Complete Game Notes (PDF)    

THE GAME                                                                                                                                
North Carolina Central Univ. “Eagles” vs. South Carolina State Univ. “Bulldogs”

THE KICKOFF                                                                                                                          
Saturday, October 8, 2011 – Kickoff at 1:30 p.m. 

THE SITE                                                                                                                                   
Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium (22,000 capacity/Poly Turf) - Orangeburg, S.C.

2011 RECORDS                                                                                                                      
N.C. Central (1-3 overall, 0-1 MEAC); S.C. State (2-3 overall, 2-1 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE                                                                                                                
Radio: WEED 1390 AM (Rocky Mount, N.C.); WARR 1520 AM (Warrenton, N.C.); “GameCentral” at NCCUEaglePride.com. Starts at 1:00 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst)

QUICK HITS                                                                                                                             
•   North Carolina Central University plays South Carolina State University for the first time in 18 years. The last time the Eagles and Bulldogs faced each other on the gridiron was Oct. 23, 1993, in Orangeburg, S.C.
•   Both teams are coming off of heart-breaking three-point losses. NCCU dropped its MEAC opener to Savannah State 33-30 on Sept. 24, while SCSU suffered a 17-14 defeat to Norfolk State on Oct. 1.
•   This contest is South Carolina State’s homecoming game.
•   The Eagles and Bulldogs first met on the gridiron 84 years ago (Oct. 15, 1927).

THE SERIES                                                                                                                             
This will be the 19th football meeting between South Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University since the two schools first played on Oct. 15, 1927. SCSU leads the series 10-8. The Bulldogs have won the last six match-ups dating back to 1976. NCCU’s last victory over SCSU was on Nov. 1, 1975, in Durham, N.C., by a score of 6-3.
Oct. 23, 1993 - SCSU 42, NCCU 13 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 24, 1992 - SCSU 69, NCCU 0 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 27, 1979 - SCSU 26, NCCU 6 (Charleston, S.C.)
Oct. 28, 1978 - SCSU 17, NCCU 15 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 29, 1977 - SCSU 45, NCCU 12 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 30, 1976 - SCSU 30, NCCU 0 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Nov. 1, 1975 - NCCU 6, SCSU 3 (Durham, N.C.)
Nov. 2, 1974 - SCSU 21, NCCU 3 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 27, 1973 - SCSU 24, NCCU 3 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 28, 1972 - NCCU 43, SCSU 0 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 30, 1971 - NCCU 21, SCSU 12 (Durham, N.C.)
Nov. 3, 1956 - SCSU 26, NCCU 12 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Nov. 5, 1955 - NCCU 26, SCSU 7 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 1, 1949 - NCCU 7, SCSU 6 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 2, 1948 - NCCU 19, SCSU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
Sept. 26, 1941 - NCCU 19, SCSU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 20, 1928 - NCCU 6, SCSU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 15, 1927 - SCSU 10, NCCU 6 (Orangeburg, S.C.)

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY                                                           
Founded in 1896, South Carolina State University is the only public HBCU in South Carolina. SCSU boasts an enrollment of 4,700. Notable alumni include Pro Football Hall-of-Famers Harry Carson and David “Deacon” Jones, and Pittsburgh Steelers great Donnie Shell. The Bulldogs compete on the NCAA Division I (FCS) level as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. SCSU posted a 9-3 overall record last season, including a 7-1 mark in the conference. The Bulldogs have claimed 14 MEAC football titles (1974-78, 1980-83, 1994, 2004, 2008-10).

THE COACHES                                                                                                                       
North Carolina Central: Henry Frazier III (Bowie State, 1993) is in his first season as head coach at NCCU. Prior to his arrival in Durham, N.C., Frazier spent seven seasons (2004-10) at the helm of the Prairie View A&M University Panthers football team. He took over a program that experienced the nation’s longest losing streak, dropping 80 straight contests from 1989-98, and transformed the Panthers into SWAC champions in 2009. Among his many coaching honors is the 2009 Eddie Robinson National FCS Coach of the Year award. Frazier also served as head coach at his alma mater, Bowie State University (1999-2003).

