Game Notes (PDF) Video: NCCU Football Weekly Press Conference:
http://youtu.be/BvKP509rlNYTHE GAME
North Carolina Central University "Eagles" at East Carolina University "Pirates"
THE KICKOFF
Saturday, August 30, 2014 – Kickoff at 8:00 p.m.
THE SITE
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (50,000 capacity/natural grass) - Greenville, N.C.
THE RECORDS (2013 SEASON)
N.C. Central (5-7 overall, 3-5 MEAC); East Carolina (10-3 overall, 6-2 conference)
MEDIA COVERAGE
Television: ESPNews (Dave Lamont, play-by-play; David Diaz-Infante, color analyst).
Audio: NCCU Sports Network mobile app (iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, Kindle Fire HD); "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (audio internet stream). Broadcast starts at 7:30 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst).
QUICK HITS
• Saturday marks the first game as a head coach for NCCU's Jerry Mack.
• This is the first gridiron meeting between NCCU and ECU.
• NCCU's 12 kick return touchdowns (both punt and kickoff) in the past two seasons (7 PR, 5 KOR) are more than any other team in NCAA Division I-FCS and are more than the amount by the Eagles in the prior nine seasons combined (11 from 2003-11).
• In the past 23 games, NCCU has scored 19 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including nine during 2013 season.
• NCCU junior Adrian Wilkins (Forest City, N.C.) has been recognized on a host of preseason all-America teams as one of the most explosive return specialists in the nation. During the 2013 season, Wilkins was the only student-athlete in the NCAA Division I-FCS with five special teams return touchdowns with scores on three kickoff returns (100, 96, 91 yards) and two punt returns (89, 73 yards). He topped the MEAC in punt returns (13.4 yards per return) and ranked second in kickoff returns (30.3 yards per return). As a receiver, Wilkins led the Eagles with 37 catches for 427 yards and two touchdowns.
• East Carolina is playing in its first season in the American Athletic Conference after a 17-year run in Conference USA.
THE SERIES
This will be the first meeting between the Eagles of NCCU and the Pirates of East Carolina.
LAST SEASON
(NCCU) North Carolina Central University finished its seventh season of Division I-FCS competition with a 5-7 overall record under interim head coach Dwayne Foster. NCCU led the nation (Division I-FCS) in kickoff return yardage (26.5 avg.) and kickoff return touchdowns (4).
(ECU) East Carolina is coming off one of its best campaigns in school history, compiling a 10-3 overall record, including a win over Ohio in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. This is the Pirates first season as members of the American Athletic Conference.
THE COACHES
NCCU: Jerry Mack (Arkansas State, 2003) is in his first season as a college head coach. At age 33, he boasts 10 years of coaching experience, including stints with five NCAA Division I programs and two conference championship teams. A native of Memphis, Tenn., Mack has held positions as wide receivers coach at the University of South Alabama (2012-13) and the University of Memphis (2011), as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (2010), as passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at the University of Central Arkansas (2008-09), as wide receivers and tight ends coach at Jackson State University (2006-07), and as an offensive graduate assistant at Delta State University (2004-05). Mack began his collegiate playing career at Jackson State before transferring after one season (1999) to Arkansas State University. He lettered three years at Arkansas State (2001-03) before earning his bachelor's degree in management information systems in 2003. Mack completed his master's degree in physical education from Delta State in 2006.
ECU: Ruffin McNeill (East Carolina, 1980) is 29-22 entering his fifth season at East Carolina, while overall, he is 30-22 as a collegiate head coach after guiding Texas Tech to a 41-31 victory over Michigan State in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Jan. 2, 2010 on an interim basis. When he became ECU's 20th all-time head football coach 19 days later, McNeill officially finished a 10-year stint on the Red Raider staff. The 2014 campaign marks McNeill's 29th year at the collegiate level, which includes an earlier stop at East Carolina as the Pirates' defensive line coach in 1992. In all, he has served on the staffs with eight different programs and spent a combined nine years in defensive coordinator roles at Appalachian State (1993-96), Nevada-Las Vegas (1997-98) and Texas Tech (2007-09). McNeill starred as a four-year letterman at ECU under Pat Dye from 1976-1979 and helped lead the Pirates to their first bowl appearance in the modern era when East Carolina defeated Louisiana Tech in the '78 Independence Bowl.
NCCU VERSUS FBS OPPONENTS Since departing the NCAA Division II ranks at the end of the 2006 season, the Eagles have lined up against a NCAA Division I-FBS opponent four times, all resulting in losses.
