Complete Game Notes (PDF):  http://nccueaglepride.com/documents/2013/10/8/FB2013_1010vsSCSU.pdf      

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

THE KICKOFF
Thursday, October 10, 2013 – Kickoff at 7:30 p.m.

THE SITE
O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity/Mondoturf) - Durham, N.C.

THE RECORDS
S.C. State (4-2 overall, 2-0 MEAC); N.C. Central (3-2 overall, 1-0 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio: NCCU Sports Network mobile app (iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, Kindle Fire HD); "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (audio internet stream). Broadcast starts at 7:00 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst).
Television: ESPNU / ESPN3. Broadcast starts at 7:30 p.m. (Mark Neely, play-by-play; Jay Walker, color analyst)

QUICK HITS
• Battle of two unbeaten teams in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.
• S.C. State's last visit to NCCU's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium was in 1977 (Oct. 29).
• S.C. State has won seven of the last eight games against the Eagles, dating back to 1976. NCCU won last year's meeting 40-10 in the Circle City Classic.
• NCCU has won three of its last four contests, with its only setback during that time coming against No. 4 Towson (now No. 3 at 6-0).
• After losing to Coastal Carolina and Clemson to open the season, S.C. State has won four straight games by a combined score of 150-36.
• NCCU true freshman cornerback Michael Jones (Baltimore, Md.) is the national FCS leader with four interceptions and leads the MEAC with 10 total passes defended.
• NCCU senior linebacker Tazmon Foster (Henderson, N.C.), who amassed 80 tackles in eight games last season, leads the MEAC with 58 tackles (6th in FCS).
• The last time NCCU played in an ESPNU contest, the Eagles beat Hampton 37-20 on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012 in Durham, N.C.  NCCU linebacker Tazmon Foster made SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays with an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown.
• WHITE OUT - Fans are encouraged to wear white to the game in order to "White Out" the stadium for the ESPNU viewing audience.

THE SERIES
This will be the 21st football meeting between South Carolina State and NCCU since the two schools first played on Oct. 15, 1927. SCSU leads the series 11-9. The Bulldogs have won seven of the last eight match-ups dating back to 1976. In last season's meeting, NCCU snapped a seven-game losing skid to the Bulldogs by cruising to a 40-10 victory at the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis.
Oct. 6, 2012 - NCCU 40, SCSU 10 (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Oct. 8, 2011 - SCSU 49, NCCU 38 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
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.)

THE LAST MEETING
(Oct. 6, 2012 - NCCU 40, SCSU 10)  An aggressive defensive effort by NCCU forced five turnovers that resulted in 24 points during a 40-10 victory over S.C. State in the 29th annual Circle City Classic inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Trailing 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, NCCU exploded for 30 points in the second quarter, a school record for second-quarter scoring, sparked by the defense. After a career-long 43-yard field goal by sophomore Oleg Parent tied the score at 3-3, an interception by redshirt senior Malik Cromartie set up a 13-yard touchdown run by senior Arthur Goforth, giving the Eagles a 10-3 lead at 10:30 of the second stanza. On the next SCSU drive, NCCU senior safety Rickie Hubbard stripped Caleb Davis of the football and junior linebacker Tazmon Foster scooped up the pigskin and raced 32 yards to the end zone, extending the Eagles' advantage to 17-3 at the 8:28 mark. After a 29-yard touchdown run by SCSU's Julius Pendergrass, NCCU responded with an eight-play, 66-yard scoring drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown scamper by redshirt junior quarterback Jordan Reid with just 38 seconds remaining before the halftime show. The Eagles were not done, though. On the Bulldogs' first play of the ensuing drive, SCSU quarterback Richard Cue faced heavy pressure and heaved a pass downfield into the hands of NCCU's Cromartie for his second interception of the quarter. Cromartie returned the pick 46 yards to the 9-yard line. On the Eagles' first play, Reid threw a strike to tight end Detwan Robinson in the end zone for the fourth touchdown of the quarter. NCCU took a commanding 30-10 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Eagles' stifling defensive play continued in the second half. NCCU blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt and then held SCSU to a turnover-on-downs. Six plays later, NCCU sophomore running back Andre Clarke blasted through the middle for a 40-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 37-10 with 1:28 left in the third quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, NCCU sophomore DeMario Johnson knocked the ball away from Lennel Elmore at NCCU sophomore Anthony McIntyre recovered the fumble and moved it to the SCSU 23-yard line. The turnover resulted in a 23-yard field goal by Parent to cap the scoring at 40-10 at 13:36 of the fourth quarter. NCCU senior defensive back Marc Lewis intercepted at Derrick Wiley pass in the end zone with 2:10 remaining to seal the victory. Hubbard topped the NCCU defense with a game-high 15 tackles. Foster finished with 12 stops, including a tackle for a loss. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Ty Brown contributed seven tackles, including 1.5 takedowns behind the line of scrimmage, along with a forced fumble. Goforth amassed 176 all-purpose yards with 59 yards rushing, 61 yards receiving on five catches and 56 kickoff return yards.

