Complete game notes as PDF
THE GAME
North Carolina Central University “Eagles” vs. Delaware State University “Hornets”
THE KICKOFF
Saturday, November 5, 2011 – Kickoff at 1:00 p.m.
THE SITE
Alumni Stadium (7,000 capacity/A-Turf) - Dover, Delaware
2011 RECORDS
N.C. Central (1-7 overall, 0-5 MEAC); Delaware State (2-6 overall, 0-5 MEAC)
MEDIA COVERAGE
Radio: WEED 1390 AM (Rocky Mount, N.C.); WARR 1520 AM (Warrenton, N.C.); “
GameCentral” at NCCUEaglePride.com. Starts at 12:30 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst)
QUICK HITS
• North Carolina Central University and Delaware State University will be battling for their first conference win of the season.
• The game’s two starting quarterbacks - NCCU’s Michael Johnson and DSU’s Nick Elko - rank third and fourth, respectively, among the MEAC passing leaders.
• Both teams are coming off of 3-8 seasons in 2010 and have new head coaches (Kermit Blount, DSU; Henry Frazier III, NCCU).
• NCCU returns to Delaware, where the Eagles lost to DSU 29-7 a year ago (Nov. 6, 2010). This will be NCCU’s third straight trip to Delaware in the series with the Hornets (2010, 2004).
• Saturday will mark the 20th gridiron meeting in the series between NCCU and DSU.
THE SERIES
This will be the 20th meeting in the series between the Eagles and the Hornets since the teams first played in 1945. NCCU leads the series against Delaware State, 13-6. The Eagles have won four of the last five contests with wins in 2004, 2003, 1996 and 1979, while DSU won the 2010 meeting 29-7.
THE LAST MEETING
Delaware State 29, NCCU 7 (Nov. 6, 2010 - Dover, Del.): Delaware State University amassed season-highs of 172 rushing yards and 416 total yards en route to a 29-7 victory over North Carolina Central University in Dover, Del. And while the host Hornets were cruising offensively, their swarming defense held the visitors to season lows. In fact, NCCU’s 134 yards of total offense was the lowest offensive output since Nov. 8, 2008, when the Eagles gained 123 total yards at No. 3 Cal Poly. NCCU also managed only 21 rushing yards on 34 carries, the Eagles weakest ground game since Oct. 10, 2009, at No. 9 Appalachian State. The two MEAC foes were knotted at 7-7 after the opening 15 minutes of play, but Delaware State made two visits to the end zone in the second quarter to take a 16-7 lead at the break. The Hornets scored two more times in the third to put the game out of reach. NCCU sophomore receiver Geovonie Irvine accounted for the lone Eagles score, catching a 14-yard pass from junior signal caller Michael Johnson at 5:53 of the first quarter. Johnson, who was sacked four times, completed 6-of-13 passes for 94 yards with a touchdown toss and an interception. Redshirt freshman Jordan Reid spelled Johnson late in the second half, throwing for 19 yards on 2-of-5 passing and he was sacked twice. NCCU senior defensive lineman Teryl White was a bright light on an otherwise dim day for the Eagles. He was in on a team-best eight stops, including a tackle for a loss, with a blocked kick. Seniors Calvin Hillie and JaQuez Canty collected seven takedowns each. Senior quarterback Anthony Glaud led Delaware State with 264 yards of total offense and was responsible for two scores. He completed 16-of-20 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown without an interception, while rushing for 40 yards and a trip to the end zone. DSU sophomore Justin Wilson was on the receiving end of eight passes for 129 yards, while junior Darius Jackson had four receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore James Rosseau topped a productive Hornets ground attack with 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20 rushes, while junior Jaashawn Jones added 49 yards on just six carries. The Delaware State defense was charged by sophomore lineman Olusegun Ayanbiola with eight tackles, including 4.5 hits for a loss with 3.5 sacks. As a team, the Hornets sacked NCCU quarterbacks six times on the day. NCCU turned the ball over three times, while the Hornets made only one miscue. The Eagles converted only 2-of-11 third down plays compared to a 7-of-13 success rate for DSU. The DSU win ends a four-game drought against the Eagles, who still lead the series 13-6.
