Complete Game Notes as PDF   |   Press Conference Video   

THE GAME    
Florida A&M University "Rattlers" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

THE KICKOFF    
Saturday, October 8, 2016 – Kickoff at 4:00 p.m. 

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

THE RECORDS    
N.C. Central (3-2 overall, 2-0 MEAC); Florida A&M (1-4 overall, 1-1 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE    
Audio: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (audio internet stream). Broadcast starts at 3:30 p.m. (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst).
Video: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (pay-per-view video internet stream/$8.95). Broadcast starts at 3:30 p.m. (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst).

QUICK HITS    
•    Saturday is the annual "Prince Hall Shriners Diabetes Classic" and Awareness Day.
•    Florida A&M leads the series with NCCU 6-2-1. The Eagles have never beaten the Rattlers in Durham (0-2-1).
•    Saturday will be just the fourth gridiron meeting between the NCCU Eagles and the FAMU Rattlers in the past 43 years.
•    NCCU owns a 15-3 record against MEAC opponents in the last three seasons under head coach Jerry Mack.
•    NCCU has won 10 consecutive games against non-FBS opponents.
•    With 325 yards of total offense at Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 1, NCCU redshirt senior quarterback Malcolm Bell became just the third Eagle in school history to surpass 6,000 yards of total offense. The Richmond, Virginia native now has 6,036 total yards and trails only Gerald Fraylon (1981-84; 6,620 yards) and Earl Harvey (1985-88; 10,667 yards).
•    Quarterback Malcolm Bell tops the MEAC and ranks 16th nationally (FCS) in points responsible for with 72 (8 passing, 4 rushing touchdowns).
•    NCCU sophomore receiver Jalen Wilkes leads the MEAC and ranks 10th in the nation (FCS) with an average of 22.0 yards per reception.
•    Florida A&M is coming off a 19-14 victory over Savannah State for its first win of the season.
•    NCCU is one of only 14 FCS teams that have scored in every trip to the red zone. The Eagles have 15 touchdowns and five field goals on 20 appearances inside the 20-yard line.
•    NCCU received three votes in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll.

2016 HIGHLIGHTS    
•    NCCU beat Bethune-Cookman 31-14 on Oct. 1 for the Eagles' first win in the series with the Wildcats since 1994, ending a six-game losing skid.
•    NCCU broke a school record with 32 first downs versus St. Augustine's on Sept. 17. 
•    NCCU's 676 yards of total offense versus St. Augustine's ranks second only to the 684 total yards amassed by the 1982 Eagles against Bowie State. The 414 passing yards against the Falcons places fourth in the NCCU record books and are the most by the Eagles since 1988.
•    NCCU's 21 points against Western Michigan are the most scored by the Eagles in nine contests against FBS competition.
•    NCCU's five fumble recoveries versus Duke on Sept. 3 are the most by the Eagles since 2010. 

FLASHBACK TO 2015    
•    NCCU repeated as co-champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with a 7-1 conference record.
•    The Eagles posted the most wins as a NCAA Division I-FCS program with an 8-3 overall record.
•    The Eagles earned the program's second win over a nationally-ranked FCS opponent by defeating No. 13/16 North Carolina A&T in the final game of the season on Nov. 21, 2015.
•    NCCU closed out season on a seven-game winning streak.
•    NCCU ranked No. 1 in the nation (FCS) in fourth down conversion percentage defense (8.3%) - allowing only one fourth down conversion all season (12 attempts) - and fourth down conversion percentage offense (81.8%/9 of 11).

THE SERIES    
This will be the 10th meeting in the series between the NCCU Eagles and the FAMU Rattlers since the teams first played in 1939. FAMU leads the series against NCCU, 6-2-1. The Eagles have never beaten Florida A&M in Durham, North Carolina (0-2-1).

10/10/2015 - NCCU 27, FAMU 24 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
11/10/2012 - FAMU 22, NCCU 21 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
11/12/2011 - FAMU 31, NCCU 10 (Durham, N.C.)
9/15/1973 - NCCU 9, FAMU 3 (Atlanta, Ga.)
12/7/1957 - FAMU 14, NCCU 0 (Miami, Fla. / Orange Blossom Classic)
9/22/1956 - FAMU 25, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
12/1/1951 - FAMU 67, NCCU 6 (Miami, Fla. / Orange Blossom Classic)
11/9/1940 - NCCU 7, FAMU 7 (Durham, N.C.)
11/11/1939 - FAMU 20, NCCU 7 (Tallahassee, Fla.)