LAST WEEK
(NCCU 37, Howard 28) NCCU used two special teams touchdowns and a season-high 215 rushing yards to earn a 37-28 road conference victory over Howard University on Saturday inside Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.

(S.C. State 29, N.C. A&T 24) S.C. State redshirt senior quarterback Richard Cue threw for a game-high 236 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-28 passing to lead the Bulldogs to a 29-24 victory over rival N.C. A&T in the Atlanta Football Classic at the Georgia Dome.

FOUR OF MEAC'S TOP DEFENDERS IN ACTION THURSDAY NIGHT
Four of the top defenders in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will be on the same field Thursday night. NCCU senior linebacker Tazmon Foster leads the conference in tackles with 11.6 stops per game (58 total tackles). NCCU freshman cornerback Michael Jones tops the MEAC and is the national NCAA Division I-FCS leader with four interceptions, while also leading the conference with 10 passes defended. SCSU junior defensive end Andrew Carter leads the league with 11.5 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks. Bulldogs senior linebacker Joe Thomas tops the conference in total tackles with 62, including 8.5 hits for a loss with 3.0 sacks.

SIX EAGLES FROM SOUTH CAROLINA
Six student-athletes on the NCCU football roster hail from South Carolina: junior running back Andre Clarke, sophomore linebacker Neil Williams, freshman center Keiton Burgess, senior receiver Marvin Poole, freshman defensive lineman Roderick "Dee" Harris and freshman defensive lineman Kenjorie Ware.

WILKINS NAMED NATIONAL FCS PUNT RETURNER OF THE WEEK
NCCU sophomore Adrian Wilkins (Forest City, N.C.) was selected as the national FCS punt returner of the week by College Football Performance Awards for his week-6 effort in a win at Howard. Wilkins returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown - the second-longest punt return in NCCU history. He finished the contest with 166 all-purpose yards on three punt returns and three kickoff returns.

THE COACHES
North Carolina Central: Dwayne Foster (Delaware State, 1993) joined NCCU in 2011 as assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator and offensive line coach, before being elevated to interim head coach prior to the 2013 season. Previously, he served as running backs coach at Prairie View A&M University (2005-10), tight ends and running backs coach at Catholic University (2004), and offensive line coach at Bowie State University (2003). Foster made his name on the high school level in Washington, D.C., as the head coach of Archbishop Carroll High School from 1997-2003. At Archbishop, Foster received coach of the year honors by the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Committee in 1998. Foster played college football at Delaware State University from 1989-93 and helped the Hornets capture two MEAC Championships during his freshmen and junior seasons before graduating in 1993. Foster is a member of the Black Coaches and American Football Coaches Associations, was part of the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program in 2010 with the Buffalo Bills and in 2012 with the Cincinnati Bengals, and participated in the NCAA Men's Football Coaching Academy in Indianapolis, Ind., in June 2006.

South Carolina State: Oliver "Buddy" Pough is in his 12th 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 12-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 92-41 overall record. His teams have also captured two MEAC titles (2008 & 2009) outright and shared two others (2004, 2010).

NCCU ROOKIE JONES LEADS NATION IN INTERCEPTIONS
NCCU true freshman cornerback Michael Jones collected two interceptions against Charlotte and another versus No. 4 Towson to increase his season total to four picks, giving the Baltimore, Md., native the No. 1 spot in the NCAA Division I-FCS ranks. Jones also tops the MEAC with 10 passes defended (4 INTs, 6 PBUs).

