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

THE KICKOFF
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 – Kickoff at 2:00 p.m.

THE SITE
Bragg Memorial Stadium (25,000 capacity / natural grass) - Tallahassee, Fla.

THE RECORDS
N.C. Central (2-3 overall, 1-0 MEAC); Florida A&M (3-1, 1-0 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio: NCCU Sports Network at NCCUEaglePride.com (internet stream). Broadcast starts at 1:30 p.m. Jonathan Duren (play-by-play). 
Video: ESPN3

QUICK HITS
• Saturday will be Florida A&M's homecoming game.
• This will be NCCU's fifth road game in the first six weeks.
• The match-up features the MEAC's top pass offense (FAMU=290.2 passing yards/game) against the top pass defense (NCCU=165.6 passing yards allowed/game). 
• NCCU boasts the most sacks in the MEAC (13), while FAMU has allowed the fewest sacks in the conference (3).
• After a season-opening loss to nationally-ranked UCF (0-62), FAMU has three straight victories with wins over Fort Valley State (57-20), Southern (27-21) and Norfolk State (30-28).
• FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley has 7,046 career passing yards and is just 332 yards shy of the school's record-holder Quinn Gray (7,378 yards). Stanley has thrown just one interception with six touchdowns and 975 passing yards this season, while being sacked just twice.
• No team in NCAA football (all divisions) has more takeaways than NCCU with 16 total turnovers gained (10 interceptions, 6 fumble recoveries).
• NCCU leads NCAA Division I (FCS & FBS) with 10 interceptions. The Eagles have already surpassed last season's total of six picks. 
• Thanks to Jerome Foster's pick-six against Elizabeth City State on Sept. 21, NCCU has now had at least one interception for a touchdown in 16 consecutive seasons.
• The Eagles are sitting atop the MEAC and rank sixth in the nation (FCS) with a +8 turnover margin (+1.60 per game). NCCU topped the MEAC and finished 21st in the nation in turnover margin (+0.55 per game) last season.
• NCCU has registered 36 tackles for loss in the first five games, averaging 7.2 per contest (30th in FCS). In 2018, NCCU led the conference and ranked 14th in the NCAA Division I-FCS in tackles for loss with an average of 7.7 per game. 
• NCCU is under the direction of first-year head coach Trei Oliver, who was an all-region safety and punter (1994-97) at NCCU, as well as an assistant coach (2003-06).
• NCCU junior running back Isaiah Totten, the third-leading rusher in the MEAC with 69.4 ground yards per game, is ranked ninth on NCCU's career rushing list with 1,854 ground yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He is attempting to become just the eighth player in NCCU history to rush for 2,000 yards.
• NCCU junior cornerback Bryan Mills tops the MEAC with three interceptions and his six passes defended (3 pass break-ups, 3 INTs) are tied for the most in the league.
• NCCU freshman kicker Adrian Olivo tops the MEAC in field goal percentage (87.5%/11th in FCS), is second in field goals per game (1.40/18th in FCS), and ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 6.2 points per game.
• NCCU redshirt senior defensive end Darius Royster is second in the league with 6.5 stops for a loss and 4.0 sacks. Last season, he amassed 17.0 takedowns behind the line of scrimmage (T-2nd in MEAC, 15th in FCS) and four forced fumbles (1st in MEAC, 9th in FCS).
• Davius Richards' 62-yard touchdown run at Morgan State (Sept. 28) is the longest rush by an NCCU quarterback since Lawrence Fuller raced 74 yards against Morris Brown on Sept. 30, 2000.
• NCCU's 330 yards rushing at Morgan State (Sept. 28) are the most against a conference opponent since Oct 23, 2004, when the Eagles were in the Division II CIAA and rushed for 349 yards against CIAA foe Livingstone College.
• NCCU junior cornerback Bryan Mills tied the NCCU single-game record with three interceptions, becoming the first Eagle to accomplish the feat since Adrian Jones on the same date in 1996 against Elizabeth City State.
• Since the start of the 2012 season, NCCU has scored 39 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including a pick-six this year.

THE SERIES
This will be the 13th 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, 7-4-1. NCCU has won three of the last four match-ups with the Rattlers, but FAMU won last year's meeting 55-14 in Durham.
9/29/2018 - FAMU 55, NCCU 14 (Durham, N.C.)
9/28/2017 - NCCU 21, FAMU 14 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
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
(FAMU 55, NCCU 14 - Durham, N.C. - Sept. 29, 2018) NCCU scored a touchdown on the game's opening possession, but Florida A&M posted 48 unanswered points to cruise to a 55-14 road victory. Jordan Freeman accounted for both NCCU touchdowns, rushing nine times for 77 yards and a score, and catching four passes for 30 yards with a trip to the end zone. Florida A&M amassed 509 yards of total offense and held NCCU to 280 total yards. Besides passing for 254 yards and four touchdowns (all courtesy of quarterback Ryan Stanley), and rushing for 255 yards and two scores, the Rattlers also blocked a punt and scooped up the loose ball for a touchdown.