South Carolina State: Oliver “Buddy” Pough is in his 10th season as head coach at South Carolina State, his alma mater. Since succeeding head coach emeritus Willie Jeffries as Bulldog head coach in 2002, Pough has built the SC State football program into a perennial power in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). During his 10-year tenure at the school where he earned a bachelor’s and a master’s as well as All-MEAC honors as an offensive lineman, Pough has compiled an enviable 78-32 overall record and a 60-14 MEAC worksheet. His teams have also captured two MEAC titles (2008 & 2009) outright and shared two others (2004, 2010).

LAST WEEK                                                                                                                             
NCCU had a week off. On Sept. 24, NCCU amassed a season-high 420 yards of total offense, but the Eagles committed three turnovers resulting in 13 second-half points for the visiting Tigers, as Savannah State University captured a 33-30 victory at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Norfolk State 17, #22 South Carolina State 14: Norfolk State linebacker Onyemechi Anyaugo returned a second-quarter fumble 84 yards for a touchdown, and the Spartan defense came up with a key goal-line stand late in the fourth quarter to knock off three-time defending MEAC champion and 22nd-ranked South Carolina State 17-14 on Oct. 1 in the Fish Bowl Classic at Dick Price Stadium. With less than six minutes remaining in the contest, SCSU had a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line, but did not punch it in during the first three downs and missed a 20-yard field goal that would have tied the game.

LAST SEASON                                                                                                                         
North Carolina Central:  NCCU finished its fourth season of Division I-FCS competition with a 3-8 overall record. NCCU stormed out of the gates with a dominating 59-0 season-opening win over Johnson C. Smith. The Eagles also tasted sweet victory against long-time rival North Carolina A&T and celebrated a homecoming win versus Edward Waters. But the Eagles also had their share of troubles. They lost a heart-breaker to Winston-Salem State, fell victim to the No. 1-ranked team in the nation in Appalachian State and suffered an overtime setback at Georgia State. After opening the campaign with a 2-4 record, NCCU head coach Mose Rison was replaced by assistant head coach Darryl Bullock, who led the Eagles the rest of the season. Unfortunately for the maroon and gray faithful, the results were about the same. NCCU went 1-4 during that stretch, including its first-ever loss against Savannah State.

South Carolina State: The Bulldogs finished the season with a 9-3 overall record and a 7-1 conference mark for a share of the MEAC title. SCSU advanced to the first round of the NCAA playoffs, falling to Georgia Southern, 41-16.

JOHNSON HAS CAREER PASSING DAY AGAINST SAVANNAH STATE                  
On Sept. 24 against Savannah State, NCCU senior quarterback Michael Johnson threw 52 passes with 28 completions for 315 yards - all career-highs for the Durham native. He also passed for three touchdowns. The effort was Johnson’s first 300-yard passing performance and the most passing yards for the Eagles since the 2007 season (372 vs. Presbyterian on Sept. 29, 2007).

LISTEN TO NCCU FOOTBALL VIA THE INTERNET                                                        
Every game of the 2011 North Carolina Central University Eagles football season will be broadcasted by the NCCU Sports Network. Play-by-play announcer Chris Hooks and NCCU Athletic Hall of Famer Joe Simmons will call all of the live action, starting with “Eagle Gameday” a half-hour prior to kickoff. To listen to the broadcast via the internet, visit the NCCU Athletics web site at www.NCCUEaglePride.com and click on “GameCentral.”

THREE EAGLES AMONG NCCU CAREER LEADERS                                                   
- NCCU senior quarterback Michael Johnson currently ranks sixth on NCCU’s all-time career passing list with 4,327 yards through the air. The Durham, N.C., native also ranks seventh with 39 career touchdown passes. Up next: Adrian Warren (2003-06) with 4,676 passing yards; and Herman Mathews (1966-69) with 41 TD passes.
- Junior receiver Geovonie Irvine ranks 11th among NCCU’s career receiving yards leaders with 1,575 yards and 12th in career receptions with 110. Up next: Moses Ware (1991-94) with 1,822 receiving yards; Carl Sanders (1977-80) with 112 receptions.
- Senior cornerback David Ingram ranks 10th among NCCU’s career passes defended leaders with 34. Up next: Hassan Smith (1999-2002) with 35.