ABOUT DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1891 as the State College for Colored Students, DSU takes pride in its heritage as one of the country’s first land-grant educational institutions, rooted early on in agriculture and education. DSU currently offers 52 undergraduate degree options, 25 master’s degree programs and five doctoral degree programs in areas such as interdisciplinary applied mathematics/mathematical physics and educational leadership. The Hornets compete on the NCAA Division I (FCS) level as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
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).
Delaware State: Kermit Blount was announced as the new head coach of the Hornets on Feb. 4, 2011. Blount boasts 28 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 16 as the head football coach for Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. During his tenure at WSSU, Blount had a career record of 91-87-3, which included his final 2009 season with the Rams in which he led the team to an 8-2 record. He guided the Rams to two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championships and a total of three CIAA Championship game appearances. Blount is the winningest coach in the history of the Winston-Salem State football program. He has also led the Rams to 25 percent of their conference championships, directing WSSU to two of its eight conference titles as a head coach and to two more conference titles as a quarterback on the team’s 1977 and 1978 squads. Blount was honored as the CIAA Coach of the Year and as the Washington D.C. Pigskin Coach of the Year, as well as the 100% Wrong Club Coach of the Year - each award in both 1999 and 2000. In 1983 he became a graduate assistant and assistant quarterbacks coach at East Carolina University where he would begin his collegiate coaching career. Following his stint with the Pirates, Blount joined the staff at Howard University, where he assumed the responsibilities of offensive coordinator from 1984-89 under Bison head coach Willie Jeffries, whom he followed to South Carolina State for four seasons. A 1980 graduate of Winston-Salem State University, Blount enjoyed a fruitful playing career as a Ram. As a four-year starter at quarterback at WSSU, Blount guided the Rams to back-to-back CIAA titles in 1977 and 1978 earning all-conference and All-America honors along the way. The 1978 All-American sat atop the WSSU record books for more than 25 years before his 3,330 career passing yards were surpassed in 2004. A native of Richmond, Va., Blount has a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Winston-Salem State University.
LAST WEEK
Bethune-Cookman 34, NCCU 6: Bethune-Cookman University sophomore quarterback Jackie Wilson passed for 183 yards and ran for another 113 yards to spark the Wildcats to 525 total yards and a 34-6 victory over North Carolina Central University inside a packed O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium celebrating NCCU’s homecoming. Wilson completed 12-of-15 passes for 183 yards and an 11-yard touchdown strike to Patrick Harris in the third quarter. His team-high 113 ground yards came on just nine carries, including a 3-yard touchdown scamper right before halftime. B-CU sophomore running back Isidore Jackson also surpassed the century mark with 108 rushing yards, while Anthony Jordan found the end zone twice and Rodney Scott had 57 rushing yards and a score. As a team, the Wildcats rushed for 333 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. NCCU finished the contest with 295 yards of total offense. Junior receiver and return specialist Geovonie Irvine paced the Eagles with 188 all-purpose yards, including 80 yards on a team-best six catches and 108 yards on five kickoff returns. Senior Michael Johnson completed 20-of-31 passes for 181 yards to become the fifth quarterback in NCCU history to throw for more than 5,000 yards. He now has 5,179 career passing yards and needs just 24 yards to pass Stadford Brown (2006-08) for fourth place on NCCU’s all-time list. Defensively, NCCU was topped by senior linebacker Brandon Outlaw with a game-high 11 tackles, while junior lineman Stephen Young added nine stops with 1.5 takedowns behind the line of scrimmage. Another bright spot for NCCU was the special teams play of punter Matthew Cornelius, who averaged 51.5 yards per punt, including a 56-yard blast that pinned the Wildcats at their own 1-yard line. After punting on its first possession, Bethune-Cookman then scored touchdowns on five of the next six times with the ball. The Wildcats posted scoring drives of 73, 99, 45, 39 and 80 yards. The only time B-CU did not score during that stretch was due to a fumble to end a 90-yard drive. The visiting Wildcats compiled 207 yards of total offense in the first quarter, while holding the Eagles to 17 yards on seven plays. B-CU closed out the first 30 minutes of play with 344 total yards and took a 20-0 cushion into the locker room at intermission. B-CU posted two more touchdowns on the scoreboard for a 34-0 advantage with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter. The only scoring in the final quarter was by NCCU when redshirt freshman running back Andre Clarke caped a 12-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard dive into the end zone with 13:17 left in the contest.