THE LAST MEETING IN FLORIDA
(NCCU 21, FAMU 14 - Tallahassee, Fla. - Sept. 28, 2017) NCCU scored the only points in the second half on a 9-yard rushing touchdown by running back Isaiah Totten with just 2:02 left in the contest to give the Eagles a 21-14 road victory. NCCU collected 130 rushing yards in the game and held Florida A&M to only 73 yards on the ground. NCCU also had a total of 110 passing yards, while the Rattlers posted 185 yards through the air.

LAST WEEK
NCCU 27, Morgan State 17 (Baltimore, Md.): NCCU amassed 330 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, while adding three interceptions to increase its takeaway total to 16 on the season, as the Eagles defeated Morgan State 27-17 in Baltimore. NCCU finished with 416 total yards, as freshman quarterback Davius Richard threw for 86 yards and ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles received solid contributions from three running backs. Redshirt junior Isaiah Totten recorded 112 rushing yards, redshirt junior Jordan Freeman provided 95 yards, and redshirt freshman Latrell Collier added 53 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Junior defensive back Bryan Mills enjoyed a career day by tallying all three of NCCU's interceptions, including two in the end zone to prevent Morgan State touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jerome Foster amassed a game-high 10 tackles, while redshirt senior defensive end Darius Royster collected nine takedowns, including 2.0 stops for a loss with a sack.

FAMU 30, Norfolk State 28 (Norfolk, Va.): Florida A&M amassed 431 yards of total offense and rallied from a second-half deficit to defeat Norfolk State 30-28. FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley completed 27 of 37 passes for 293 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Xavier Smith amassed 12 receptions for 98 yards, and running back Bishop Bonnett recorded 109 rushing yards on 20 carries.

THE COACHES
NCCU: Trei Oliver (N.C. Central, 1998) is in his first season as a college head coach. With 20 years of college coaching experience that includes five conference championships and three black college football national titles, Oliver returned to his alma mater as North Carolina Central University's 24th head football coach in December 2018. A native of Yorktown, Virginia, Oliver earned all-conference and all-region honors as a defensive back and punter during his four-year playing career at NCCU from 1994-97. The 1998 graduate later returned to NCCU as an assistant coach from 2003-06, helping the Eagles to back-to-back Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships in 2005 and 2006.

Florida A&M: Willie Simmons (Clemson, 2002), who had a stellar collegiate football playing career that featured stints at Clemson University and The Citadel (S.C.), is in his second season at Florida A&M University after spending the prior three seasons (2015-2017) as head football coach at Prairie View A&M University.

ROYSTER NAMED PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
NCCU redshirt senior defensive end Darius Royster was named as the Preseason Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele's College Football Preview magazine. In 2018, Royster led the MEAC and ranked ninth in the nation (FCS) with 4 forced fumbles, tied for second in the conference and ranked 15th in the nation with a team-high 17.0 tackles for a loss, and tied for fifth in the league with a team-best 5.0 sacks. He finished third on the squad with 58 total takedowns, 39 of which were unassisted. Royster broke the school record for most tackles for loss in a game with 6.0 TFL among his season-best 10 total tackles versus Prairie View A&M (Sept. 2) in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, and registered 5.0 stops for a loss at S.C. State (Nov. 24) in the final game of last season.

ALUMS AS HEAD FOOTBALL COACHES AT NCCU
Trei Oliver is the third alumnus to lead the NCCU football program, following in the footsteps of Bishop Harris, a 1963 graduate who coached the Eagles from 1991-92, and Herman Riddick, a 1933 graduate who guided the Eagles to a school record 112 victories from 1945-1964.

SEVEN NCCU EAGLES VOTED TO PRESEASON ALL-MEAC TEAMS
Seven NCCU Eagles were named to the 2019 Preseason All-MEAC Football Teams. NCCU junior running back Isaiah Totten, redshirt senior defensive lineman Darius Royster, and senior defensive lineman Kawuan Cox were voted to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team. Redshirt junior offensive lineman Andrew Dale was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team, while redshirt sophomore center Somadina Okezie-Okeke, sophomore offensive lineman Ricky Lee and junior linebacker Branden Bailey received Preseason All-MEAC Third Team honors. 

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 85 games, NCCU has scored 39 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including one this year, two last 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, 12 interceptions and four fumble recoveries. 

ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
North Carolina Central University is in its ninth season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletics competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles have won 11 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, 2016), and have made three appearances in the NCAA Division II 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 143 all-conference selections (first team), 68 all-Americans, 41 NFL draft picks, 11 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.