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THE GAME    
North Carolina Central University "Eagles" vs. Bethune-Cookman University "Wildcats"

THE KICKOFF    
Saturday, October 1, 2016 – Kickoff at 4:00 p.m. 

THE SITE    
Municipal Stadium (9,601 capacity) - Daytona Beach, Fla.

THE RECORDS    
N.C. Central (2-2 overall, 1-0 MEAC); Bethune-Cookman (0-3 overall, 0-1 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).
Video: BCUathletics.com (pay-per-view video internet stream/$6.95).

QUICK HITS    
•    Saturday will be the eighth meeting between the Eagles and the Wildcats since the teams first met in 1994. Bethune-Cookman leads the series 6-1, including six straight victories.
•    NCCU has not beaten B-CU since the first meeting in the series on Sept. 24, 1994.
•    The Eagles held a 26-7 third quarter lead over B-CU in 2015, but Wildcats rallied to go ahead and then blocked NCCU's potential game-winning 18-yard field goal try with just 32 seconds left to edge the Eagles 28-26 in Durham.
•    With 77 rushing yards against Norfolk State on Sept. 24, NCCU redshirt-senior quarterback Malcolm Bell surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards to become the first Eagle in school history to reach 1,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards passing. Bell now has 1,053 yards rushing (20th in NCCU history) and 4,658 yards passing (7th in NCCU history). Bell also moved into third on NCCU's career total offense list with 5,711 yards.
•    NCCU is tied as the national FCS leader in fumble recoveries with seven.
•    Quarterback Malcolm Bell tops the MEAC and ranks 15th nationally (FCS) in points responsible for with 54 (6 passing, 3 rushing touchdowns).
•    Bethune-Cookman is coming off a 16-10 overtime loss at Savannah State, the Wildcats first loss to the Tigers since 1992, ending a 16-game win streak in the series.
•    This is Bethune-Cookman's first 0-3 start since 2009.
•    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. 
•    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 eighth football meeting between NCCU and Bethune-Cookman since the teams first met in 1994. Bethune-Cookman leads the series 6-1, including six straight victories. In that first match-up on Sept. 24, 1994, the Eagles captured a 24-5 road victory in Daytona Beach, Florida. Six years ago on Oct. 23, 2010, B-CU, as the 14th ranked team in the nation, earned a 23-10 win in Durham. Five years ago, the Wildcats amassed 525 yards during a 34-6 victory to spoil NCCU's homecoming on Oct. 29, 2011. Four years ago, B-CU scored 28 unanswered points to overcome a three-point second-half deficit en route to a 42-17 win on Oct. 27, 2012. Three years ago, the 13th-ranked Wildcats pounded out 436 rushing yards to beat the Eagles 38-14 on Nov. 2, 2013, in Durham. Two years ago, on Nov. 1, 2014, the 20th-ranked Wildcats overcame a 14-7 halftime deficit to down the Eagles 34-20. Last season, on Oct. 3, 2015, B-CU rallied from a 26-7 third quarter deficit and blocked a potential game-winning 18-yard field goal try with just 32 seconds left to edge NCCU 28-26 in Durham.

10/3/2015 - B-CU 28, NCCU 26 (Durham, N.C.)
11/1/2014 - #20 B-CU 34, NCCU 20 (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
11/2/2013 - #13 B-CU 38, NCCU 14 (Durham, N.C.)
10/27/2012 - B-CU 42, NCCU 17 (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
10/29/2011 - B-CU 34, NCCU 6 (Durham, N.C.)
10/23/2010 - #14 B-CU 23, NCCU 10 (Durham, N.C.)
9/24/1994 - NCCU 24, B-CU 5 (Daytona Beach, Fla.)

