Complete game notes (PDF)
THE GAME
North Carolina Central University “Eagles” vs. Duke University “Blue Devils”
THE KICKOFF
Saturday, September 15, 2012 – Kickoff at 7:00 p.m.
THE SITE
Wallace Wade Stadium (33,941 capacity/Natural Grass) - Durham, N.C.
THE RECORDS
N.C. Central (1-1 overall, 0-0 MEAC); Duke (1-1 overall; 0-0 ACC)
MEDIA COVERAGE
Radio: WNCU 90.7 FM (Durham, N.C.); “GameCentral” at NCCUEaglePride.com (audio internet stream). Starts at 6:30 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst)
Video: ESPN3 (Dave Weekley, play-by-play; Stan Lewter, color analyst; Beth McDade, sideline reporter)
QUICK HITS
• This is the second of five straight road games for NCCU.
• Saturday will be the second meeting between Durham foes NCCU and Duke.
• Both NCCU and Duke enjoyed season-opening home victories followed by disappointing road losses.
• NCCU has five student-athletes from Durham that are expected to suit up against hometown opponent Duke on Saturday: Geovonie Irvine (Hillside H.S.), Delson McAdams (C.E. Jordan H.S.), Gary Douglas (Hillside H.S.), Zachary Giles (Hillside H.S.), and Micah Martin (Southern H.S.).
• Duke is celebrating its 100th season of football, while NCCU is in its 89th.
• Duke head coach David Cutcliffe will celebrate his 58th birthday on Sunday (born Sept. 16, 1954).
• NCCU and Duke cross country teams will start Saturday’s dual meet inside Wallace Wade Stadium at 6:45 p.m., 15 minutes prior to the kickoff of the football game.
THE SERIES
This will be the second meeting between the Eagles of NCCU and the Blue Devils of Duke University. Duke leads the series 1-0 after a 49-14 win inside Wallace Wade Stadium on Sept. 26, 2009.
THE LAST MEETING
(Sept. 26, 2009 - Duke 49, NCCU 14) Duke University blew open a seven-point, second-quarter contest by scoring 28 unanswered points for a 49-14 victory over North Carolina Central University in the first football meeting between the two Durham universities. Tagged as the “Bull City Gridiron Classic,” a crowd of 26,390 braved a steady rain to witness the historic event inside Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke amassed 487 yards of total offense, including a balanced 254 yards passing and 233 yards rushing. The Blue Devils’ 28 first downs is the second-highest total allowed by an Eagles defense (31 by Western Kentucky on Oct. 27, 2007). NCCU recorded 181 total yards with 111 yards through the air. The Eagles were held to a season-low eight first downs. Sophomore quarterback Michael Johnson completed 5-of-15 passes for 82 yards, while fellow sophomore signal caller Keon Williams entered the contest in the fourth quarter to throw for 29 yards on 3-of-4 passing for the Eagles. The Blue Devils were topped by senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis with 189 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-25 passing, while also rushing for his second touchdown of the season. Sophomore Donovan Varner caught six passes for 76 yards and two trips to the end zone for Duke, while freshman running back Desmond Scott rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown in his first college start. Duke scored on its first three possessions to jump out to a 21-0 lead. Patrick Kurunwune dashed 14 yards to close out a five-play, 59-yard drive to put the Blue Devils on the scoreboard just two minutes, 27 seconds into the contest. Scott rushed 23 yards for the second score at 8:42 of the first quarter, followed by an 18-yard connection from Lewis to Varner at 3:19 of the first quarter to put Duke up 21-0. NCCU responded with a seven-play, 70-yard drive to post its first points on the board with a one-yard dive into the end zone by junior Tim Shankle at the 1:27 mark of the first quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 55-yard pass play from Johnson to sophomore Geovonie Irvine, the Eagles’ longest play from scrimmage this season. With Lewis out of the game due to a temporary injury, Duke back-up quarterback Sean Renfree was hit by NCCU junior lineman Teryl White on his first pass attempt. The wobbling ball was picked off by junior safety Jeffery Henderson, who raced 83 yards for a touchdown at 13:33 of the second quarter to narrow the NCCU deficit to 21-14, giving the upset-minded Eagles a spark of energy. Duke, however, answered with a 13-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a 14-yard touchdown reception by Varner with 33 seconds left before halftime, to go up 28-14 at intermission. The Blue Devils scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, including a fumble recovery on a punt return, and one more in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring. The NCCU defense was led by Henderson with 10 tackles plus his 83-yard touchdown scamper, which equals the ninth-longest interception return in school history.
