(Complete NCCU Football Game Notes as PDF)
 
GAME DAY FAN GUIDE   |    VIDEO: Weekly Press Conference   |   Hype Video   

THE GAME         
Saint Augustine's University "Falcons" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"
 
THE KICKOFF     
Saturday, September 5, 2015 – Kickoff at 6:00 p.m. (Stadium gates open at 4:00 p.m.)
 
THE SITE              
O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity/Mondoturf) - Durham, N.C.
 
THE RECORDS (2014)      
N.C. Central (7-5 overall, 6-2 MEAC); Saint Augustine's (3-7 overall, 3-4 CIAA)
 
MEDIA COVERAGE         
Audio: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (audio internet stream). Broadcast starts at 5:30 p.m. (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play).
Video: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (pay-per-view video internet stream/$8.95). Broadcast starts at 5:30 p.m. (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play).
 
TICKETS               
Single game and season tickets are still available by visiting NCCUEaglePride.com or calling the NCCU Ticket Office at 919-530-5170.
 
QUICK HITS        
•             Saturday will be the 31st meeting between NCCU and Saint Augustine's.
•             The Eagles and Falcons last met on the gridiron on Sept. 7, 2013, a 23-20 NCCU win in double-overtime at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham.
•             NCCU holds a 27-2-1 overall advantage in the series, winning three straight games by fewer than 10 points.
•             The Falcons beat the Eagles in Durham in 2005 and 2003.
•             Saint Augustine's is a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the conference NCCU left to move to NCAA Division I (FCS) and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
•             NCCU hosts the Sixth Annual "Prince Hall Shriners Diabetes Football Classic" for the second straight year.
 
FLASHBACK TO 2014      
•             NCCU won a share of the MEAC Championship with a 6-2 conference record.
•             The Eagles posted the most wins as a NCAA Division I-FCS program with a 7-5 overall record.
•             The Eagles earned the program's first win over a nationally-ranked FCS opponent by defeating No. 24 North Carolina A&T in the final game of the season on Nov. 22.
•             NCCU broke the school record for completions in a season with 227, topping the mark set by the 2011 Eagles of 210.
•             The Eagles ranked third in the nation (FCS) in turnover margin at +12.0.
•             NCCU senior defensive end Felix Small set a NCCU single-season record with seven forced fumbles to earn distinction as the national leader in the NCAA Division I-FCS ranks.
•             NCCU sophomore Malcolm Bell passed for 1,982 yards with 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions, completing 177 of 286 passes.
 
THE SERIES         
This will be the 31st meeting between NCCU and St. Augustine's, since the first contest in 1924. The Eagles hold a 27-2-1 overall advantage in the series. NCCU has won the last three match-ups, but all three victories were decided by single digits, including a double-overtime thriller in the last meeting in 2013. The Falcons beat the Eagles in Durham in 2005 and 2003.
LAST SIX MEETINGS:
Sept. 7, 2013 – NCCU 23, SAU 20 - 2OT (Durham, N.C.)
Sept. 8, 2007 – NCCU 6, SAC 0 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 7, 2006 – NCCU 27, SAC 18 (Raleigh, NC)
Oct. 1, 2005 – SAC 22, NCCU 8 (Durham, NC)
Oct. 2, 2004 – NCCU 10, SAC 7 (Raleigh, NC)
Oct. 11, 2003 – SAC 34, NCCU 31 (Durham, NC)
 