THE LAST MEETING    
(Bethune-Cookman 28, NCCU 26 - Durham, N.C.) Trailing 26-7 late in the third quarter, Bethune-Cookman University scored 21 unanswered points and blocked a potential game-winning 18-yard field goal try with just 32 seconds left to edge North Carolina Central University 28-26 on a wet Saturday inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. Bethune-Cookman senior quarterback Quentin Williams, who was taken out of the game in the second quarter, returned to the contest midway through the third quarter to spark the Wildcats with 197 yards and two touchdowns passing along with 67 rushing yards after intermission. Williams finished the contest with 320 yards of total offense, including 248 through the air on 13-of-18 passing and a team-high 72 yards on the ground. Dorrel McClain's 144 rushing yards topped a lethal NCCU ground attack that amassed 324 yards for the program's best running effort since accumulating 349 rushing yards against Livingstone on Oct. 23, 2004. NCCU quarterback Malcolm Bell recorded 271 yards of total offense with 178 yards through the air and 93 yards and two scores on the ground. As a team, NCCU posted 502 yards of total offense and 30 first downs compared to 395 total yards and 16 first downs by the Wildcats.

LAST WEEK    
(NCCU 34, Norfolk State 31 - Norfolk, Va.) North Carolina Central University amassed 401 yards of total offense and forced the Spartans to settle for three red-zone field goals during a 34-31 victory over Norfolk State University in both teams' conference opener on Saturday in William "Dick" Price Stadium. NCCU redshirt-senior quarterback Malcolm Bell, a native of Richmond, Virginia, playing his first college game in his home state, completed 18 of 26 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 77 yards and another score to become the first player in school history with more than 1,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards passing in a career. Sophomore running back Ramone Simpson topped NCCU's 205-yard ground attack with a game-high 97 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. The Wilmington, North Carolina native also caught five passes for 49 yards. Senior receivers Quentin Atkinson and LaVontis Smith also had five receptions for the visiting Eagles, going for 66 and 51 yards, respectively. Defensively, NCCU sacked Norfolk State's elusive quarterback Greg Hankerson four times and held the Spartans to three field goals with the ball inside the 10-yard line. Safety Davanta Reynolds and linebacker Reggie Hunter led the Eagles with eight tackles each, while safety Alden McClellon added seven takedowns. NCCU junior defensive end Antonio Brown collected six tackles, including a sack and a forced fumble, and swatted away three passes. Junior tackle Ja'Quan Smith had 2.0 hits for a loss with a sack and sophomore tackle Cyrus Stanback accumulated 1.5 sacks and a recovered fumble. NCCU senior kicker Brandon McLaren made field goals from 29 and 25 yards out, while converting all four extra-point kicks.

(Savannah State 16, Bethune-Cookman 10 - overtime - Savannah, Ga.) Bethune-Cookman's 16-game winning streak over Savannah State ended Saturday night as the Tigers posted a 16-10 overtime victory in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference  opener for both teams at Ted A. Wright Stadium. Cantrell Frazier's 9-yard run gave the Tigers their first victory over the Wildcats since a 31-21 decision in the 1992 Gateway Classic. This is also Bethune-Cookman's first 0-3 start since 2009.

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.

B-CU: Terry Sims (Knoxville, 1994) was introduced as the 15th head coach at Bethune-Cookman University on Dec. 22, 2015. The native of Jesup, Georgia took over the program after spending the previous five years as an assistant coach for the Wildcats. Before arriving in Daytona Beach, Sims spent four seasons as recruiting coordinator, special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Howard University. Sims has also made assistant coaching stops at the University of Louisville-Lafayette, Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern, and Austin Peay. Sims is a 1994 graduate of Knoxville College, where he was a team captain as a defensive back on the gridiron, while also patrolling center field in baseball. He earned a master's degree from Louisville in 1997.

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 third in total offense yards (5,711) and seventh in passing yards (4,658) in his four-year career (2013-16). 

BELL FIRST NCCU QUARTERBACK TO RUN FOR 100 YARDS SINCE 1999    
Last season, 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 is 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 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.