THE GAME
Jackson State University "Tigers" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles" - Cricket Celebration Bowl

THE KICKOFF
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 – Kickoff at 12:00 p.m. (EST)

THE SITE
Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Ga.

THE RECORDS
#21 N.C. Central (9-2 overall, 4-1 MEAC); #5 Jackson State (12-0, 8-0 SWAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
TV/Video: ABC (Tiffany Greene, Jay Walker, Tiffany Blackmon)
Audio: NCCU Sports Network (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play)

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 9-2 with a road victory over Tennessee Tech on Nov. 19, NCCU rose four spots in the national rankings to No. 21 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll. 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 five other teams at NCCU to win nine games or more in a season. The last team to do so was in 2016 with a 9-3 record.
• With a victory in the Celebration Bowl, the 2022 Eagles would become just the third team in NCCU history to reach double-digit wins in a season. Under the direction of head coach Rod Broadway, NCCU won 10 games in 2005 and 11 in 2006. Current NCCU head coach Trei Oliver was an assistant coach on both of those squads.
• NCCU has captured three Black College National Championships (1954, 2005, 2006).
• The 2022 Eagles have already broken single-season NCCU records for scoring (422 points - 371 in 2006), third quarter scoring (99 points - 96 in 1982), first downs (249 - 234 in 2005), and total offense (4,862 yards - 4,614 in 2016).
• This is the fourth gridiron meeting between NCCU and Jackson State. JSU leads the series 3-0. The Eagles and Tigers have not met on the field since Oct. 3, 1987.
• NCCU leads the NCAA Division I-FCS in third down conversions with a success rate of 57.3% (82-for-143), while Jackson State ranks first in the country in third down conversion defense, holding opponents to 25.3% on third downs.
• NCCU tops the FCS in red zone defense, holding opponents to points on 22 out of 34 trips inside the 20-yard line (64.7%).
• NCCU tops the MEAC and ranks sixth in the nation (FCS) in scoring offense, averaging 38.4 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.
• The 2022 MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard was named MEAC Offensive Player of the Week seven times this season, and leads the conference in passing yards (2,486), passing touchdowns (24), and rushing touchdowns (13).
• NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard is fifth in the nation (FCS) in points responsible for, averaging a MEAC-high 20.4 points per game. Richard has passed for 2,486 yards and 24 touchdowns, and has rushed for 691 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the league with an average of 288.8 yards of total offense per outing, which ranks 10th in the nation (FCS).
• NCCU junior quarterback Davius Richard has broken the NCCU single-season record with 3,177 yards of total offense, surpassing Earl Harvey's standard of 3,008 yards in 1985. Richard needs 13 pass completions to break the NCCU single-season record, held by Michael Johnson (196, 2011), and three passing touchdowns to break the NCCU single-season record, held by Stafford Brown (26, 2006).
• The 2022 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, NCCU junior safety Khalil Baker is tied for 13th 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.
• For just the second time in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference history, the MEAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Offensive Lineman of the Year, and Coach of the Year award winners are all from the same team - North Carolina Central University. The only other time was in 2005 (Hampton).
• During NCCU's 22-20 road victory over Tennessee Tech on Nov. 19, NCCU played its first penalty-free game, dating back to at least 1994.
• NCCU junior kicker Adrian Olivo, a two-time First Team All-MEAC honoree (2022, 2021), ranks fifth in career scoring at NCCU with 193 points, needing four points to pass running back Joe Simmons (196; 1990-93) for the fourth spot. 
• 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. Richard currently boasts 6,616 career passing yards.
• NCCU junior running back Latrell "Mookie" Collier ranks second in the conference with 881 rushing yards, averaging 80.1 ground yards per contest and 5.5 yards per carry, with eight 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 second in the conference in receptions (35) and fourth in receiving yards (496), while Hicks ranks third in receiving yards (529).
• NCCU senior Robert Mitchell was voted as the 2022 MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year, topping a dominant Eagles' offensive front with a 90% grade on blocking assignments and amassing 63 pancake blocks without allowing a sack in 659 snaps through 11 games.
• 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.
• 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. 
• Twenty-two NCCU Eagles have already earned their undergraduate degrees. Seventeen began the season with undergraduate degrees and are currently pursuing a master's degree or second degree, while five Eagles graduated on Dec. 10.
• 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 improved its record to 6-2 in games played in an NFL stadium since 2000.
• 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 ranks second in NCCU history with 6,616 career passing yards, 7,915 yards of total offense, and 51 career passing touchdowns, trailing only NCCU hall of famer Earl "Air" Harvey (1985-88).
• 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 the fourth meeting between NCCU and Jackson State. JSU leads the series, 3-0. The Eagles and Tigers have not met on the gridiron since 1987.
10/3/87 - JSU 10, NCCU 9 (Jackson, Miss.)
8/30/86 - JSU 49, NCCU 37 (Jackson, Miss.)
11/15/80 - JSU 29, NCCU 10 (Jackson, Miss.)

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.

Jackson State: Deion Sanders (Talladega, 2020) is in his third season as head coach at Jackson State with a record of 27-5.

