THE GAME
North Carolina A&T State University "Aggies" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

THE KICKOFF
Saturday, November 17, 2018 – Kickoff at 2:00 p.m.

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

THE RECORDS
N.C. Central (4-5 overall, 2-3 MEAC); #12/#13 N.C. A&T (8-2, 5-1 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (internet stream). Broadcast starts at 1:40 p.m. 
Television: ESPN3 (live)/ESPNU (delay). Broadcast starts at 2:00 p.m. (Eric Clemons, play-by-play; Forrest Conoly, analyst).

QUICK HITS
• Saturday's contest will air live on ESPN3 and delayed on ESPNU.
• North Carolina A&T is ranked No. 12 in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll and No. 13 in the FCS Coaches Poll.
• North Carolina A&T leads the series 50-34-5, while NCCU has defeated the Aggies in three of the last four meetings.
• NCCU has an 11-4 record in the month of November since 2014.
• NCCU has a 3-1 record inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium this season.
• Against Bethune-Cookman on Thursday, Nov. 8, NCCU amassed 257 rushing yards, the Eagles' fifth straight contest with at least 200 ground yards.
• NCCU leads the conference and ranks 12th in the NCAA Division I-FCS in tackles for loss with an average of 8.0 per game.
• NCCU boasts the top red-zone offense in the MEAC and ranks ninth in FCS, scoring 90.9 percent of the time. The Eagles are 30-of-33 inside the 20-yard line, with 19 touchdowns and 11 field goals.
• NCCU senior defensive lineman Darius Royster owns 11.0 takedowns behind the line of scrimmage (4th in MEAC, 49th in FCS) and four forced fumbles (1st in MEAC, 5th in FCS).
• NCCU senior safety Davanta Reynolds, the Preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team (Second Team), ranks second in the MEAC with 74 tackles (8.2 per game).
• Since the start of the 2012 season, NCCU has scored 38 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including three defensive scores last year and two this season.
• NCCU is under the direction of first-year head coach Granville Eastman, who accepted the interim role after Jerry Mack left to be the offensive coordinator at Rice.
• NC A&T boasts the MEAC leaders in rushing (Marquell Cartwright, 892 yards), and tackles for loss and sacks (Darryl Johnson, 16.5 TFL/9.5 sacks).
• NC A&T tops the MEAC in total defense (275.6 yards allowed per game - #5 in FCS) and rushing defense (82.0 rushing yards allowed per game - #3 in FCS).

ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
NCCU won three consecutive MEAC championships from 2014-16, and represented the MEAC in the 2016 Celebration Bowl versus Grambling in the Georgia Dome.
NCCU Recent Records:
2017: 7-4 overall, 5-3 MEAC
2016: 9-3 overall, 8-0 MEAC – MEAC champions
2015: 8-3 overall, 7-1 MEAC – MEAC co-champions
2014: 7-5 overall, 6-2 MEAC – MEAC co-champions

THE SERIES
This will be the 90th meeting between the Eagles and Aggies, dating back to 1924 when NC A&T tied NCCU, 13-13, in Durham, North Carolina. The Aggies lead the series 50-34-5.  NC A&T has won 19 of the last 27 meetings. NCCU has won seven of the last 12 contests, including three of the last four outings. Eight of the last 13 games have been decided by seven points or less.

11/18/2017 - #7 NCA&T 24, NCCU 10 (Greensboro, N.C.)
11/19/2016 - #20 NCCU 42, #9 NCA&T 21 (Durham, N.C.)
11/21/2015 - NCCU 21, #13/16 NCA&T 16 (Greensboro, N.C.)
11/22/2014 - NCCU 21, #24 NCA&T 14 (Durham, N.C.)
11/23/2013 - NCA&T 28, NCCU 0 (Greensboro, N.C.)
11/17/2012 - NCA&T 22, NCCU 16 OT (Durham, N.C.)
11/19/2011 - NCA&T 31, NCCU 21 (Greensboro, N.C.)
09/25/2010 - NCCU 27, NCA&T 16 (Durham, N.C.)
10/03/2009 - NCA&T 23, NCCU 17 OT2 (Greensboro, N.C.)
10/04/2008 - NCCU 28, NCA&T 27 (Charlotte, N.C.)
09/22/2007 - NCCU 27, NCA&T 22 (Greensboro, N.C.)
09/05/2005 - NCCU 23, NCA&T 22 (Raleigh, N.C.)
09/05/2004 - NCA&T 16, NCCU 15 (Raleigh, N.C.)
08/31/2003 - NCA&T 25, NCCU 0 (Raleigh, N.C.)
09/01/2002 - NCCU 33, NCA&T 30 OT (Raleigh, N.C.)
09/01/2001 - NCA&T 22, NCCU 0 (Raleigh, N.C.)
(Complete game-by-game series on last page of notes)