LAST WEEK
(Elon 34, NCCU 14 - Elon, N.C.) North Carolina Central University got off to a sluggish start and Elon University took full advantage, as the host Phoenix scored the first 24 points of the game and cruised to a 34-14 win in front of 7,528 fans inside Rhodes Stadium on a damp Saturday night. In the first half of play, NCCU managed only 36 total yards for two first downs on 21 offensive plays. The Eagles’ first six possessions ended with four punts and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Elon amassed 224 yards for 13 first downs on 44 offensive plays before intermission. The first five possessions for the Phoenix resulted in three touchdowns, a field goal and a missed 49-yard field goal try. NCCU’s lone score of the first half came after a mishandled snap by the Elon punter gave the Eagles the ball just one yard away from pay dirt. Sophomore running back Andre Clarke powered the pigskin into the end zone with 1:47 left in the second quarter to make the halftime deficit 31-7. The NCCU defense settled down in the second half, holding the Phoenix to just five total yards, two first downs and a field goal the rest of the night. The Eagles converted eight first downs and posted more than twice as many yards in the second half as they did in the first, finishing the contest with 110 yards of total offense compared to 229 by Elon. The highlight of the night for NCCU came midway through the fourth quarter when back-up quarterback Jordan Reid appeared to be tackled for a loss, but managed to stay on his feet and find senior receiver Geovonie Irvine down the field for a 43-yard touchdown. Irvine finished the game with two catches for 53 yards and a score to become just the sixth Eagle in NCCU history to reach 2,000 receiving yards. He now has 2,052 career receiving yards to rank fifth on the school’s list, passing Victor Hunter, who recorded 2,046 yards from 1979-82. Reid threw for 73 yards on 5-of-21 passing with a touchdown and an interception, while senior running back Arthur Goforth tallied 45 ground yards on eight carries, an average of 5.6 yards per rush for the Eagles. The NCCU defense was once again paced by sophomore safety C.J. Moore with nine tackles (seven solo), including a takedown for a loss. Sophomore linebacker Demontray Ryland notched seven stops with 2.5 hits for a loss, while senior defensive back Malik Cromartie added seven tackles and a pass break-up. Up front, senior lineman Stephen Young muscled four takedowns, including 3.0 stops behind the line of scrimmage with a sack. NCCU junior transfer quarterback Matt Goggans, who completed 15-of-26 passes for 223 yards in the Eagles’ season-opening win over Fayetteville State a week ago, completed more passes to Elon defenders (two interceptions) that he did to his own receivers (1-for-12, 10 yards).
(Stanford 50, Duke 13 - Stanford, Calif.) Stanford quarterback Josh Nunes threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns to lead 25th-ranked Stanford to a 50-13 win over visiting Duke in front of 44,016 fans at Stanford Stadium on Saturday night. Stanford got on the scoreboard early when Drew Terrell returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown just over one minute into the contest. The Cardinal added three field goals and a 13-yard scoring run by Stepfan Taylor while the Blue Devils managed a 29-yard field goal from Ross Martin as Stanford claimed a 23-3 advantage at halftime. Duke’s third quarter was highlighted by Brandon Connette’s four-yard touchdown run. Duke wide receiver Desmond Scott caught a career-high 11 passes for 83 yards, while fellow wideout Jamison Crowder hauled in a career-high 10 catches for 112 yards. Duke finished with 358 yards passing with Sean Renfree throwing for 200 and Anthony Boone for 147. Duke senior Conner Vernon caught six passes for 49 yards and moved into third place on the ACC’s all-time receptions list (214) and 11th on the all-time receiving yards list (2,904). Pacing Duke’s defense was Walt Canty with 11 tackles and Ross Cockrell with one interception and two pass breakups.