EAGLES IN TOP-25
The NCCU Eagles received their first national ranking as a Division I-FCS program on Nov. 7, 2016, when the FCS Coaches Poll announced NCCU at No. 25. By the end of the 2016 regular season, the Eagles jumped to No. 18 and finished at No. 19 in the final FCS Coaches poll. NCCU ranked No. 22 in the final 2016 STATS FCS Top 25 poll.
Nov. 21, 2022 - #21 AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25
Nov. 14, 2022 - #25 AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25
Sept. 19, 2022 - #25 Stats Perform FCS Top 25
Oct. 16, 2017 - #25 STATS FCS Top 25
Oct. 9, 2017 - #25 STATS FCS Top 25
Jan. 9, 2017 - #19 FCS Coaches Poll / #22 STATS FCS Top 25 (Final 2016)
Nov. 21, 2016 - #18 FCS Coaches Poll / #20 STATS FCS Top 25
Nov. 14, 2016 - #20 FCS Coaches Poll / #24 STATS FCS Top 25
Nov. 7, 2016 - #25 FCS Coaches Poll

EAGLES AGAINST NATIONALLY-RANKED OPPOSITION                                            
Since the start of the transition to NCAA Division I-FCS in 2007, NCCU is 4-13 against nationally-ranked FCS opponents. The Eagles knocked off No. 25 New Hampshire on Sept. 17, 2022.
9/17/2022 - #25 New Hampshire - 45-27 W
9/7/2019 - #8 Towson - 3-42 L
11/17/2018 - #12 North Carolina A&T - 0-45 L
11/18/2017 - #7 North Carolina A&T - 10-24 L
12/17/2016 - #14 Grambling - 9-10 L
11/19/2016 - #9 North Carolina A&T - 42-21 W
11/21/2015 - #13 North Carolina A&T - 21-16 W
11/22/2014 - #24 North Carolina A&T - 21-14 W
11/1/2014 - #20 Bethune-Cookman - 20-34 L
11/2/2013 - #13 Bethune-Cookman - 14-38 L
9/21/2013 - #4 Towson - 17-35 L
10/23/2010 - #14 Bethune-Cookman - 10-23 L
9/18/2010 - #1 Appalachian State - 16-44 L
10/10/2009 - #9 Appalachian State - 21-55 L
9/12/2009 - #24 Liberty - 10-35 L
11/8/2008 - #3 Cal Poly - 3-49 L
9/6/2008 - #8 James Madison - 7-56 L

NCCU EAGLES IN NFL VENUES    
Since 2000, NCCU has played in NFL venues eight times with a 6-2 record. During that time, NCCU's only losses were in the Georgia Dome (2016, 2010).
Recent Trips to NFL Stadiums:
Bank of America Stadium - Carolina Panthers (Sept. 3, 2022 vs. N.C. A&T - W 28-13)
Georgia Dome - Atlanta Falcons (Dec. 17, 2016 vs. Grambling - L, 9-10)
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis Colts (Oct. 6, 2012 vs. S.C. State - W, 40-10)
Cleveland Browns Stadium (Sept. 10, 2011 vs. Central State - W, 42-3)
Georgia Dome - Atlanta Falcons (Oct. 16, 2010 vs. Georgia State - L, 17-20 OT)
Giants Stadium - New York Giants (Sept. 15, 2007 vs. Elizabeth City State - W, 18-10)
Ericsson Stadium - Carolina Panthers (Nov. 4, 2001 vs. Johnson C. Smith - W, 34-3)
Veterans Stadium - Philadelphia Eagles (Sept. 30, 2000 vs. Morris Brown - W, 19-16)

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, nine Eagles have caught touchdown passes. Senior E.J. Hicks (30 catches, 529 yards) leads the way with seven trips to the end zone, followed by sophomore Devin Smith (35 receptions, 496 yards) with six touchdowns.

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.

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 112 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. 

SEVENTEEN EAGLES EARN ALL-MEAC HONORS
Seventeen NCCU Eagles were announced as members of the 2022 All-MEAC Football Teams, including junior quarterback Davius Richard as the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, junior defensive back Khalil Baker as the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, and senior Robert Mitchell as the MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year. In addition, Trei Oliver was chosen as the MEAC Coach of the Year, the conference office announced on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Richard, Baker and Mitchell are joined on the All-MEAC First Team by junior running back Latrell Collier, junior offensive lineman Corey Bullock, sophomore center Torricelli Simpkins III, and junior kicker Adrian Olivo. All-MEAC Second Team honors were presented to senior receiver E.J. Hicks, sophomore receiver Devin Smith, senior tight end Tyler Barnes, sophomore defensive lineman Jaden Taylor, senior defensive lineman Colby Warrior, sophomore linebacker Jaki Brevard, and junior defensive back Manny Smith. All-MEAC Third Team recognition was earned by sophomore running back J'Mari Taylor, sophomore defensive lineman Christian Smith, and junior return specialist Brandon Codrington.

COMMUNITY SERVICE LEADERS
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.
NCCU sophomore punter Juan Velarde was announced as one of 15 FCS finalists for the 2022 FedEx Ground Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award. Velarde, a resident of Anderson, South Carolina, is a junior in the classroom and he boasts a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) as a business administration major with a concentration in entrepreneurship at NCCU. He is a member of the University Honors Program and the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society. He also earned the NCCU Football Eagle Excellence award for having the highest GPA on the team, was a recipient of the 2022 University Scholar-Athlete Award by the National Football Foundation's Bill Dooley Chapter, and was honored as a member of the 2022 Academic All-District® Football Team, selected by College Sports Communicators. Velarde participates in numerous clubs and organizations, including the NCCU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee Student-Athlete Connection Group and The National Society of Leadership and Success. In the community, Velarde served as a tutor and motivator with Latino/Hispanic youth through El Centro Hispano, and has volunteered with the Durham Farmer Foodshare, W.G. Pearson Elementary Food Pantry support, Bone Marrow Drive, Day of Champions Backpack & School Supply Drive, and Durham CROP Hunger Walk. Velarde ranks third in the MEAC in punting with an average distance of 41.6 yards per punt. He has boomed four punts more than 50 yards, including a long of 55 yards, and has placed 12 out of 30 punts inside the 20-yard line.

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 156 all-conference selections (first team), 70 all-Americans, 41 NFL draft picks, 12 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.