THE GAME
Howard University "Bison" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

THE KICKOFF
Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 – Kickoff at 2:00 p.m.

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

THE RECORDS
N.C. Central (6-2 overall, 2-1 MEAC); Howard (3-5, 2-0 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
TV/Video: Live on ESPN3. Re-broadcast on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 8 a.m. on ESPNU.

QUICK HITS
• NCCU celebrates Homecoming 2022, playing Howard University, the lone conference undefeated team, in a critical MEAC contest.
• The Eagles are riding a five-game home win streak, including a 3-0 record inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium this season.
• NCCU boasts a record of 65-20-2 (.759 winning percentage) on homecoming since 1931.
• The Eagles are coming off a last-minute road victory over Delaware State, 28-21, to improve to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in MEAC play.
• NCCU leads the series with Howard 15-9-1. The Eagles have won nine in-a-row against the Bison, including a 45-27 victory in the last match-up on Nov. 13, 2021. Howard's last triumph over the Eagles was on Oct. 15, 1994, by a score of 35-19 in Durham.
• Saturday's clash features the top scoring teams in the MEAC, with NCCU averaging 37.8 points per game and Howard averaging 28.4 points per outing, as well as the conference's top passers. NCCU quarterback Davius Richard tops the MEAC with 214.4 passing yards per game, while Howard signal caller Quinton Williams ranks second with 208.1 passing yards per contest.   
• NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard leads the MEAC in passing yards (1,715), passing touchdowns (17), and rushing touchdowns (9).
• NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard needs 15 yards to become just the third Eagle in NCCU history to reach 7,000 career yards of total offense.
• NCCU junior running back Latrell "Mookie" Collier ranks second in the conference with 605 rushing yards, averaging 75.6 ground yards per contest and 6.1 yards per carry, with five rushing touchdowns.
• NCCU sophomore receiver Devin Smith is second in the league with five receiving touchdowns, and is third with 28 catches for 333 yards.
• NCCU junior Corey Bullock has been 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 58.7% (61-for-105).
• NCCU tops the MEAC and ranks 10th in the nation (FCS) in scoring offense, averaging 37.8 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 four of eight games this season.
• NCCU sits atop the MEAC and ranks sixth in the country (FCS) in red zone defense, holding opponents to points on 16 out of 24 trips inside the 20-yard line (66.7%).
• NCCU junior safety Khalil Baker is tied for eighth 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.
• NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard is fifth in the nation (FCS) in points responsible for, averaging a MEAC-high 19.8 points per game. Richard has passed for 1,715 yards and 17 touchdowns, and has rushed for 509 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the league with an average of 278.0 yards of total offense per outing.
• 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 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 5,868 career passing yards is third at NCCU, needing 473 yards to move into the second spot. Richard ranks third in total offense with 6,985 yards, only trailing NCCU legends Earl "Air" Harvey (10,667; 1985-88) and Malcolm Bell (7,844; 2013-16).
• 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 will be the 26th meeting between the Eagles and the Bison. NCCU leads the series 15-9-1. The Eagles have won nine in-a-row against Howard. The Bison last defeated NCCU in 1994 (Oct. 15).
Series Between NCCU Eagles and Howard Bison:
11/13/2021 - NCCU 45, Howard 27 (Washington, D.C.)
11/2/2019 - NCCU 28, Howard 6 (Washington, D.C.)
10/6/2018 - NCCU 40, Howard 35 (Durham, N.C.)
10/7/2017 - NCCU 13, Howard 7 (Washington, D.C.)
11/12/2016 - NCCU 30, Howard 21 (Durham, N.C.)
11/14/2015 - NCCU 41, Howard 6 (Washington, D.C.)
10/04/2014 - NCCU 27, Howard 22 (Durham, N.C.)
10/05/2013 - NCCU 37, Howard 28 (Washington, D.C.)
09/16/1995 - NCCU 37, Howard 32 (Washington, D.C.)
10/15/1994 - Howard 35, NCCU 19 (Durham, N.C.)
11/10/1979 - Howard 31, NCCU 20 (Durham, N.C.)
11/11/1978 - Howard 24, NCCU 17 (Washington, D.C.)
11/12/1977 - Howard 33, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
11/13/1976 - Howard 22, NCCU 21 (Washington, D.C.)
11/15/1975 - Howard 41, NCCU 10 (Durham, N.C.)
11/16/1974 - (tie) Howard 17, NCCU 17 (Durham, N.C.)
11/10/1973 - NCCU 10, Howard 7 (Durham, N.C.)
11/11/1972 - NCCU 14, Howard 13 (Washington, D.C.)
11/13/1971 - NCCU 42, Howard 18 (Durham, N.C.)
10/26/1940 - NCCU 14, Howard 0 (Washington, D.C.)
10/28/1939 - NCCU 19, Howard 0 (Durham, N.C.)
11/17/1934 - NCCU 7, Howard 6 (Washington, D.C.)
11/18/1933 - Howard 7, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
11/08/1930 - Howard 6, NCCU 2 (Washington, D.C.)
10/31/1925 - Howard 70, NCCU 0 (Washington, D.C.)

THE LAST MEETING
(Nov. 13, 2021) NCCU 45, Howard 27: North Carolina Central University amassed 530 yards of total offense, including 293 yards and six touchdowns rushing, to power the Eagles past Howard University, 45-27, inside Greene Stadium. NCCU's 530 total yards were the Eagles' most yards of total offense against a MEAC opponent since 2012, while the six rushing touchdowns were the most by the Eagles in more than 20 years. Running back Latrell Collier achieved NCCU's top rushing performance with 115 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, averaging 8.8 yards per carry. Quarterback Davius Richard, who passed for 237 yards, contributed 42 yards and two touchdowns rushing.

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.

Howard: Larry Scott (USF, 2000) was hired as the head football coach at Howard University on Feb. 6, 2020. The Sebring, Florida, native has spent a majority of his coaching career in the state of Florida, where he attended (1997-99) and coached (2006-12) at USF, as well as Miami (2013-15) and most recently Florida (2018-2020). Prior to joining the Florida coaching staff, Scott was a member of Ethan Wolfe staff at the University of Tennessee (2016-17). A graduate from the University of South Florida in 2000, Scott played offensive lineman for the Bulls.

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.

EIGHT 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. 

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 110 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. 

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 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 149 all-conference selections (first team), 70 all-Americans, 41 NFL draft picks, 11 conference championships and two Black College National Championships (1954, 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.