Complete Game Notes (PDF) Ticket Information
THE GAME
Johnson C. Smith University "Golden Bulls" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"
THE KICKOFF
Thursday, September 2, 2010 – Kickoff at 7:00 p.m.
THE SITE
O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity / Mondoturf) - Durham, N.C.
2010 RECORDS
North Carolina Central (0-0 overall); Johnson C. Smith (0-1 overall)
THE EVENT
North Carolina Central University opens the 2010 season, its fourth as an NCAA Division I-FCS competitor, by hosting former CIAA foe Johnson C. Smith University. The Thursday affair is a first for NCCU since the Eagles played rival North Carolina A&T on Nov. 23, 1967, in Greensboro, N.C. The last time NCCU played a home contest on Thursday was on Nov. 24, 1966, also against the North Carolina A&T Aggies. The result was a 12-6 victory for NCCU.
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); NCCUEaglePride.com. Starts at 6:30 p.m.
Video: NCCUEaglePride.com features GameCentral by Stretch Internet ($8.95). Starts at 6:45 p.m.
THE SERIES
NCCU leads the series 48-18-3. This will be the 70th meeting between the Eagles and Golden Bulls, dating back to 1925 when J.C. Smith defeated NCCU, 19-6. NCCU has won 25 of the last 29 meetings, with Eagles losses in 1987 (20-14 in Charlotte), 1996 (7-6 in Durham), 1998 (27-23 in Durham), and 2002 (29-14 in Durham). The Eagles defeated JCSU 52-7 on Nov. 4, 2006 in Durham, N.C., and have won four consecutive games in the series.
THE LAST MEETING
(Nov. 4, 2006 – NCCU 52, JCSU 7 – Durham, N.C.) North Carolina Central University, playing in front of a sold-out O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, defeated Johnson C. Smith University 52-7, to become the first team in school history to complete a perfect regular season. NCCU dominated every facet of the game, amassing a season-high 469 yards of total offense, while holding JCSU to just 169 yards of offense and forcing seven Golden Bulls turnovers. The NCCU defense was led by junior linebacker Derrick Ray, who collected seven tackles (three solo) and one tackle for loss. Sophomore defensive lineman Xavier Joe recorded five tackles (two solo) and forced and recovered a fumble, while senior linebacker Andre Cannon had five tackles (one solo) and one tackle for loss. Eagles freshman defensive back Micguel Johnson, George and junior defensive back Craig Amos all intercepted passes for NCCU.
LAST WEEK (JCSU)
The Johnson C. Smith University 2010 football season started off with a 45-27 loss to Elizabeth City State University. JCSU quarterback Ryan Carter finished 23-of-45 with 308 yards passing, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Dedrick Anderson gained 67 yards on the ground with nine carries and Jeremy Franklin had eight catches for 83 yards receiving. Junior defensive back Darius Johnson (Atlanta, GA) led JCSU on defense with eight tackles and two pass break-ups. Despite the loss, the Golden Bulls gained 416 yards of total offense and scored on three of their four red zone visits.
LAST SEASON (NCCU)
In 2009, NCCU’s high level of competition and determination did not translate into victories during the first half of the season. The Eagles were ahead at Hampton with less than two minutes remaining, held a second-half lead at nationally-ranked Liberty, dropped two contests in overtime, and took an advantage into the second quarter against three-time national champion Appalachian State. Battered but not defeated, NCCU responded by winning four of the final five games of the season to finish the campaign with a 4-7 record. Even in the lone setback during the season-ending run, the Eagles amazingly rallied from a 28-0 second-half deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
LAST SEASON (Johnson C. Smith)
Johnson C. Smith finished the 2009 season with a 3-7 overall record, including a 2-5 mark against CIAA opposition. The Golden Bulls claimed victories over Edward Waters, Saint Paul’s and Livingstone.
THE COACHES
Mose Rison is in his fourth season as head coach at NCCU with an overall record of 14-18. 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 daughters, Dominique and Tara.