IRVINE BECOMES SIXTH EAGLE WITH 2,000 RECEIVING YARDS
After tallying 53 receiving yards at Elon, senior Geovonie Irvine became just the sixth Eagle in NCCU history to record 2,000 receiving yards. The redshirt senior now has 2,052 career receiving yards to rank fifth on the school’s all-time list. Irvine needs 78 receiving yards to pass Terrence McNeill (1983-86; 2,129 yards) into the fourth spot.
IRVINE RANKS FOURTH AMONG NCCU RECEIVERS
Senior receiver Geovonie Irvine ranks as NCCU’s fourth all-time leading receiver with 146 career catches for 2,052 yards and 15 trips to the end zone. Up next on the list in the third spot is Antoine Calloway (1993-96) with 153 receptions for 1,920 yards and 17 touchdowns. Robert Clark (1983-86) is NCCU’s career leader in receptions with 210 for 4,231 yards and 38 touchdowns.
THE COACHES
North Carolina Central: Henry Frazier III (Bowie State, 1993) is in his second 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).
Duke: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976), who led Ole Miss to four bowl games in six seasons and mentored Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, was named Duke University’s 21st head football coach on December 15, 2007.Cutcliffe is 16-34 in five seasons at Duke and owns an overall head coaching ledger of 60-63. Cutcliffe’s 16 victories in five years with the Blue Devils are six more than the program’s total in the previous eight seasons (2000-07) combined. Cutcliffe, born September 16, 1954, came to Duke after serving the previous two seasons as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee. His head coaching experience includes a six-year stint at the University of Mississippi from 1999-2004, where he compiled a 44-29 (.603) ledger with five winning seasons, five bowl game appearances and a share of the SEC Western Division championship in 2003. Cutcliffe was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 2003 after leading the Rebels to a 10-3 record, including a 31-28 victory over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. Cutcliffe has participated in 22 bowl games including the 1982 Peach, 1983 Florida Citrus, 1984 Sun, 1986 Sugar, 1986 Liberty, 1988 Peach, 1990 Cotton, 1991 Sugar, 1992 Fiesta, 1993 Hall of Fame, 1994 Florida Citrus, 1994 Gator, 1996 Florida Citrus, 1997 Florida Citrus, 1998 Orange, 1998 Independence, 1999 Independence, 2000 Music City, 2002 Independence, 2004 Cotton, 2007 Outback and 2008 Outback. He owns a 4-1 (.800) record as a head coach in bowl tilts with victories over Oklahoma, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. As a member of the coaching staff at Tennessee from 1982-98, Cutcliffe helped the Volunteers to four SEC championships, 16 bowl games in 17 seasons and the national title in 1998. His first tenure with the Vols featured the mentoring of quarterbacks Andy Kelly, Heath Shuler, Tee Martin and Peyton Manning.
NCCU’S HOMETOWN CONNECTIONS
NCCU has five student-athletes from Durham that are expected to suit up against hometown opponent Duke on Saturday: Geovonie Irvine (Hillside H.S.), Delson McAdams (C.E. Jordan H.S.), Gary Douglas (Hillside H.S.), Zachary Giles (Hillside H.S.), and Micah Martin (Southern H.S.).
NCCU EAGLES NO STRANGERS TO WALLACE WADE STADUIM
Durham neighbors North Carolina Central University and Duke University will meet on the gridiron for just the second time on Saturday inside Wallace Wade Stadium, but the Eagles are no strangers to Duke’s home field. NCCU has played football contests at Wallace Wade Stadium on four occasions, boasting a record of 2-2. The Eagles made their first known appearance at Wallace Wade Stadium on Nov. 18, 1972, in a game against rival North Carolina A&T that determined the MEAC championship. NCCU edged the Aggies 9-7. Two weeks later (Dec. 2, 1972), NCCU returned to Wallace Wade Stadium for the first Pelican Bowl against Grambling, in an event that was tagged as the National Black Championship game. The Tigers cruised to a 56-6 victory. On Nov. 23, 1974, the Eagles once again defeated rival North Carolina A&T, this time by a score of 29-18. NCCU’s last football trip to Wallace Wade Stadium was on Sept. 26, 2009, this time against the Blue Devils, who won 49-14.
ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
North Carolina Central University enters its second season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletic competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles won back-to-back football conference championships and a Black College National Championship in their final two years in the Division II ranks (2005 and 2006) before starting the transition to Division I in 2007. During its storied gridiron tradition, NCCU has produced 129 all-conference selections, 63 all-Americans, 40 NFL draft picks, 10 conference championships and two Black College National Championships.
PRESEASON INJURIES HURT NCCU
NCCU’s offense took a hit in the preseason with two season-ending injuries. The Eagles’ leading rusher Idreis Augustus and veteran redshirt senior receiver Andrew Johnson (an E.E. Smith High School product from Fayetteville, N.C.) are out of action for 2012 after suffering knee injuries.
NCCU’S IRVINE, PROCTOR EARN PRESEASON HONORS
NCCU seniors Geovonie Irvine and Xavier Proctor were selected to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference Football Team. Irvine, a 5-7, 161-pound native of Durham, N.C., was named to the All-MEAC First Team as a return specialist. Last season Irvine garnered All-MEAC Second Team recognition in the postseason after returning 18 kickoffs for 400 yards (22.2 avg.), including an 81-yard touchdown scamper, and six punts for 54 yards (9.0 avg.). He also led the Eagles with 47 receptions for 580 yards and five touchdowns. Irvine enters his final season as NCCU’s fourth all-time leading receiver with 138 career catches for 1,920 yards and 13 trips to the end zone. Proctor, a 6-6, 272-pound native of Ellicott City, Md., earned All-MEAC Second Team honors as a defensive lineman. In 2011, he tallied 37 tackles with 7.5 hits for a loss and 3.5 sacks, along with two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick.
NCCU PICKED TO FINISH NINTH IN THE MEAC
Under the direction of second-year head coach Henry Frazier III, North Carolina Central University has been picked to finish ninth in the 11-team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, according to a poll of league head football coaches and sports information directors. In its first season back in the MEAC, NCCU placed 10th during the 2011 campaign with a 1-7 conference record and an overall mark of 2-9.
LISTEN TO NCCU FOOTBALL ON WNCU 90.7 FM
Thanks to a new partnership between WNCU 90.7 FM and the North Carolina Central University Department of Athletics, the 50,000-watt Durham radio station will air the broadcast of NCCU football games during the 2012 season. The 90.7 FM signal encompasses a coverage area of more than 100 miles, reaching listeners in Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill and beyond. WNCU, a non-commercial public radio station, last carried NCCU football games during the regular season in 1997. “I am excited about this revitalized collaboration with NCCU Athletics and the football program,” said Lackisha Freeman, WNCU General Manager. “Additionally, I am glad to have the football games back on our airwaves and hope this will demonstrate the true meaning of ‘Eagle Pride, Amplified.’ I am optimistic that this partnership will be rewarding for all parties involved, most importantly, our student-athletes.” According to Freeman, WNCU plans to have a presence at all NCCU home football games, giving fans the opportunity to listen to its programming and meet the station’s on-air personalities and staff. “I am truly excited about our new partnership with WNCU,” said Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree, NCCU Director of Athletics. “The opportunity for NCCU Athletics to be a part of the WNCU family of loyal followers will enhance our constituent-base and that of WNCU. General Manager Lackisha Freeman has been tremendous in this collaborative effort and we look forward to the marketing potential this partnership will bring to the Department of Athletics and WNCU.” Chris Hooks, entering his fifth gridiron season as the play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network, will continue to announce the live action. The broadcasts will begin with a pre-game show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled kickoff time. For more details about WNCU 90.7 FM, visit www.WNCU.org.
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, 2011, in front of McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. Tru-Pak Moving Systems, Inc., “The Official Mover of NCCU Football,” uses the 28-foot truck to transport the Eagles’ gridiron equipment to road games and is part of 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 is used primarily to aid the NCCU football program move its equipment to and from the site of competition, which enhances 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 is 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.
