Complete Game Notes as PDF   |   Press Conference Video    

THE GAME    
Saint Augustine's University "Falcons" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

THE KICKOFF    
Saturday, September 17, 2016 – Kickoff at 6:00 p.m. 

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

THE RECORDS    
N.C. Central (0-2 overall, 0-0 MEAC); Saint Augustine's (0-2 overall, 0-0 CIAA)

MEDIA COVERAGE    
Audio: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (audio internet stream). Broadcast starts at 5:45 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 5:45 p.m. (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst).

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 32nd meeting between NCCU and Saint Augustine's.
•    The Eagles and Falcons last met on the gridiron on Sept. 5, 2015, a 72-0 NCCU win in at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham.
•    NCCU holds a 28-2-1 overall advantage in the series, including four straight wins over the Falcons with three of the last four games being decided 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'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. 
•    Against Western Michigan on Sept. 10, senior quarterback Malcolm Bell became the seventh NCCU quarterback with more than 4,000 career passing yards (4,192) and the sixth Eagle with more than 5,000 yards of total offense (5,121). Bell needs 87 yards of total offense to pass Stadford Brown (2006-08) into the top-5 of NCCU career leaders.
•    Senior quarterback Malcolm Bell needs 71 rushing yards to become the first Eagle in school history to amass 1,000 rushing yards and 4,000 passing yards in a career.
•    Third-year head coach Jerry Mack has not only captured conference titles in each of his first two seasons at NCCU, but he became the first head coach in school history to win 15 games in his first two years. 
•    Since the start of the 2012 season, NCCU has scored 30 touchdowns on defense and special teams.

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 32nd meeting between NCCU and St. Augustine's, since the first contest in 1924. The Eagles hold a 28-2-1 overall advantage in the series. NCCU has won the last four match-ups, but three of the four victories were decided by single digits, including a double-overtime thriller in 2013. The Falcons beat the Eagles in Durham in 2005 and 2003.

LAST EIGHT MEETINGS:
Sept. 5, 2015 - NCCU 72, SAU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
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, N.C.)
Oct. 1, 2005 – SAC 22, NCCU 8 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 2, 2004 – NCCU 10, SAC 7 (Raleigh, N.C.)
Oct. 11, 2003 – SAC 34, NCCU 31 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 5, 2002 - NCCU 28, SAC 0 (Raleigh, N.C.)

LAST WEEK    
(Western Michigan 70, NCCU 21 - Durham, N.C.) North Carolina Central University senior receiver LaVontis Smith tallied 137 receiving yards on six catches, including a 71-yard touchdown, and senior quarterback Malcolm Bell accounted for 218 total yards and three scores on Saturday at Western Michigan University's Waldo Stadium, but it was not enough. The Broncos scored 28 first-quarter points, the most allowed by NCCU in the opening 15 minutes in program history, and ran past the Eagles by a score of 70-21. WMU's 70 points are the most scored by an NCCU opponent since Oct. 31, 1925, in a 70-0 loss at Howard. NCCU's 21 points are the most scored by the Eagles in nine contests against FBS competition. After Bell rushed four yards into the end zone for the Eagles' first touchdown of the season with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter, he completed touchdown passes to Smith for 71 yards and to David Miller for one yard, bringing the halftime score to 42-21. At the conclusion of the halftime show, featuring the WMU marching band and a fireworks show, an announcement was made to halt play and asked fans to leave the stadium and take shelter due to an approaching storm. The lightning delay lasted one hour, seven minutes, cooling down any momentum the Eagles may have garnered with a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes of the second quarter. Bell finished the night, which eased into Sunday with the contest wrapping up at 12:01 a.m., with 209 yards passing and nine yards rushing. He became just the seventh NCCU quarterback with 4,000 passing yards and the sixth Eagle with more than 5,000 yards of total offense. Bell now has 4,192 career passing yards and 5,121 career yards of total offense. Junior safety Josiah Dailey racked up a game-high 17 tackles (11 solo) and a forced fumble for NCCU (0-2), while senior linebacker LeGrande Harley contributed nine stops. Western Michigan (2-0) amassed 614 yards of total offense, including 359 yards rushing. WMU quarterback Zach Terrell passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns, including seven receptions for 150 yards and three trips to the end zone for wide receiver Corey Davis.

(Carson-Newman 48, Saint Augustine's 14 - Raleigh, N.C.) Malik Mapps and Sam Boyd each scored a touchdown and Nate Whittington gained 100 yards for Saint Augustine's University in a 48-14 loss to Carson-Newman University. SAU quarterback D.J. Johnson threw for 152 yards and rushed for 66 yards. Boyd caught 10 passes for 66 yards which gives him 17 receptions in his first two games. Defensively, the Falcons were led by defensive lineman Chasz Cosby with eight tackles.

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.

Saint Augustine's: Tim Chavous (Bethune-Cookman, 2002) coached the Falcons for eight games on an interim basis in the 2015 season, then had the interim tag removed on Feb. 19, 2016. He guided the Falcons to their only victory of the 2015 season, a 31-24 win over crosstown rival Shaw University on Nov. 7. Chavous has been with the Saint Augustine's football program for four seasons, including three full seasons as running backs coach. Before coming to Saint Augustine's, Chavous was an assistant offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Saint Paul's College from 2005 to 2011. Chavous was running backs coach at Virginia State from 2003 to 2004. Chavous was a standout college running back at Bethune-Cookman, where he was a member of the 2001 MEAC championship team. Chavous graduated from Bethune-Cookman with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and recreation in 2002. He earned a master's degree in education and physical education in 2012 at his alma mater.

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 47 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 seventh in passing yards (4,192) and sixth in total offense yards (5,121) in his four-year career (2013-16). Bell needs 87 yards of total offense to pass Stadford Brown (2006-08) into the top-5 of NCCU career leaders.

BELL FIRST NCCU QUARTERBACK TO RUN FOR 100 YARDS SINCE 1999    
On Oct. 10, 2015, NCCU signal caller Malcolm Bell rushed for 101 yards at Florida A&M to become the first Eagles quarterback to amass 100 yards on the ground since 1999, when Darrell Nesbitt ran for 156 yards against Benedict College (Sept. 25, 1999). The dual-threat quarterback needs 71 rushing yards to become the first Eagle in school history to amass 1,000 rushing yards 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 with a spot 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. During its storied gridiron tradition, NCCU has produced 136 all-conference selections, 65 all-Americans, 41 NFL draft picks, 12 conference championships and two Black College National Championships. 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. 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 Ryan Smith, who was chosen by the Buccaneers in the fourth round in 2016. 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. 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.