Johnson C. Smith’s Steven Aycock was named as the 20th head football coach in Golden Bull history on Jan. 28, 2009. Aycock enters his sixth season as part of the JCSU football staff, his second as head coach. He spent the previous four seasons supervising football operations, recruiting, and coaching the offensive line under then head coach, Daryl C. McNeill. Aycock has over 15 years of coaching experience as an assistant and offensive lineman coach. As apart of McNeill’s coaching staff in 1996, Aycock helped the Golden Bulls orchestrate an impressive 7-3 record, the first time in 15 years that the program recorded a winning season. He has also coached at Savannah State University (1997-2000) and served as a student assistant at Tennessee State University (1994-95). Aycock is a 1994 graduate of Savannah State University, where he was a four-year letterman, an All-SIAC offensive lineman for three seasons, and a honoree for Offensive Lineman of the Year by the Black College Sports Pages in 1992. He holds a B.S. in Sports Production and earned a M.A. in Communications from Barrington University in 1999. A native of Atlanta, GA, Aycock is married to the former Ms. Donyell Stroud and resides in Huntersville, NC.
THREE SENIORS VOTED BY TEAMMATES AS TEAM CAPTAINS
Three seniors, running back Tim Shankle, linebacker Donald Laster and linebacker Anthony Sharp, have been selected by a vote of their teammates as the team captains for the 2010 North Carolina Central University football season. Shankle will captain the offense, Laster the defense and Sharp the special teams unit.
PHIL STEELE’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW MAGAZINE HONORS SIX EAGLES
Phil Steele’s College Football Preview magazine selected six North Carolina Central University student-athletes to its 2010 Preseason NCAA Division I-FCS All-Independent First Team. NCCU’s honorees were senior linebackers Calvin Hillie and Donald Laster, senior defensive lineman Teryl White, junior defensive back David Ingram, junior wide receiver Geovonie Irvine and junior tight end Earthan Ward.
• Hillie (6-1, 235, Concord, N.C.) topped the Eagles with 70 tackles in 2009, including 6.0 hits for a loss with a sack, three interceptions, six pass break-ups, three quarterback hurries, a recovered fumble and a forced fumble.
• Laster (6-0, 238, Shaker Heights, Ohio) placed second on the squad with 63 takedowns last season, including 10.0 tackles for a loss with a team-high 5.5 sacks and an astounding 13 quarterback hurries, while adding an interception, two pass deflections, a recovered fumble and a forced fumble.
• White (6-5, 290, Macon, Ga.) enters his final season after collecting 114 tackles, including 22.0 tackles for a loss, in the past two years.
• Ingram (5-8, 173, Waldorf, Md.) amassed three interceptions and 15 pass break-ups for a total of 18 passes defended a year ago, while also contributing 39 tackles (31 solo) with 2.0 hits for a loss and a forced fumble.
• Irvine (5-7, 150, Durham, N.C.) is the Eagles’ top returning receiver after collecting 38 receptions for 582 yards and three touchdowns in his college debut.
• Ward (6-4, 218, Edenton, N.C.) was responsible for 19 receptions for 248 yards (13.1 yards per catch) and two touchdowns last season.
Phil Steele’s College Football Preview magazine features a complete NCAA Division I-FCS preview (in the SEC/ACC/Big East regional magazine) with one full page on every FCS team, totaling 176 pages of FCS coverage.
