting three tackles (two solo) with a sack, two fumble recoveries and a quarterback hurry against the Aggies. College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) is a Division I Football awards organization that recognizes weekly, annual, and career trophy recipients. The stated purpose of the organization is to provide the most scientifically rigorous conferments in college football. CFPA also strives to eliminate the politics in the awards process, promote scientific literacy, foster rational discourse, and establish a culture of objectivity and fairness in college football. For more information, visit http://collegefootballperformance.com.
SHANKLE SEVENTH EAGLE TO RUSH FOR 2,000 CAREER YARDS
NCCU senior running back Tim Shankle ran for 86 yards and a touchdown against rival North Carolina A&T (Sept. 25) to become the seventh Eagle in school history to rush for 2,000 career yards. The Gainesville, Fla., native has amassed 2,070 yards during his NCCU career, including 291 yards in the first four games of 2010.
GOFORTH MAKES SCHOOL HISTORY AS KICKOFF RETURNER
NCCU sophomore return specialist Arthur Goforth made school history on Sept. 18 at Appalachian State by becoming the first Eagle to post two kickoff returns of 92 yards or more during a career. Amazingly, Goforth accomplished the feat in back-to-back weeks. On Sept. 11 versus Winston-Salem State, the Columbia, S.C., native returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to equal the third-longest return in the NCCU record books. On Sept. 18 at Appalachian State, he raced 92 yards for a score to make Eagle history.
EAGLES MAKE BIG PLAYS IN ALL THREE PHASES
In the first three games of the 2010 season, the Eagles have already posted four of the biggest plays in NCCU gridiron history. Against Johnson C. Smith on Sept. 2, junior linebacker Roger Stewart intercepted a pass and raced 83 yards for a touchdown, matching the ninth-longest interception return in school history. On Sept. 11 versus Winston-Salem State, sophomore Arthur Goforth returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to equal the third-longest kickoff return in the NCCU record books, followed by senior running back Tony McCord’s 93-yard touchdown scamper to set a new school record for the longest run from scrimmage. Goforth struck again in week three at Appalachian State with a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
THE COACHES
Mose Rison is in his fourth season as head coach at NCCU with an overall record of 16-20. 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 daughters, Dominique and Tara.
Donovan Rose is in his 20th season with the Hampton University football program and the second as head coach. In his first season as head coach, he guided the Pirates to 5-6 overall record, including a 3-5 mark in the MEAC. Hampton was third in the MEAC in scoring defense in 2009, giving up just 19.4 points per game. The Pirates were also third in the MEAC in total defense, giving up 278.1 yards per contest in keeping with Rose’s background on defense. The Pirates also gave up just 117 rushing yards per game, second-best in the MEAC. Hampton was also second in the conference with 157 total sacks and third in the MEAC in only allowing teams to convert 31.5 percent of their third downs. Under Rose and his staff, the Pirates earned four First Team All-MEAC honors. As a secondary coach, defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, Rose’s philosophy and coaching style has attracted attention from both the American Football Coaches Association and the NFL. He was selected as the 2003 AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year in Division I-AA and the All-American Football Foundation Mike Campbell Top Assistant Coach Award. A 1979 graduate of Hampton University, Rose was an All-CIAA performer who was named the conference defensive player of the year during his senior year. Donovan also earned All-American honors and was named a starter and captain on the 1978 All-Star Team, which was played in New Orleans Super Dome. He later signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent in 1980, and also played for several championship teams in the Canadian Football League, winning the Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1984. In 1986, he joined the Miami Dolphins and led the team in interceptions. Rose retired from Miami in 1988. Since Rose’s return to Hampton in 1991, the Pirates have won 14 championships, graduated over 200 student-athletes and placed over 45 players in professional leagues. Rose has developed and placed several players in the pros and recruited several players who were either drafted or became free agents in the NFL. His most notable recruits have been Cordell Taylor, second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1998, and Kendall Langford, third-round pick and starting defensive end for the Miami Dolphins in 2008.
VIDEO STREAM OF GAME AT NCCUEAGLEPRIDE.COM
Fans will have the opportunity to watch Saturday’s gridiron contest between North Carolina Central University and Hampton University through an internet video stream at www.NCCUEaglePride.com. The audio portion of the broadcast remains a free service, while the video stream will cost viewers $8.95. To access the streaming broadcasts on GameCentral (by Stretch Internet), visit NCCUEaglePride.com and select the Video/Audio graphic at the bottom right side of the home page. Audio broadcasts are slated to begin 30 minutes prior to kickoff, while the video portion will start 15 minutes before kickoff.
LISTEN TO NCCU FOOTBALL ON WRJD 1410 AM OR VIA THE INTERNET
Every game of the 2010 North Carolina Central University Eagles football season will be broadcasted by the NCCU Sports Network, including the flagship station WRJD 1410 AM in Durham, N.C. 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.
