THE GAME
#25 North Carolina Central University "Eagles" vs. Tennessee Tech University "Golden Eagles"

THE KICKOFF
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 – Kickoff at 1:30 p.m. (CT)

THE SITE
Tucker Stadium (16,500 capacity) - Cookeville, Tenn.

THE RECORDS
#25 N.C. Central (8-2 overall, 4-1 MEAC); Tennessee Tech (4-6, 2-3 OVC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio: TTU Radio
TV/Video: None

QUICK HITS
• NCCU clinched its first MEAC football championship since 2016 and earned a trip to the 2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl (Dec. 17 / 12 p.m. / Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Atlanta) after defeating Norfolk State, 48-14, on Nov. 12.
• After improving its record to 8-2 and clinching the MEAC championship, NCCU returned to the national rankings at No. 25 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll, announced on Monday, Nov. 14. Earlier this season, NCCU moved into the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll at No. 25 on Sept. 19, which represented the Eagles' first regular season national ranking since Oct. 16, 2017.
• The 2022 Eagles join the ranks of 11 other teams at NCCU to win eight games or more in a season. The last team to do so was in 2016 with a 9-3 record.
• This is just the second gridiron meeting between NCCU and Tennessee Tech. TTU won the first match-up, 27-16, on Oct. 9, 2021, in Durham.
• After a 1-6 start to the season, Tennessee Tech has won three consecutive games.
• NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard has been named MEAC Offensive Player of the Week seven times this season, and leads the MEAC in passing yards (2,343), passing touchdowns (24), and rushing touchdowns (12).
• Following a 347-yard passing performance at Norfolk State on Nov. 12, junior quarterback Davius Richard passed Malcolm Bell (2013-16) for the number two spot on NCCU's career passing list with 6,496 yards.
• NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard is just the third Eagle in NCCU history to reach 7,000 career yards of total offense (7,741) and 6,000 career passing yards (6,496).
• NCCU junior running back Latrell "Mookie" Collier ranks second in the conference with 751 rushing yards, averaging 75.1 ground yards per contest and 5.5 yards per carry, with seven rushing touchdowns.
• NCCU senior receiver E.J. Hicks and sophomore receiver Devin Smith are second and third in the league with seven and six receiving touchdowns, respectively. Smith ranks third in the conference in both receptions (35) and receiving yards (496).
• NCCU junior Corey Bullock was tagged as the best offensive guard in the NCAA Division I-FCS, according to a position-by-position breakdown on NCAA.com.
• NCCU leads the NCAA Division I-FCS in third down conversions with a success rate of 58.0% (76-for-131), and red zone defense, holding opponents to points on 20 out of 31 trips inside the 20-yard line (64.5%).
• NCCU tops the MEAC and ranks fifth in the nation (FCS) in scoring offense, averaging 40.0 points per game. The Eagles scored 40 points or more in three straight games for the first time in 37 years, and they have scored more than 40 points in six of 10 games this season, including three 50-point performances.
• NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard is fourth in the nation (FCS) in points responsible for, averaging a MEAC-high 21.8 points per game. Richard has passed for 2,343 yards and 24 touchdowns, and has rushed for 637 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading the league with an average of 298.0 yards of total offense per outing, which ranks seventh in the nation (FCS).
• NCCU junior safety Khalil Baker is 17th in the nation (FCS) with four interceptions. Baker registered a pick in each of the Eagles' first four games this season. As a team in 2021, NCCU totaled five interceptions.
• After NCCU's 50-21 homecoming victory over Howard, the Eagles extended their home win streak to six games, including a 4-0 record inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium this season. In those four home victories, NCCU out-scored its opponents 209-55, averaging 52.3 points and 502.8 yards of total offense per contest. Defensively, the Eagles held the opposition to just 13.8 points and 214.5 total yards per game. 
• Seventeen NCCU Eagles have already earned their undergraduate degrees, and are currently pursuing a master's degree or second degree.
• Among NCCU's 44 student-athletes listed on the season-opening offensive and defensive two-deep chart, 25 (57%) are underclassmen (16 sophomores, 9 freshmen), including 14 underclassmen (9 sophomores, 5 freshman) on offense, while 28 (64%) are from North Carolina. 
• NCCU is under the direction of third-season head coach Trei Oliver, who was an all-region safety and punter (1994-97) at NCCU, as well as an Eagles' assistant coach (2003-06).
• Davius Richard's 140 rushing yards at New Hampshire on Sept. 17 are the most by an NCCU quarterback in 23 years.
• Following the 28-13 win over North Carolina A&T in Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 3, NCCU improves its record to 6-2 in games played in an NFL stadium since 2000.
• NCCU won three consecutive games to end the 2021 season as the MEAC runner-up with a 4-1 conference record and a 6-5 overall mark.
• Since the start of the 2012 season, NCCU has scored 43 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including a 33-yard interception return by Khalil Baker at New Hampshire on Sept. 17.
• NCCU's Davius Richard is just the second quarterback in NCCU history to record 2,000 passing yards in three consecutive seasons, joining NCCU hall of famer Earl Harvey (1985-88). Richard threw for 2,020 yards in 2019, and 2,133 yards in 2021. 
• NCCU's Davius Richard's 6,496 career passing yards is second at NCCU. Richard ranks third in total offense with 7,741 yards, only trailing NCCU legends Earl "Air" Harvey (10,667; 1985-88) and Malcolm Bell (7,844; 2013-16). Richard's 51 career passing touchdowns ranks second in NCCU history, trailing only Harvey (86).
• Running back Latrell "Mookie" Collier led NCCU with nine touchdowns (6 rushing/3 receiving) last season. The West Virginia native also topped the Eagles in 2019 in touchdowns scored with five trips to the end zone (3 rushing/2 receiving).
• Davius Richard's 74-yard touchdown run versus S.C. State (Oct. 30, 2021) is the longest rush by an NCCU quarterback since Lawrence Fuller raced 74 yards against Morris Brown on Sept. 30, 2000.
• As a freshman in 2019, NCCU quarterback Davius Richard achieved the sixth-best passing performance in school history versus Norfolk State (Nov. 9, 2019), amassing 384 passing yards with three touchdowns, completing 30 of 46 throws. Only NCCU hall of fame quarterback Earl "Air" Harvey (1985-88) has thrown for more passing yards, as he holds the top five single-game passing efforts in school history.

