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

THE KICKOFF
Thursday, September 28, 2017 – Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. 

THE SITE
Bragg Memorial Stadium (25,500 capacity/natural grass) - Tallahassee, Fla.

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

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (internet stream). Broadcast starts at 7:10 p.m. (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play).
TV/Video: ESPNU/WatchESPN (Eric Clemons, play-by-play; Jay Walker, analyst)

QUICK HITS
• NCCU has won the last two games against Florida A&M by a combined seven points, needing scores in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory each time.
• Florida A&M leads the series with NCCU 6-3-1.
• Thursday will be just the fifth gridiron meeting between the NCCU Eagles and the FAMU Rattlers in the past 44 years.
• NCCU owns a 22-3 record against MEAC opponents in the last three seasons under head coach Jerry Mack, including a 3-0 mark against rival NC A&T.
• NCCU has won 16 consecutive conference games and 10 straight home games.
• Fourth-year head coach Jerry Mack captured conference titles in each of his first three seasons at NCCU, and became the first head coach in school history to win 24 games in his first three years.
• Of NCCU's league-high 17 all-conference selections in 2016, all six of the Eagles' First Team All-MEAC honorees have moved on, as well as three Second Team All-MEAC picks.

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 11th 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, 6-3-1. NCCU has won the last two match-ups with the Rattlers.
10/8/2016 - NCCU 17, FAMU 13 (Durham, N.C.)
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 17, FAMU 13 - Durham, N.C. - Oct. 8, 2016) With heavy rain and wind gusts from Hurricane Matthew limiting the offense of both teams most of the day, NCCU rallied for two lead-changing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to claim a 17-13 victory over Florida A&M inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

THE LAST MEETING IN FLORIDA
(NCCU 27, FAMU 24 - Tallahassee, Fla. - Oct. 10, 2015) NCCU 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 33, S.C. State 28 (Durham, N.C.): NCCU overcame a 14-point, first-half deficit and scored the only two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to earn a 33-28 victory over MEAC foe South Carolina State during a nationally-televised ESPNU contest on Thursday night at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

Florida A&M 20, Savannah State 14 (Savannah, Ga.): A stirring defensive stand in the shadow of their end zone lifted the Florida A&M Rattlers past a determined Savannah State squad, 20-14, in the MEAC opener for both teams at Ted A. Wright Stadium.

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.

FAMU: Alex Wood is in his third 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 24 games in his first three seasons, passing Rod Broadway's 22 victories from 2003-05. After the Eagles went 7-5 in Mack's first season for a share of the MEAC title, and 8-3 in 2015 for consecutive MEAC co-championships, the Eagles closed out the 2016 season at 9-3 overall and 8-0 in conference play to earn the outright MEAC championship. Mack was named 2016 MEAC Coach of the Year and AFCA Regional Coach of the Year. 

NCCU IN MEAC PLAY
Since becoming eligible to compete for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship in 2011, NCCU has a conference record of 31-18. 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 1-0 in 2017. In four seasons under head coach Jerry Mack, NCCU owns a 22-3 conference record, including 16 consecutive MEAC wins.

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 61 games, NCCU has scored 34 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including Davanta Reynolds' 85-yard fumble return last week versus S.C. State, 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, eight interceptions and three fumble recoveries. 

NCCU NO. 24 IN PRESEASON FCS COACHES POLL
After a 9-3 season and a third straight conference championship, North Carolina Central University was ranked No. 24 in the preseason FCS Coaches Poll. The Eagles received their 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 finished at No. 19 in last season's final poll.

TEN NCCU EAGLES VOTED TO PRESEASON ALL-MEAC TEAMS
Ten NCCU Eagles were voted to the Preseason All-MEAC Football Teams. Earning All-MEAC First Team honors for NCCU were junior running back Ramone Simpson (Wilmington, N.C.), sophomore offensive lineman Nick Leverett (Concord, N.C.), senior defensive lineman Ja'Quan Smith (Miramar, Fla.), senior defensive lineman Antonio Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.), senior linebacker Reggie Hunter (Henderson, N.C.), junior defensive back Alden McClellon (Lake Butler, Fla.) and senior punter Nathaniel Tilque (Charlotte, N.C.). Receiving All-MEAC Third Team recognition were junior running back Dorrel McClain (Cary, N.C.), junior wide receiver Jalen Wilkes (Greenville, S.C.) and junior defensive back Davanta Reynolds (Tucker, Ga.).

TWO NCCU EAGLES ON HBCU PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST
NCCU senior defensive end Antonio Brown and junior safety Alden McClellon have been named to the 2017 Watch List for the Black College Football Player of the Year Award, the Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) announced on Aug. 16. The Award is presented annually to the most outstanding football player from a Historically Black College & University. Brown, a 6-3, 250-pound Preseason All-MEAC First Team selection out of Jacksonville, Florida, ranked third in MEAC with 8.0 sacks and fourth with a team-high 14.5 tackles for a loss last season. He collected 56 total tackles, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three quarterback hurries. McClellon, a 5-11, 190-pound Preseason All-MEAC First Team honoree from Lake Butler, Florida, finished second on the 2016 squad with 79 total tackles, including 7.5 hits for a loss, 2.0 sacks, 5 pass break-ups, 2 forced fumbles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick. The winner of the 2017 Black College Football Player of the Year Award will be honored with the Deacon Jones Trophy during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which takes place on Feb. 10, 2018 in Atlanta. Four finalists will be unveiled on Dec. 12.

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.