THE LAST MEETING
(#7 NC A&T 24, NCCU 10 - Greensboro, N.C. - Nov. 18, 2017) Following a tightly-contested first half, North Carolina A&T scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to separate from NCCU, as the Aggies ended a three-year losing skid to the Eagles with a 24-10 win at Aggie Stadium in Greensboro. A&T tallied 358 yards of total offense, including 205 yards rushing and two touchdown runs by Marquell Cartwright. NCCU posted 215 total yards with freshman quarterback Chauncey Caldwell passing for 129 yards and redshirt freshman Isaiah Totten collecting 61 grounds yards with a touchdown.

THE LAST MEETING IN DURHAM
(#20 NCCU 42, #9 NC A&T 21 - Durham, N.C. - Nov. 19, 2016) North Carolina A&T entered the contest with the nation's fifth-ranked run defense, but NCCU senior quarterback Malcolm Bell and sophomore running back Dorrel McClain combined for 240 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. The Aggies had not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season, until Bell rushed for a game-high 131 yards and two touchdowns, while McClain tallied 109 rushing yards with three trips to the end zone. Bell added 184 yards and a touchdown on 10-for-18 passing to finish with 315 yards of total offense. And while the NCCU offense posted the most points against the Aggies since 1984 and the second-most in the 88 match-ups of the series, the Eagles also soared defensively. Tarik Cohen, the nation's third-leading rusher, was held to just 82 yards and an average of on 3.6 yards per carry.

LAST WEEK
Bethune-Cookman 28, NCCU 25 - 2OT (Daytona Beach, Fla.) - For the third time in the last four seasons, the MEAC showdown between Bethune-Cookman and NCCU was decided in the closing seconds. On Thursday night (Nov. 8), four quarters was not enough to determine a victor. B-CU scored a touchdown with 53 seconds left in regulation to tie the contest, then converted a pair of field goals to pull out a 28-25 double-overtime win during a live ESPNU broadcast from Daytona Stadium. NCCU sophomore running back Isaiah Totten rushed for two touchdowns and 190 yards, the best ground game by an Eagle in 13 years (220 yards by Greg Pruitt vs. Livingstone, Oct. 22, 2005). Junior quarterback Naiil Ramadan completed 13 of 26 passes for 121 yards, while rushing for 35 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a 22-15 advantage with 5:25 on the fourth-quarter clock. On B-CU's ensuing drive, the Wildcats used nine plays to consume 73 yards, capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass by David Israel to Keavon Mitchell on third-and-goal, to tie the score and force overtime. NCCU struck first in the extra session with a 27-yard field goal by Adam Lippy. B-CU senior kicker Uriel Hernandez booted a clutch 39-yard field goal to send the event into a second overtime. Hernandez made a 21-yard field goal on B-CU's next overtime possession, and NCCU's 40-yard field goal attempt to extend the night was blocked. NCCU senior safety Davanta Reynolds had a big performance with 12 tackles, including 4.5 hits for a loss with a sack. As a team, the Eagles recorded 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage with three sacks. NCCU also restricted B-CU to just 3-for-13 on third-down conversions, kept the Wildcats from converting on fourth down and short, and held the home team to 321 yards of total offense. The difference in the outcome was special teams play and B-CU do-it-all Jimmie Robinson. After NCCU's opening-drive touchdown, Robinson scooped up the blocked extra-point kick and returned the ball for a 2-point conversion. Then, after Totten's second trip to the end zone on the evening, Robinson returned the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to make the score 16-8 in favor of the Eagles at halftime. Robinson struck again in the third quarter with an explosive 56-yard touchdown run.

NC A&T 28, Savannah State 12 (Savannah, Ga.) - North Carolina A&T jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead and closed out with a 28-12 road victory over Savannah State. The Aggies rushed for 232 yards, led by quarterback Kylil Carter with 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while also passing for 53 yards and a score. The A&T defense held the Tigers to just 246 yards of total offense.