THE SERIES
This is just the second gridiron meeting between NCCU and Tennessee Tech. TTU won the first match-up, 27-16, on Oct. 9, 2021, in Durham.

THE COACHES
NCCU: Trei Oliver (N.C. Central, 1998) is in his third season as a college head coach. With 23 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.

Tennessee Tech: Dewayne Alexander (Tennessee tech, 1989) is in his fifth season as head coach at his alma mater, and 12th season as a head coach overall after seven seasons at Cumberland University (2006-12). Alexander returned to TTU following a season as the offensive line coach for East Tennessee State. A 1989 graduate of Tennessee Tech with a bachelor's degree in political science, followed by a master's in educational leadership in 1998, Alexander lettered for three seasons with the Golden Eagles from 1985-87.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Eagles extended their home win streak to six games by posting a 4-0 record inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium this season. In those four triumphs, NCCU out-scored its opponents, 209-55, averaging 52.3 points and 502.8 yards of total offense per contest. Defensively, the Eagles held the opposition to just 13.8 points and 214.5 total yards per game. That equates to a differential of +38.5 points and +288.3 total yards per outing.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
NCCU quarterbacks have been distributing the wealth of the MEAC's top passing offense, as eight Eagles have more than 100 receiving yards and seven have 12 or more receptions. In addition, eight Eagles have caught touchdown passes. Senior E.J. Hicks (26 catches, 492 yards) leads the way with seven trips to the end zone, followed by sophomore Devin Smith (35 receptions, 496 yards) with six touchdowns.

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.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Among NCCU's 44 student-athletes listed on the season-opening offensive and defensive two-deep chart, 25 (57%) are underclassmen (16 sophomores, 9 freshmen), including 14 underclassmen (9 sophomores, 5 freshman) on offense. Of the nine freshmen, seven are true freshmen, who were playing high school football last year. With nine seniors on the depth chart, 35 Eagles (80%) are projected to return next season (10 juniors, 16 sophomores, 9 freshmen).

FOCUS ON RECRUITING NORTH CAROLINA
The NCCU football program's emphasis on recruiting talent in North Carolina is demonstrated with 28 Eagles calling the Tar Heel state their home, out of the 44 student-athletes listed on the team's season-opening two-deep chart (64%). The next most-represented states are South Carolina and Florida with three each, followed by Virginia and Maryland with two apiece.

