Complete Game Notes - PDF   |   Press Conference Video   

THE GAME
Shaw University "Bears" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

THE KICKOFF
Saturday, September 9, 2017 – Kickoff at 6:00 p.m. 

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

THE RECORDS
Shaw (0-1 overall, 0-0 CIAA); N.C. Central (0-1 overall, 0-0 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio/Video: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (internet stream). Broadcast starts at 5:40 p.m. (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, analyst).

QUICK HITS
• Saturday will be the 40th meeting between the Eagles and Bears, who first played on Nov. 29, 1928, and last played on Sept. 3, 2006. NCCU holds a 30-8-1 series advantage.
• Since becoming a full NCAA Division I-FCS member and joining the MEAC in 2011, NCCU owns a 5-0 record against teams from its former conference, the CIAA.
• Second-year Shaw head coach Adrian Jones was a two-time All-CIAA First Team performer at NCCU from 1994-97, and former assistant coach under Jerry Mack.
• Fourth-year head coach Jerry Mack has not only captured conference titles in each of his first three seasons at NCCU, but he 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.
• NCCU punched its ticket to the 2016 Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl by beating rival North Carolina A&T 42-21 to win the outright MEAC championship.
• NCCU owns a 21-3 record against MEAC opponents in the last three seasons under head coach Jerry Mack, including a 3-0 mark against rival NC A&T.

2016 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 (First, Second and Third).

THE SERIES
This will be the 40th meeting between the Eagles and Bears, who first played on Nov. 29, 1928, and last played on Sept. 3, 2006. NCCU holds a 30-8-1 series advantage. The Eagles have a 20-game win streak against the Bears. Shaw's last victory in the series was a 20-0 shutout win on Nov. 19, 1949.

LAST WEEK
Duke 60, NCCU 7 (Durham, N.C.): An 81-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman Isaiah Totten highlighted NCCU's performance in a 60-7 setback against ACC opponent Duke University during the "Bull City Gridiron Classic" at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. New NCCU starting quarterback Micah Zanders completed 10 of 17 passes for 91 yards with an interception. Defensively, NCCU senior linebacker Reggie Hunter amassed a game-high 10 tackles (7 solo), including a stop for a loss. Junior safety Alden McClellon and senior transfer linebacker De'Niro Laster contributed nine takedowns apiece for the Eagles.

New Haven 31, Shaw 20 (Durham, N.C.): Senior wide receiver Trevante Long recorded 121 yards through the air and sophomore Tevin Perry rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown, but Shaw dropped a 31-20 decision to the visiting Chargers of the University of New Haven at Durham County Memorial Stadium. Overall, Shaw finished with just 283 total yards that included 120 on the ground and 163 through the air compared to the Chargers' 399 total yards (71 rushing, 328 passing).

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.

Shaw: In March 2016, Adrian Jones (North Carolina Central, 2001) was announced as the 17th head football coach at Shaw University. During his two assistant coaching stints at NCCU, Jones coached running backs, defensive backs and outside linebackers. As an assistant coach at NCCU, Jones helped the Eagles garner two CIAA championships (2005 and 2006), two MEAC championships (2014 and 2015) and a Black College National Championship (2006). Prior to NCCU, Jones led his high school alma mater, Southern High School in Durham, N.C., to the 2013 NCHSAA 3-AA State Championship title.  In his seventh season as the head coach at Southern High, Jones led the Spartans to the state title following the team's seventh straight playoff appearance under his supervision. With a Big 8 Conference championship also a part of the team's historic run, Jones was selected as the 2013 Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year. He was also the PAC-6 Coach of the Year three times after charging the Spartans to three consecutive PAC-6 championships from 2007 to 2009. As a student-athlete at NCCU, Jones earned First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region honors twice and remains among the school's career leaders in passes defended (41) and interceptions (10). After NCCU, Jones went on to play arena football with the Carolina Cobras in 2001 and 2003, the Augusta Stallions in 2002, and the Greensboro Prowlers in 2000.  He also served as defensive coordinator with the South Georgia Wildcats of the AFL2.

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 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.

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 59 games, NCCU has scored 33 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including 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 two fumble recoveries. 

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.