THE LAST MEETING        
(Sept. 7, 2013 - NCCU 23, SAU 20 - 2OT) North Carolina Central University scored a touchdown in the final minute of regulation to force overtime, then made a 19-yard field goal in double overtime to beat visiting Saint Augustine's University 23-20 inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium on Sept. 7, 2013. NCCU lit the scoreboard first with a 32-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jordan Reid to senior receiver Lamar Scruggs with 3:51 remaining in the third quarter. Reid was injured on the play and could not perform his typical holding duties for the extra-point kick, which ended up failing because of a bobbled snap. St. Augustine's answered on its next drive, using six plays to move 66 yards, capped by a 25-yard pass from A.J. Gilford to Herman Reaves at the 2:42 mark of the third quarter. The extra-point kick by Michael Lima put the Falcons on top 7-6. The visitors extended their lead when Gilford found Brian Richards for a 6-yard touchdown connection with 6:18 left in the fourth quarter. After two penalties on the extra-point try, the Falcons mishandled the snap from center and could not get off a kick, keeping the score at 13-6. After the NCCU defense forced a critical three-and-out, the Eagles took over on offense with 2:34 remaining in regulation at their own 46-yard line. After being sacked back to the 40-yard line, Reid engineered a 10-play drive, completing 6-of-8 passes (including one to himself on a deflected pass), capped by a fourth-down, rollout completion to Adrian Wilkins with just 29 seconds on the clock. Oleg Parent's extra-point kick tied the score at 13-13 to force overtime. The Falcons struck first in overtime with a 25-yard touchdown catch by Jermaine Jones from Gilford to move ahead 20-13. Needing a touchdown to extend the game, Reid completed a 13-yard pass to Marvin Poole, then the quarterback scrambled for 12 yards to the Falcons' 4-yard line. On the next play, Reid again found running room and the end zone to send the game into double overtime. At the start of the second overtime, Gilford's first pass was deflected and nearly intercepted by NCCU linebacker Demontray Ryland. On the next play, Gilford's pass was intercepted by freshman cornerback Michael Jones, who appeared to be heading for a game-winning touchdown, but was tackled two yards shy from the end zone. On NCCU's possession, sophomore running back Idreis Augustus caught a 14-yard pass from Reid and ran for seven yards to the 2-yard line to set up the game-winning 19-yard field goal by Parent. NCCU amassed 424 yards of total offense, compared to 345 by the Falcons. Reid completed 24-of-43 passes for 253 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also rushing for 45 yards and a score for the Eagles. Augustus topped the Eagles in rushing (66 yards) and receiving (six catches, 65 yards), finishing the contest with 131 all-purpose yards. The NCCU defense was led by sophomore safety Ryan Smith and senior lineman Aaron Wallace with eight tackles each.
 
THE COACHES   
NCCU: Jerry Mack (Arkansas State, 2003) is in his second season as a college head coach. At age 34, 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.
 
Saint Augustine's: Michael Morand (Florida A&M, 2001) took over the Falcons football team after the first game of the 2014 season as interim head coach and was elevated to the full-time post on Dec. 12, 2014. Morand is Saint Augustine's second football coach since the football program restarted in 2002. Since playing four seasons (1996-99) as a quarterback at Florida A&M, Morand has made stops as a college assistant coach at West Georgia, Livingstone, Barber Scotia, Wingate, Virginia State, North Carolina A&T and Virginia Union.
 
EIGHT EAGLES EARN PRESEASON ALL-MEAC HONORS    
Eight NCCU Eagles earned a place on the 2015 Preseason All-MEAC Football Teams. NCCU representatives on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are junior quarterback Malcolm Bell (Richmond, Va.), senior offensive lineman Clevonne Davis (Miramar, Fla.) and junior Mike Jones (Baltimore, Md.), who claimed two spots as a defensive back and a return specialist. Garnering second-team honors for the Eagles are senior wide receiver Quentin Atkinson (Raleigh, N.C.), junior center Carl Jones (Nashville, Tenn.) and senior defensive back C.J. Moore (Raleigh, N.C.). On the third team are junior linebacker Jeremy Thompson (Durham, N.C.) and sophomore tight end Jvon Simmons (La Plata, Md.).
 
NCCU PICKED TO FINISH FORTH IN MEAC            
Coming off a season with the most wins during the Division I-FCS era with a 7-5 record and a share of the MEAC Championship, NCCU was predicted to finish fourth and received four first-place votes from the league's football head coaches and sports information directors.
 
FUMBLE!  EAGLES RANK SECOND IN NATION IN FUMBLES RECOVERED  
NCCU recovered 19 fumbles during the 2014 season, which ranked second in the NCAA Division I-FCS behind Albany-NY (20). NCCU senior defensive end Felix Small (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was the national FCS leader with seven forced fumbles, which is an NCCU single-season record. Linebacker Jordan Miles (Woodbridge, Va.) recovered four fumbles, while safeties C.J. Moore (Raleigh, N.C.) and Theo Livingston (Fayetteville, N.C.) collected three fumble recoveries each.
 
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 34 games, NCCU has scored 24 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including five in 2014, nine in 2013 and 10 in 2012. In that time, the Eagles have made trips to the end zone on nine punt returns, five kickoff returns, three blocked field goal returns, five interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
 
ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL             
North Carolina Central University is in its fifth season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletic competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles have won 11 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, 2014), 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, 11 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.