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THE GAME
North Carolina Central University "Eagles" vs. Hampton University "Pirates"

THE KICKOFF
Saturday, November 4, 2017 – Kickoff at 1:00 p.m. 

THE SITE
Armstrong Stadium (12,000 capacity / AstroTurf) - Hampton, Va.

THE RECORDS
N.C. Central (6-2 overall, 4-1 MEAC); Hampton (5-3 overall, 4-1 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio/Video: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (internet stream). Broadcast starts at 12:40 p.m. (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst).

QUICK HITS
• Hampton leads the series 18-7 over NCCU. The Pirates have won eight of the past 10 meetings, but NCCU has captured victories in two of the last three match-ups.
• In the last four seasons under head coach Jerry Mack, the Eagles own a 12-2 record in conference road games, including 11 in-a-row.
• NCCU has a 9-1 record in the month of November since 2014.
• Senior wide receiver Jacen Murphy collected 10 receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns against Delaware State (Oct. 28), marking the most receiving yards by an NCCU Eagle in 27 years.
• With two sacks versus Delaware State, sophomore defensive end Kawuan Cox is now the MEAC leader with 6.5 sacks (0.81 per game).
• NCCU senior punter Nathaniel Tilque has 234 career punts for 9,221 yards, approaching NCCU career records of 247 punts for 9,449 yards by Eric Hines (1975-78).
• NCCU's defense ranks seventh in NCAA Division I-FCS and tops MEAC in third-down conversion percentage defense (27.8 percent).
• Since the start of the 2012 season, NCCU has scored 35 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including two defensive scores by Davanta Reynolds this year.
• MEAC opponents have rushed for just 60.6 yards per game against NCCU this season, while the Eagles average 156.6 rushing yards per contest in those league outings.
• NCCU had its 18-game conference win streak and its school record 11-game home win streak come to an end on Oct. 21 with a 28-21 loss to Norfolk State.
• In four seasons under head coach Jerry Mack, NCCU owns a 25-4 conference record, earning MEAC co-championships in 2014 and 2015, and the outright league title in 2016.

2016 NCCU HIGHLIGHTS
• Captured the conference's first outright championship since 2012, after sharing the league crown in 2014 and 2015.
• Became first football team in school history to win a third consecutive conference championship.
• Beat nationally-ranked No. 9 North Carolina A&T 42-21 on Nov. 19, 2016, to cap an undefeated conference campaign.
• Earned a trip to the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl.
• Posted the most wins in the program's Division I era with nine triumphs.
• Broke the NCCU single-season record with 4,614 yards of total offense.
• Received first national ranking as a Division I-FCS program on Nov. 7, 2016, when the FCS Coaches Poll announced NCCU at No. 25. By the end of the regular season, the Eagles jumped to No. 18, and then finished at No. 19 in the final 2016 poll.
• Placed a league-high 17 student-athletes on the All-MEAC teams.

THE SERIES
This will be the 26th football meeting between NCCU and Hampton since the teams first met in 1924. Hampton leads the series 18-7. The Pirates have won eight of the past 10 meetings, but NCCU has captured victories in two of the last three match-ups.
11/8/2014 - NCCU 47, Hampton 13 (Durham, N.C.)
11/9/2013 - Hampton 29, NCCU 21 (Hampton, Va.)
10/18/2012 - NCCU 37, Hampton 20 (Durham, N.C.)
10/22/2011 - Hampton 30, NCCU 27 OT (Hampton, Va.)
10/9/2010 - Hampton 27, NCCU 13 (Durham, N.C.)
9/5/2009 - Hampton 31, NCCU 24 (Hampton, Va.)
11/14/1992 - Hampton 31, NCCU 19 (Hampton, Va.)
11/16/1991 - Hampton 44, NCCU 28 (Durham, N.C.)
9/29/1990 - Hampton 33, NCCU 21 (Hampton, Va.)
9/30/1989 - Hampton 27, NCCU 7 (Durham, N.C.)
9/22/1984 - Hampton 17, NCCU 13 (Hampton, Va.)
9/24/1983 - NCCU 24, Hampton 20 (Durham, N.C.)
10/2/1954 - NCCU 28, Hampton 0 (Hampton, Va.)
10/3/1953 - NCCU 25, Hampton 0 (Hampton, Va.)
10/4/1952 - NCCU 21, Hampton 12 (Hampton, Va.)
9/29/1951 - NCCU 28, Hampton 6 (Durham, N.C.)
10/5/1935 - Hampton 31, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
10/20/1934 - Hampton 20, NCCU 0 (Hampton, Va.)
9/29/1933 - Hampton 7, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
10/1/1932 - Hampton 19, NCCU 0 (Hampton, Va.)
10/3/1931 - Hampton 24, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
10/26/1929 - Hampton 25, NCCU 0 (Hampton, Va.)
11/3/1928 - Hampton 38, NCCU 7 (Durham, N.C.)
10/16/1926 - Hampton 20, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
1924 - Hampton 31, NCCU 0