NCCU'S FOSTER TOPS CONFERENCE IN TACKLES
NCCU senior linebacker Tazmon Foster leads the MEAC with an average of 11.6 tackles per game (58 total tackles). A 5-10, 215-pound native of Henderson, N.C., Foster amassed a career-high 17 tackles (eight solo) along with a forced fumble against No. 4 Towson. In just 13 games with the Eagles, the linebacker has totaled 138 tackles and has two touchdowns to his credit with fumble and interception returns to the end zone.

WILKINS TOPS MEAC IN ALL-PURPOSE YARDS; KNACK FOR BIG PLAYS
NCCU sophomore receiver and return specialist Adrian Wilkins (Forest City, N.C.) leads the MEAC with an average of 113.2 all-purpose yards per game. He is the only student-athlete in the conference to average more than 100 all-purpose yards per contest. Wilkins has a knack for making big plays. He owns the second-longest kickoff return (100 yards at Charlotte, Sept. 14, 2013) and punt return (89 yards at Howard, Oct. 5, 2013) in school history. As a receiver, Wilkins has caught 14 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. He is the only Eagle in the NCCU record books with a kickoff return touchdown, a punt return touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the same season.

EAGLES TURNING DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS INTO POINTS
Since the start of the 2012 season, the Eagles have demonstrated a knack for finding the end zone when the offense is off the field. In the past 16 games, NCCU has scored 14 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including four this season and 10 in 2012. In that time, the Eagles have made trips to the end zone on six punt returns, two kickoff returns, two blocked field goal returns, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. NCCU's eight special teams touchdowns in the past two seasons (6 PR, 2 KOR) equal the amount by the Eagles in the previous seven seasons (2005-11).

EAGLES, BULLDOGS BALL HAWKS ON DEFENSE
NCCU and SCSU are the most lethal teams in the MEAC when thieving opposing quarterbacks. The Eagles and Bulldogs have combined for 17 interceptions for 437 return yards and three touchdowns. NCCU is responsible for eight picks for 203 yards and a touchdown, while SCSU is credited with nine interceptions for 234 yards and two scores.

ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
North Carolina Central University is in its third season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletic competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles have won 10 conference championships as members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1953, 1954, 1956, 1961, 1963, 1980, 2005, 2006) and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (1972, 1973), and have made three appearances in the NCAA playoffs (1988, 2005, 2006). 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 131 all-conference selections, 64 all-Americans, 40 NFL draft picks, 10 conference championships and two Black College National Championships. The first Eagle selected in the NFL Draft was Matt Boone, who was taken by the Giants with the eighth pick in the 18th round in 1956. The latest Eagle announced during the NFL Draft was Greg Peterson, who was chosen by the Buccaneers in the fifth round in 2007. NCCU's highest draft pick was Doug Wilkerson, who was selected in the first round with the 14th overall pick of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Oilers. The Eagles have also had three second-round NFL draft picks, including Robert Massey in 1989 by the Saints, Charles Smith in 1975 by the Broncos and Chuck Hinton in 1962 by the Browns. Two Eagles have represented NCCU on the National Football League's grandest stage - the Super Bowl. The first NCCU Eagle to make a Super Bowl appearance was Richard Sligh, who was a reserve tackle with the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II against the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 14, 1968. Sligh, who holds the distinction as the tallest player in NFL history (7'0"), played at NCCU from 1962-64 and was later drafted by the Raiders in the 10th round of the 1967 NFL draft. On Jan. 24, 1982, former NCCU Eagle Louis Breeden was a starting cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI against the San Francisco 49ers. Earlier in the season (Nov. 8, 1981), Breeden intercepted a pass thrown by San Diego Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts and returned it a team-record 102 yards for a touchdown. The following year, he was selected as a First-Team All-Pro. A two-time all-conference pick during his NCCU career from 1973-76, Breeden was chosen by the Bengals in the seventh round of the 1977 NFL draft. He completed his 10-year NFL career with 33 interceptions for 558 return yards and two touchdowns. HBCU football pioneer John Brown, who represented NCCU (then North Carolina College) on the gridiron in the 1940s, was one of the first to play professional football out of a historically black college or university. Brown shares the honor with Ezzret Anderson of Kentucky State and Elmore Harris of Morgan State, who all began their professional football careers in 1947. Brown and Anderson were teammates on the Los Angeles Dons, while Harris was a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. According to NCCU records, Brown was the first of the three to sign a professional football contract. He played center and linebacker with the Dons from 1947-49, before moving to the Canadian Football League.