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 111 games, NCCU has scored 43 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including a 33-yard interception return by Khalil Baker at New Hampshire, two in 2021, two in 2019, two in 2018, 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 16 punt returns, seven kickoff returns, three blocked field goal returns, 13 interceptions and four fumble recoveries. 

SIX NCCU EAGLES VOTED TO PRESEASON ALL-MEAC TEAMS
Six North Carolina Central University Eagles earned recognition on the 2022 Preseason All-MEAC Football Team. NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard, junior offensive lineman Corey Bullock, junior placekicker Adrian Olivo, and junior return specialist Brandon Codrington were voted to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team, while senior defensive lineman Jessie Malit and junior defensive back Manny Smith were selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team.
• Richard (Jr., 6-3, 215, Belle Glade, Fla.) claimed All-MEAC Second Team recognition in 2021, after ranking second in the MEAC with 2,496 yards of total offense, an average of 226.9 total yards per contest. He threw for 2,133 yards to become just the second quarterback in NCCU history to register more than 2,000 passing yards in consecutive seasons, while completing 58.0% of his passes (177-for-305) and accounting for 23 total touchdowns (15 passing, 8 rushing). After his first two seasons (2019, 2021), Richard ranks eighth on NCCU's all-time career passing list with 4,153 passing yards, and seventh in career total offense with 4,761 total yards.
• Bullock (Jr., 6-4, 315, Accokeek, Md.) captured All-MEAC Second Team merit last season, topping the Eagles with a grade of 85%, along with team-highs of 14 pancake blocks and nine knockdowns. He played multiple positions on the offensive front, surrendering just one sack in 11 games.
• Olivo (Jr., 5-10, 185, Plant City, Fla.) garnered an All-MEAC First Team citation after leading the MEAC with 11 field goals made and ranking second in the nation in field goal percentage (91.7%), converting 11 of 12 field goal attempts with a long of 43 yards. He also topped the Eagles in scoring with 58 points.
• Codrington (Jr., 5-9, 180, Raleigh, N.C.) earned All-MEAC First Team and BOXTOROW HBCU All-America awards as the third-leading punt returner in NCAA Division I-FCS with a MEAC-best 15.0-yard punt return average. He also ranked second in the league with a 22.5-yard kickoff return average.
• Malit (R-Sr., 6-3, 250, Concord, N.C.) received All-MEAC Third Team honors after collecting 28 tackles with 5.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. His 3.5 sacks tied for the team lead and ranked fifth in the conference.
• Smith (R-Jr., 6-0, 195, Laurel Hill, N.C.) placed third on the squad with 61 tackles, including a team-high 44 solo stops, with a sack, two pass break-ups, an interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He was named Defensive MVP of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge with 10 takedowns, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the win over Alcorn State. 

COMMUNITY SERVICE LEADER
NCCU senior defensive end Jessie Malit (Concord, N.C.) won the 2020-21 STATS Perform FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award, presented to the nation's top FCS student-athlete who excels both in the classroom and in the community and was named to the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Malit spearheaded the NCCU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's E.A.G.L.E.S. (Educated Actions Generate Lifelong Empowerment & Success) Vote initiative in October 2020, including a campus-wide March to the Polls event (289 out of a possible 315 eligible student-athletes registered to vote [92%], including 100% of the football team), organized a book drive to create a library in his mother's home village in Kenya (currently has collected more than 400 books with a goal of 1,000), volunteered at a battered women's shelter, led his church youth group in providing food and shelter for homeless men, volunteered at the Food Bank of North Carolina, and has advocated for support for poverty issues including housing, food security and quality education. The SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) Vice President at NCCU, he owns a 3.305 overall grade point average while pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science with a concentration in pre-law and theory, and is on track to graduate in December 2021, with plans to attend graduate school to study public policy.

ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
• North Carolina Central University is in its 11th season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletics competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. 
• The Eagles have won 12 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, 2022), 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 149 all-conference selections (first team), 70 all-Americans, 41 NFL draft picks, 11 conference championships and three Black College National Championships (1954, 2005, 2006).
• Three 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 third Eagle to play in the Super Bowl was Ryan Smith with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Feb. 7, 2021, as Smith became the first NCCU Eagle to play in a Super Bowl victory.
• 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.