Morgan State 12, Delaware State 0: Delaware State was held to just 54 yards of total offense in a 12-0 loss to Morgan State on a cold, rainy homecoming at Alumni Stadium this afternoon. The Hornets dropped their sixth straight game to fall to 2-6 overall and 0-5 in the MEAC. The Bears won their third in a row to improve to 5-3 and 4-1. The loss also snapped a six-game homecoming win streak for DSU. Redshirt freshman Tracy Martin rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bears. Martin scored on a two-yard run in the second quarter and on a five-yard run in the fourth for the game’s only scores. Morgan State racked up 314 yards, including 289 on the ground. Delaware State was held to 52 yards passing and two yards rushing. Linebacker Quentin Ferguson led the Hornets with a career-high 18 tackles, while fellow backer Ernest Adjei had 14 tackles, also a personal best.
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 fifth on NCCU’s all-time career passing list with 5,179 yards through the air. The Durham, N.C., native also ranks fifth with 43 career touchdown passes. Up next: Stadford Brown (2006-08) with 5,202 passing yards; and Gerald Fraylon (1981-84) with 45 TD passes.
- Junior receiver Geovonie Irvine ranks sixth in career receptions with 131 and 10th among NCCU’s career receiving yards leaders with 1,845 yards. Up next: Moses Ware (1991-94) with 132 receptions; Julian Martin (1966-69) with 1,881 receiving yards.
- Senior cornerback David Ingram ranks 10th among NCCU’s career passes defended leaders with 34. Up next: Hassan Smith (1999-2002) with 35.
EAGLES’ EQUIPMENT RIDES IN STYLE
North Carolina Central University and Tru-Pak Moving Systems, Inc., partnered to unveil a brand new truck with NCCU style on Aug. 1 in front of McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. Tru-Pak Moving Systems, Inc., now “The Official Mover of NCCU Football,” will use the 28-foot truck to transport the Eagles’ gridiron equipment to road games and will be added to Tru-Pak’s fleet of more than 200 trucks. “I can’t think of a finer institution to give this gift to than NCCU,” stated Allyson Siegel, Executive Vice President of Tru-Pak Moving Systems, Inc. “Producing leaders in the world for years in both the classroom and on the athletic field, NCCU is leading the way for other institutions. I am very excited about the upcoming season and look forward to being part of their success in years to come.” The truck will be used primarily to aid the NCCU football program move its equipment to and from the site of competition, which will enhance the travel experience for the student-athletes and support staff; while also giving the institution visibility not only across North Carolina, but nationwide as the truck will be used as part of the normal fleet during the week and the rest of the year. “I’m so excited about our new partnership with Tru-Pak Moving Systems,” said NCCU Athletics Director Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree. “As our program grows, we are looking to form great corporate sponsorships such as this. Ms. Allyson Siegel has been wonderful in her support of our athletics program, and most importantly, our student-athletes. We will move in style this season.” Tru-Pak Moving Systems, Inc., has been a family owned and operated full-service moving and storage company for more than 50 years. This company averages 4,500 moves annually. Eagle fans are encouraged to check out their website at www.Tru-Pak.com or call 1-800-659-122 ext. 211.