THE LAST MEETING
(NCCU 47, Hampton 13 - Durham, N.C. - Nov. 8, 2014) North Carolina Central University forced five turnovers during a 47-13 homecoming victory over Hampton in front of a sellout crowd of 11,964 in O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

THE LAST MEETING IN HAMPTON
(Nov. 9, 2013 - Hampton 29, NCCU 21) NCCU's Adrian Wilkins returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. However, Hampton amassed 482 yards of total offense, including 256 rushing yards, to earn a 29-21 victory over the visiting Eagles inside Armstrong Stadium in Hampton, Virginia. NCCU, which managed 294 total yards, was led offensively by senior quarterback Jordan Reid, who completed 15-of-35 passes for 203 yards with two interceptions and a rushing touchdown. 

LAST WEEK
NCCU 42, Delaware State 14 (Durham, N.C.): North Carolina Central University celebrated homecoming with a 42-14 victory over Delaware State University in front of a capacity crowd of 14,117 fans inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. NCCU senior wide receiver Jacen Murphy collected 10 receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns. His 10 catches ties for fifth in Eagles' single-game history, while 189 receiving yards ties for ninth all-time at NCCU and are the most by an Eagle in 27 years. NCCU amassed 401 yards of total offense with freshman quarterback Chauncey Caldwell accounting for 252 total yards and four scores. The Durham, North Carolina native completed 17-of-29 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 10 yards and a pair of trips to the end zone. Defensively, NCCU recorded four sacks and three interceptions. Junior safety Davanta Reynolds picked off his fourth interception of the season and added four tackles and a pass break-up. Junior cornerback De'Mario Evans tallied six takedowns and an interception, while sophomore defensive end Kawuan Cox contributed six stops with two sacks.
Bethune-Cookman 24, Hampton 21 (Daytona Beach, Fla.): Bethune Cookman used a late touchdown with 3:10 left to snap Hampton's four-game winning streak with a 24-21 victory. Hampton had a last shot as a drive went down for a 29-yard field goal attempt was wide left.

THE COACHES
NCCU: Jerry Mack (Arkansas State, 2003) is in his fourth season as a college head coach. Mack has led NCCU to three consecutive conference championships and a trip to the 2016 Celebration Bowl. In recognition of his success in 2016, Mack was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Football Coach of the Year, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Regional Coach of the Year, and as one of 15 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award as the FCS Coach of the Year. He was also recognized as the HBCU Football Coach of the Year by Black College Sports Page and The Pigskin Club in Washington, D.C., and the HBCU Male Coach of the Year by HBCU Digest. He boasts 12 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.

Hampton: Connell Maynor, a veteran of 20-plus years of football experience both as a player and coach – and most recently as the offensive architect of back-to-back HBCU national titles at Winston-Salem State – was named the 20th head coach in the history of Hampton University football following the 2013 season. Maynor is a former standout football student-athlete at both Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T. In four years as head coach at WSSU, Maynor went 45-6 overall and 29-2 in CIAA play. He won three straight CIAA championships and made three straight appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Rams advanced to the Division II national championship game in 2012. WSSU won HBCU national championships in both 2011 and 2012. He was also named CIAA Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2012, and the 2011 Sheridan Broadcasting National HBCU Coach of the Year.

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 66 games, NCCU has scored 35 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including two by Davanta Reynolds this season, three in 2016, 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 14 punt returns, six kickoff returns, three blocked field goal returns, nine interceptions and three fumble recoveries. 

NCCU CONFERENCE WIN STREAK ENDS AT 18
NCCU's 28-21 loss to Norfolk State on Oct. 21 ended the Eagles' 18-game conference win streak, which matches Bethune-Cookman (2011-13) as the third-longest streak in MEAC history. S.C. State holds the record at 21 from 2008-10, while Hampton won 19 consecutive league games from 2004-06. The Norfolk State setback is NCCU's first conference loss since Oct. 3, 2015, a 28-26 defeat against Bethune-Cookman.

NCCU IN MEAC PLAY
Since becoming eligible to compete for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship in 2011, NCCU has a conference record of 33-19. The Eagles posted league marks of 1-7 in 2011, 5-3 in 2012 and 3-5 in 2013, 6-2 in 2014, 7-1 in 2015, 8-0 in 2016, and 4-1 in 2017. In four seasons under head coach Jerry Mack, NCCU owns a 25-4 conference record.

ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
North Carolina Central University is in its seventh season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletics competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles have won 13 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, 2016), 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, 66 all-Americans, 41 NFL draft picks, 13 conference championships and two Black College National Championships (1954, 2006). 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. 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.