THE LAST MEETING    
(NCCU 27, FAMU 24 - Tallahassee, Fla. - Oct. 10, 2015) North Carolina Central University scored 10 unanswered points in the final six minutes, including the game-winning 20-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining, as the Eagles rallied for a 27-24 victory over Florida A&M University on Oct. 10, 2015 at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

LAST WEEK    
(NCCU 31, Bethune-Cookman 14 - Daytona Beach, Fla.) Using a dominant second-half performance, North Carolina Central University finished with 489 yards of total offense in a 31-14 victory over Bethune-Cookman University at Municipal Stadium. NCCU snapped a six-game losing skid to the Wildcats and remains unbeaten in MEAC play. After posting 154 total yards in the first half, NCCU exploded for 335 yards of total offense after intermission. The NCCU defensive unit held Bethune-Cookman, which rushed for 112 yards in the opening 30 minutes, to only 13 ground yards and 121 total yards in the second half. NCCU senior quarterback Malcolm Bell accounted for 325 yards of total offense, passing for 295 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 30 yards and a score. Sophomore running back Ramone Simpson ran for a career-best 116 yards, including a 40-yard dash into the end zone to put the game out of reach with less than two minutes remaining. Three NCCU receivers had a team-high three receptions with Jalen Wilkes going for 90 yards, Khalil Stinson 50 yards and a touchdown, and David Miller 48 yards. Defensively, safety Josiah Dailey led the Eagles with nine tackles, while end Frederick Henry-Ajudua recorded six stops with three solo sacks. Linebacker Reggie Hunter and tackle Ja'Quan Smith contributed five takedowns and an assisted sack each, while cornerback Mike Jones added four tackles, a pass break-up and an interception to seal the victory.

(Florida A&M 19, Savannah State 14 - Tallahassee, Fla.) Florida A&M senior safety Jacques Bryant was the lead hero for the Rattlers with a game-saving goal line interception to clinch a 19-14 win over Savannah State at Bragg Memorial Stadium. The visiting Tigers were in the midst of a long march toward what could have been the deciding score, when Bryant's interception and 45-yard mad dash runback into the jubilant FAMU bench ended a methodical 12-play, 61-yard drive with 3:53 left in the game. FAMU redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Stanley, starting for injured senior Kenneth Coleman, may have made a solid case for more playing time Saturday, as he went 21 of 30 for 230 yards and one scoring toss, while rushing eight times for 29 yards.

THE COACHES    
NCCU: Jerry Mack (Arkansas State, 2003) is in his third season as a college head coach. He boasts 11 years of coaching experience, including stints with five NCAA Division I programs and three conference championship teams. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, 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.

FAMU: Alex Wood is in his second season as head coach at Florida A&M. Prior to accepting the top job at FAMU, Wood served as offensive coordinator at the University of Buffalo from 2011-14. In October 2014, he was tapped to serve as interim head coach replacing head Jeff Quinn, who was relieved of his duties, for the final four games of the season. He served as running back coach at University of Miami from 1989-93, helping the team to a pair of national championships, including a perfect 12-0 in 1991. Wood served as head coach at James Madison University from 1995-1998 and led them to an 8-4 record and the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs in 1995. He has served as an assistant coach in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Minnesota Vikings.

MACK OFF TO FAST START AS NCCU HEAD COACH    
Jerry Mack is the first NCCU football head coach to win 15 games in his first two seasons. Willie Smith won 14 in 1973 (7-4) and 1974 (7-2-2). After the Eagles went 7-5 in Mack's first season for a share of the MEAC title, his squad posted an 8-3 record in 2015 to earn a second straight conference co-championship. 

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 51 games, NCCU has scored 30 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including six in 2015, five in 2014, nine in 2013 and 10 in 2012. In that time, the Eagles have made trips to the end zone on 12 punt returns, six kickoff returns, three blocked field goal returns, seven interceptions and two fumble recoveries. 

BELL ACHIEVES PASSING, TOTAL OFFENSE MILESTONES    
Among NCCU career leaders, redshirt-senior quarterback Malcolm Bell (Richmond, Va.) ranks third in total offense yards (6,036) and sixth in passing yards (4,953) in his four-year career (2013-16). The dual-threat quarterback is the first Eagle in school history to amass 1,000 rushing yards (1,083) and 4,000 passing yards in a career.

TEN EAGLES EARN PRESEASON ALL-MEAC HONORS    
Ten NCCU Eagles were voted to the 2016 Preseason All-MEAC Football Team. Leading the way for NCCU on the All-MEAC First Team are senior quarterback Malcolm Bell (Richmond, Va.), senior center Carl Jones (Nashville, Tenn.), senior offensive lineman Desmond Cooper (Stafford, Va.) and senior linebacker Jeremy Miles (Durham, N.C.). All-MEAC Second Team distinction was awarded to sophomore running back Dorrel McClain (Cary, N.C.), senior offensive lineman Tarrance Wells (Oxon Hill,, Md.), junior defensive lineman Antonio Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.), sophomore defensive back Davanta Reynolds (Tucker, Ga.) and senior return specialist LaVontis Smith (Maben, Miss.). Junior defensive lineman Ja'Quan Smith (Miramar, Fla.) rounded out NCCU's selections on the All-MEAC Third Team.

ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL    
North Carolina Central University is in its sixth season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletic competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles have won 12 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, 2015), 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.