LASTER NAMED INDEPENDENT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lindy’s Sports has announced NCCU senior linebacker Donald Laster as the NCAA Division I-FCS Independent Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in its 2010 college football preview magazine. Laster, a 6-0, 238-pound native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, earned the preseason honor after posting solid all-round statistics during his junior campaign in 2009. Laster was the team’s second-leading defender with 63 total tackles, including 10.0 hits for a loss with a team-high 5.5 sacks. The linebacker also topped the squad with a remarkable total of 13 quarterback hurries, nine more than the next best Eagle. He added an interception, two pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as a starter in all 11 games. In his best outing last season, Laster amassed a game-high 12 tackles with a takedown behind the line of scrimmage and a pass deflection against nationally-ranked Liberty University on Sept. 12. The linebacker ended the season by spending nearly the entire afternoon in the offensive backfield of Savannah State University, recording 11 stops, including 2.5 tackles for a loss with 1.5 sacks, along with five quarterback hurries. As a sophomore linebacker in 2008, Laster also led the Eagles with 6.0 sacks and six quarterback hurries, while adding 40 total tackles with 9.5 hits for a loss. Laster played on the defensive line in his first year at NCCU, collecting 48 tackles in 2007.
VIDEO STREAM OF THURSDAY’S GAME AT NCCUEAGLEPRIDE.COM
Fans will have the opportunity to watch Thursday’s gridiron contest between North Carolina Central University and Johnson C. Smith 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.
HALL OF FAME RUNNING BACK JOINS NCCU SPORTS NETWORK
The NCCU Sports Network announces the addition of NCCU Hall of Fame running back Joe Simmons to the broadcast team. Simmons joins play-by-play voice of the network, Chris Hooks, and versatile color analyst, Sedrick Dickens, in the booth for his first season of work with the network. Many Eagle fans remember Joe Simmons both as a player and a coach at NCCU. Simmons is one of the greatest running backs in school history and held the school’s rushing mark until 2006, the year he was inducted into the Alex M. Rivera Hall of Fame. The Mount Airy, N.C., native racked up an impressive 2,840 yards and scored 29 touchdowns during his career. His final season was one of his best as he became the first Eagle to rush for more than 1,200 yards in a season with a school record 1,699 yards. Simmons also coached at NCCU from 1996 to 2003 under Larry Little, Rudy Abrams, and Rod Broadway. He was in charge of running backs, quarterbacks, and linebackers respectively during his tenure as assistant coach. "It’s good to be coming back and working with the people I am so familiar with," stated Simmons. "I am grateful for the opportunity to serve my alma mater in an area that I am passionate about. It will be great to have a connection with the institution again and I hope to add to the continued success of an already well-established group that is the NCCU Sports Network."
TWO COMMUNITY TICKET OUTLETS EASES ACCESS TO BUY TICKETS
The NCCU Department of Athletics and the NCCU Ticket Office have established two community ticket outlets - Eagleland and MS Designs Embroidery, 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. MS Designs Embroidery is located at 803-A Ramseur Street. 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 MS Designs Embroidery at (919) 680-3917, or visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com for a complete list of ticket options and pricing.
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.
NCCU SPORTS NETWORK EXPANDS TO SEVEN RADIO STATIONS
Coming into the 2010 season, the NCCU Sports Network added six more radio affiliates to its current flagship station Rejoice 1410 AM, giving Eagle fans one of the largest HBCU football radio networks in the country. The seven affiliates give the NCCU Sports Network a presence in the Durham area all the way east to Kinston, N.C., where WELS 1010 AM carries NCCU football for the second straight season. There are two stations in the Granville/Vance County area, WCBQ 1340 AM (Oxford, N.C.) and WHNC 890 AM (Henderson, N.C.). WYRN 1480 AM is located in Louisburg, N.C., while WXKL 1290 AM is in Sanford, N.C. The newest affiliate to the network is WEED 1390 AM in Rocky Mount, N.C., as they join the network for the first time this season. The others carried at least one or more NCCU football or basketball games during the last year. The new stations allow the NCCU Sports Network to reach around 35,000 listeners throughout the central and eastern part of the state of North Carolina. All this is due to the partnership between the network and Chief Engineer Jay Bell, owner and operator of BMG, whose mission is to distribute, promote, and market college football and basketball games featuring Historically Black Colleges and Universities, while also using this opportunity to teach, train, and educate students at HBCU’s by using the latest technologies in broadcast communications.
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