Aug. 31, 2013 at Duke (0-45 L)
Sept. 15, 2012 at Duke (17-54 L)
Sept. 1, 2011 at Rutgers (0-48 L)
Sept. 26, 2009 at Duke (14-49 L)
NCCU LEADS NATION IN KICKOFF RETURNS IN 2013 Last season, the Eagles boasted the No. 1 kickoff return average in the NCAA Division I-FCS with an average of 26.5 yards per kickoff return (54 kickoff returns, 1,432 yards, 4 TDs). NCCU also led the nation with four kickoff return touchdowns.
EAGLES TURN 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 23 games, NCCU has scored 19 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including nine in 2013 and 10 in 2012. In that time, the Eagles have made trips to the end zone on seven punt returns, five kickoff returns, three blocked field goal returns, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. NCCU's 12 kick return touchdowns (both punt and kickoff) in the past two seasons (7 PR, 5 KOR) are more than the amount by the Eagles in the previous nine seasons combined (11 from 2003-11) and are more than any other team in the NCAA Division I-FCS.
WILKINS TOPS MEAC IN ALL-PURPOSE YARDS; KNACK FOR BIG PLAYS
NCCU junior receiver and return specialist Adrian Wilkins (Forest City, N.C.) finished the 2013 season as the only student-athlete in the NCAA Division I-FCS with five special teams return touchdowns with scores on three kickoff returns (100, 96, 91 yards) and two punt returns (89, 73 yards). He topped the MEAC in punt returns (13.4 yards per return) and ranked second in kickoff returns (30.3 yards per return). As a receiver, Wilkins led the Eagles with 37 catches for 427 yards and two touchdowns. Not only did he top the conference in all-purpose yards (123.5 yards per game), but he became 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. A first-team all-conference pick as a return specialist, Wilkins was chosen as the MEAC Special Teams Player of the Week four times this year. Wilkins earned all-America honors from Beyond Sports Network, BOXTOROW, The Sports Network, College Sporting News and American Urban Radio Networks/SBN, while College Football Performance Awards presented the sophomore with its FCS Elite Kickoff Returner Award.
SIX EAGLES EARN PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
North Carolina Central University redshirt junior Adrian Wilkins and sophomore Michael Jones topped six Eagles that were announced to the Preseason All-MEAC Teams. Wilkins, a native of Forest City, N.C., was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team as a return specialist. A multiple preseason all-America recipient, Wilkins returned five kicks (three kickoffs and two punts) for touchdowns during an all-American campaign in 2013. Jones, a native of Baltimore, Md., accomplished Preseason All-MEAC First Team recognition as a defensive back. During his rookie year in 2013, Jones ranked third in the conference with four interceptions and fourth in the league with 12 total passes defended. Four other Eagles received preseason All-MEAC recognition. Senior offensive lineman Christopher Pressley (Upper Marlboro, Md.) was named to the Second Team, while redshirt junior tight end Nathan Scruggs (Jacksonville, Fla.), junior offensive lineman Clevonne Davis (Miramar, Fla.) and redshirt junior defensive back Ryan Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md.) garnered Third Team honors.
NCCU PICKED TO FINISH EIGHTH IN MEAC
The Eagles, under the direction of first-year head coach Jerry Mack, are predicted to finish eighth in the MEAC standings, according to a poll of the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Last season, NCCU tied for eighth place with Norfolk State after finishing with a 3-5 conference record and a 5-7 overall mark.
ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
North Carolina Central University is in its fourth 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 132 all-conference selections, 65 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.
LISTEN TO NCCU FOOTBALL ON NCCU SPORTS NETWORK MOBILE APP
For fans interested in listening to North Carolina Central University athletic events on their mobile device, there is an app for that. The NCCU Department of Athletics has partnered with StepLeader, a digital solutions provider located in Raleigh, N.C., to create an app that is available as a free download on iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) and Android (including the popular Kindle Fire HD) platforms through the App Store or Google Play (search for "NCCU"). "Our fans no longer have to be tied to their radio or computer to listen to our live game broadcasts," said NCCU sports information director Kyle Serba. "The app allows fans to take the NCCU Sports Network broadcasts with them wherever they go." Besides live audio game broadcasts, the app offers recorded interviews with NCCU coaches and student-athletes, and provides news updates, schedules, results and team rosters. The app also encourages fan interaction by integrating the primary social media outlets used by NCCU Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as a feature to submit fan photos.
