THE GAME
Bethune-Cookman University "Wildcats" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

THE KICKOFF
Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 – Kickoff at 6:00 p.m.

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

THE RECORDS
N.C. Central (2-4 overall, 1-1 MEAC); Bethune-Cookman (4-1, 2-0 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio: NCCU Sports Network at NCCUEaglePride.com (internet stream). Broadcast starts at 5:30 p.m. Jonathan Duren (play-by-play).
TV/Video: ESPNU - Tiffany Greene (play-by-play); Jay Walker (color analyst).

QUICK HITS
• NCCU returns home for just the second time in the first seven weeks.
• Three of the last four meetings between NCCU and Bethune-Cookman have been decided in the closing seconds - all three favoring B-CU.
• Bethune-Cookman leads the series with NCCU 8-2. The Eagles have never beaten the Wildcats in Durham (0-5).
• NCCU is tied as the NCAA Division I-FCS leader with 11 interceptions, the most picks by the Eagles since 2014.
• NCCU's 17 takeaways (11 interceptions, 6 fumble recoveries) are the second-most in the NCAA Division I-FCS ranks. Sam Houston State has 18.
• The Eagles are sitting atop the MEAC and rank sixth in the nation (FCS) with a +7 turnover margin (+1.17 per game). NCCU topped the MEAC and finished 21st in the nation in turnover margin (+0.55 per game) last season.
• NCCU has registered 42 tackles for loss in the first six games, averaging 7.0 per contest (36th 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's 74 penalties and 641 penalty yards are the most among FCS teams.
• 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.
• 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 fourth-leading rusher in the MEAC with 63.7 ground yards per game, is ranked ninth on NCCU's career rushing list with 1,889 ground yards, averaging 5.3 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 is tied as the MEAC leader with three interceptions and eight passes defended (5 pass break-ups, 3 INTs).
• NCCU freshman kicker Adrian Olivo tops the MEAC in field goal percentage (87.5%/11th in FCS), is fourth in field goals per game (1.17/27th in FCS), and ranks 10th in the league in scoring with 5.7 points per game.
• NCCU redshirt senior defensive end Darius Royster is second in the league with 8.0 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 11th football meeting between NCCU and Bethune-Cookman since the teams first met in 1994. Bethune-Cookman leads the series 8-2. In that first match-up on Sept. 24, 1994, the Eagles captured a 24-5 road victory in Daytona Beach, Florida. On Oct. 23, 2010, B-CU, as the 14th ranked team in the nation, earned a 23-10 win in Durham. On Oct. 29, 2011, the Wildcats amassed 525 yards during a 34-6 victory to spoil NCCU's homecoming. On Oct. 27, 2012, B-CU scored 28 unanswered points to overcome a three-point second-half deficit en route to a 42-17 win. In 2013, the 13th-ranked Wildcats pounded out 436 rushing yards to beat the Eagles 38-14 in Durham. On Nov. 1, 2014, the 20th-ranked Wildcats overcame a 14-7 halftime deficit to down the Eagles 34-20. On Oct. 3, 2015, B-CU rallied from a 26-7 third quarter deficit and blocked a potential game-winning 18-yard field goal try with just 32 seconds left to edge NCCU 28-26 in Durham. On Oct. 1, 2016, NCCU used a dominant second-half performance to finish with 489 yards of total offense in a 31-14 victory in Daytona Beach, Florida. On Nov. 11, 2017, B-CU completed a 48-yard Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game for a stunning 13-10 road win. On Nov. 8, 2018, the Wildcats scored a touchdown with 53 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, then beat in Eagles 28-25 in double-OT.

11/8/18 - B-CU 28, NCCU 25 - 2OT (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
11/11/17 - B-CU 13, NCCU 10 (Durham, N.C.)
10/1/2016 - NCCU 31, B-CU 14 (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
10/3/2015 - B-CU 28, NCCU 26 (Durham, N.C.)
11/1/2014 - #20 B-CU 34, NCCU 20 (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
11/2/2013 - #13 B-CU 38, NCCU 14 (Durham, N.C.)
10/27/2012 - B-CU 42, NCCU 17 (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
10/29/2011 - B-CU 34, NCCU 6 (Durham, N.C.)
10/23/2010 - #14 B-CU 23, NCCU 10 (Durham, N.C.)
9/24/1994 - NCCU 24, B-CU 5 (Daytona Beach, Fla.)

THE LAST MEETING
(Bethune-Cookman 28, NCCU 25 - 2OT - Daytona Beach, Fla. - Nov. 8, 2018) 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 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). 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.

THE LAST MEETING IN DURHAM
(Bethune-Cookman 13, NCCU 10 - Durham, N.C. - Nov. 11, 2017) With 16 seconds remaining in a critical MEAC match-up, North Carolina Central University took its first lead of the game with a fourth-down, 4-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Chauncey Caldwell to sophomore receiver Xavier McKoy. However, on the game's final play, starting with just five seconds on the clock, Bethune-Cookman University quarterback Larry Brihm, Jr. rolled to his left, set his feet and fired a pass to the end zone, where the ball was deflected and caught by Keavon Mitchell for the game-winning, 48-yard touchdown. The wild 13-10 Wildcat victory ended NCCU's run for a fourth consecutive conference championship.

LAST WEEK
Florida A&M 28, NCCU 21 (Tallahassee, Fla.): NCCU freshman quarterback Davius Richard accounted for 260 total yards and three touchdowns, but homecoming host Florida A&M scored with just 32 seconds left to capture a 28-21 conference victory on Saturday in front of 25,679 fans inside Bragg Memorial Stadium. Richard completed 16 of 35 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for a game-high 40 yards and a score. The rookie signal caller engineered a seven-play, 77-yard drive to tie the score at 21-21 on a 16-yard pass to Tyler Barnes with 4:25 left in the contest. Florida A&M senior quarterback Ryan Stanley, who threw for 306 yards on 22-for-32 passing, tossed his fourth touchdown of the game with just 32 seconds remaining for the win.

Bethune-Cookman 31, Morgan State 20 (Daytona Beach, Fla.): Akevious Williams threw for 156 yards and three touchdowns to Jimmie Robinson as Bethune-Cookman defeated Morgan State 31-20 on Saturday before a crowd of 5,642 at Daytona Stadium. Robinson finished with five catches for 136 yards and scored three second-half touchdowns as the Wildcats pulled away from a 10-6 halftime lead.

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.

B-CU: Terry Sims (Knoxville, 1994) was introduced as the 15th head coach at Bethune-Cookman University on Dec. 22, 2014. The native of Jesup, Georgia, took over the program after spending the previous five years as an assistant coach for the Wildcats. Before arriving in Daytona Beach, Sims spent four seasons as recruiting coordinator, special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Howard University. Sims has also made assistant coaching stops at the University of Louisville-Lafayette, Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern, and Austin Peay. Sims is a 1994 graduate of Knoxville College, where he was a team captain as a defensive back on the gridiron, while also patrolling center field in baseball. He earned a master's degree from Louisville in 1997.

NCCU FOOTBALL ON ESPN TV NETWORKS
Since 2011, when NCCU became an official member of NCAA Division I (FCS), the Eagles have played in 12 games on ESPN TV networks (9 ESPNU, 2 ESPNews, 1 ESPN2). NCCU has a 4-8 record in those games.

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.

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.

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 86 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.

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.