THE COACHES
NCCU: Granville Eastman (Saint Mary's, 1992) is in his first season as a college head coach. With 20 years of collegiate coaching experience to his credit, Eastman joined the NCCU staff in January 2014, serving as assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and safeties coach until his promotion to interim head coach on Dec. 8, 2017. Prior to joining NCCU, Eastman spent nine seasons (2005-13) as the defensive coordinator at Austin Peay State University in Clarkesville, Tennessee. During his 11 total seasons at APSU, he coached defensive backs and linebackers, and also served as special teams coordinator (2003-04) and interim head coach (winter 2013). Eastman coached four seasons (1999-2002) at Tiffin University in Ohio, including the last three seasons as defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator, while working with defensive backs and defensive line during his tenure. A native of Toronto, Canada, Eastman secured his first coaching position at York University in his hometown, where he spent two seasons (1994-95) working with defensive backs. He then served as a defensive graduate assistant for three seasons (1996-98) at Arkansas State University, earning a master's degree in sociology in 1999. Eastman was a two-time all-city defensive back at Stephen Leacock High School in Toronto before attending Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he was a three-year letterman as a defensive back. Twice Saint Mary's played in national title games while he was there. Eastman earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's University in 1992.

NC A&T: Sam Washington (Mississippi Valley State, 1982) became the 19th head football coach in North Carolina A&T State history on Jan. 9, 2018. Prior to being promoted to head coach, Washington served as the Aggies defensive coordinator and secondary coach for seven years. Before arriving at A&T, Washington spent four seasons as Grambling's defensive backs coach under Rod Broadway and five years at his alma mater Mississippi Valley State. Washington also worked for eight seasons at N.C. Central as the school's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. He spent four seasons in the NFL with stops in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

NCCU FOOTBALL ON ESPN TV NETWORKS
Since 2011, when NCCU became official members of NCAA Division I (FCS), the Eagles have played in 11 games on ESPN TV networks (8 ESPNU, 2 ESPNews, 1 ESPN2). NCCU has a 4-7 record in those games.

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 78 games, NCCU has scored 38 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including two this season, three in 2017, 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, 11 interceptions and four fumble recoveries. 

LEVERETT RECOGNIZED FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE
NCCU offensive lineman Nick Leverett is one of only 22 college football players selected for distinguished recognition on the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, as announced by Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association. The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® has been one of the most esteemed honors in college football for more than 25 years, celebrating the remarkable accomplishments of college football student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and in the community. A native of Concord, North Carolina, Leverett is a two-time All-MEAC offensive lineman and team captain, a three-year graduate with a degree in criminal justice and a 3.37 overall grade point average, a campus leader, and an active participant in community service. Two other NCCU football student-athletes have earned distinction on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® in recent years, Jordan Reid (current NCCU running backs coach) in 2013 and Carl Jones in 2016.

NINE NCCU EAGLES VOTED TO PRESEASON ALL-MEAC TEAMS
Nine NCCU Eagles were voted to the Preseason All-MEAC Football Teams. Earning All-MEAC First Team honors for NCCU are Preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year senior defensive back Davanta Reynolds, sophomore running back Isaiah Totten, junior offensive lineman Nick Leverett, and junior defensive lineman Kawuan Cox. Three NCCU Eagles on the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team are senior tight end Josh McCoy, sophomore offensive lineman Andrew Dale, and senior defensive lineman Randy Anyanwu. Receiving Preseason All-MEAC Third Team honors are junior wide receiver Xavier McKoy and senior defensive back De'Mario Evans.

LONG SNAPPER SCHLECKER EARNS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONOR
NCCU senior long snapper Erik Schlecker was named to the HERO Sports 2018 FCS Preseason All-American Team. A native of Sunrise, Florida, Schlecker earned a spot on the FCS Preseason All-American Third Team for achieving a 99 percent success rate on his snaps with only one errant snap in the past two seasons at NCCU. The transfer from ASA College also boasts a snap time average of 0.75 seconds. To his credit, each NCCU teammate Schlecker has snapped for during the 2016 and 2017 seasons – two placekickers and a punter – has garnered all-conference recognition.

ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
North Carolina Central University is in its eighth 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 140 all-conference selections (first team), 67 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.