THE GAME
#10 North Carolina Central University "Eagles" vs. Morgan State University "Bears"

THE KICKOFF
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 – Kickoff at 7:30 p.m.

THE SITE
Hughes Stadium (10,000 capacity) - Baltimore, Md.

THE RECORDS
#10 N.C. Central (5-1 overall, 0-0 MEAC); Morgan State (1-4, 0-0 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
TV/Video: ESPNU

QUICK HITS
• NCCU is ranked 10th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Top 25, the Eagles dropped one spot from last week's highest-ever FCS ranking, and 16th in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
• The MSU Bears hold a 24-18-2 advantage in the series. The opposing programs have split the past 14 meetings, but the NCCU Eagles are on a five-game win streak, including last year's 59-20 triumph in Durham.
• Morgan State has played a challenging non-conference schedule. The Bears opened the season with a 17-10 win over Richmond, following losses to Akron, Towson, UAlbany (2OT), and Yale.
• NCCU's victory over Elon on Oct. 7 was the program's 500th win (500-405-30) and the 25th under head coach Trei Oliver, who also contributed to 23 victories as a safety and punter for NCCU from 1994-97.
• After NCCU's come-from-behind overtime victory over Campbell on Sept. 30, the Eagles extended their home win streak to eight games, including a 4-0 record inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium last season. In those four 2022 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. 
• NCCU ranks fifth in the nation (FCS) in sacks allowed (0.67) and ninth in time of possession (33:28).
• The Eagles top the MEAC and rank 14th in the nation (FCS) in scoring with an average of 35.3 points per game. 
• NCCU quarterback Davius Richard ranks second in the nation (FCS) in scoring (12.0 points per game) and fifth in rushing touchdowns (10), while return specialist Brandon Codrington ranks third in punt returns (19.3-yard avg.).
• NCCU quarterback Davius Richard (10) and running back Latrell Collier (6) have combined for 16 rushing touchdowns. The other top 10 rushers in the MEAC have combined for 11 rushing touchdowns.
• With 95 ground yards at Elon, NCCU senior running back Latrell "Mookie" Collier is now the ninth Eagle in school history to amass 2,000 career rushing yards (2,050).
• A host of NCCU Eagles are leading the way in the MEAC, including running back Latrell Collier (462 rushing yards), quarterback Davius Richard (10 rushing touchdowns), wide receiver Joaquin Davis (22 receptions), wide receiver Devin smith (236 receiving yards), linebacker Jayden Flaker (46 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles), and return specialist Brandon Codrington (19.3 punt return yards/game). 
• NCCU senior quarterback Davius Richard rushed for four touchdowns against Campbell to tie the school record, which was last accomplished 24 years ago. Richard's third score versus the Camels broke the NCCU record for career rushing touchdowns, previously held by Gerald Fraylon (1981-84) with 31. Richard now has 36 career rushing touchdowns.
• NCCU's Davius Richard ranks second in NCCU history with 7,641 career passing yards, 9,385 yards of total offense, and 57 career passing touchdowns, trailing only NCCU hall of famer Earl "Air" Harvey (1985-88).
• Senior quarterback Davius Richard completed 64.0% of his passes in 2022 to break NCCU's single-season record. During his standout four-year career at NCCU, Richard owns a completion percentage of 58.2%, which is on pace to break the school's career completion percentage of 56.6% held by Malcolm Bell (2013-16).
• Walker Harris passed for five touchdowns, the most by a NCCU quarterback in 18 years, during a 45-3 victory over Mississippi Valley State University in the Circle City Classic inside Lucas Oil Stadium. Harris's five touchdowns through the air are the most by an Eagle since Aug. 27, 2005, when Adrian Warren set the NCCU game record with seven touchdown passes versus Edward Waters. 
• NCCU junior kicker Adrian Olivo, a two-time First Team All-MEAC honoree (2022, 2021), ranks second in career scoring at NCCU with 240 points, needing 40 points to break the school's career scoring record, held by Brandon Gilbert (2004-08; 279 points). 
• Two NCCU football games have been selected for Thursday night ESPNU telecasts during the upcoming 2023 season. On Thursday, Oct. 19, the defending MEAC and Cricket Celebration Bowl champions hit the road to square off against Morgan State. The following Thursday, Oct. 26, NCCU will be back home to take on South Carolina State. Both games will air live on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m. ET.
• NCCU was No. 1 in the preseason BOXTOROW HBCU FCS coaches poll, receiving all but two first place votes.
• NCCU is coming off a 10-win campaign that included a MEAC championship and an HBCU national title.
• In 2022, NCCU won its first MEAC football championship since 2016, and defeated No. 5 Jackson State University, 41-34, in an overtime thriller in the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The victory delivered the university's fourth HBCU national championship title, joining the company of those captured in 1954, 2005 and 2006.
• The 2022 NCCU Eagles became just the third team in school history to win 10 games in a season and earned the program's highest NCAA Division I-FCS national ranking at No. 17 in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches' Poll.
• Under the direction of 2022 MEAC Coach of the Year Trei Oliver, last season the Eagles celebrated non-conference FCS triumphs over North Carolina A&T, Tennessee Tech, No. 25 New Hampshire, and No. 5 Jackson State.
• The 2022 Eagles shattered NCCU single-season offensive records, including points scored (463 points), first downs (273), and total offense (5,344 yards/445.3 ypg). NCCU led NCAA Division I-FCS in third down conversions (55.8%) and ranked fifth in the nation in scoring (38.6 points per game). Defensively, NCCU topped the NCAA Division I-FCS in red zone defense and ranked 20th in the nation in both scoring defense (21.5 points allowed per game) and total defense (333.6 yards allowed per game).
• During NCCU's 22-20 road victory over Tennessee Tech on Nov. 19, 2022, NCCU played its first penalty-free game, dating back to at least 1994.
• Since the start of the 2012 season, NCCU has scored 44 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including Brandon Codrington's 81-yard punt return touchdown versus Winston-Salem State, the fourth longest punt return in NCCU history.
• NCCU is under the direction of fourth-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).
• Following the 45-3 win over Mississippi Valley State in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 23, 2023, NCCU improved its record to 7-2 in games played in an NFL stadium since 2000.
• 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, 2,133 yards in 2021, and 2,661 yards in 2022.
• NCCU junior kicker Adrian Olivo broke the NCCU single-season record with 51 extra-point kicks in 2022.

THE SERIES
This will be the 45th gridiron meeting between NCCU and Morgan State since the teams first played on Nov. 15, 1930. The MSU Bears hold a 24-18-2 advantage in the series. The Bears won the first five contests, then rolled off another five-game win streak from 1964-68, out-scoring the Eagles 125-7 during that stretch, including four straight shutouts. NCCU posted a pair, three-game win streaks, from 1957-59 and from 1972-74, and is currently riding a five-game win streak from 2015-22.

Recent Meetings:
Oct. 13, 2022 - NCCU 59, MSU 20 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 23, 2021 - NCCU 28, MSU 17 (Baltimore, Md.)
Sept. 28, 2019 - NCCU 27, MSU 17 (Baltimore, Md.)
Oct. 22, 2016 - NCCU 21, MSU 17 (Baltimore, Md.)
Oct. 24, 2015 - NCCU 20, MSU 17 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 18, 2014 - MSU 21, NCCU 20 (Baltimore, Md.)
Oct. 19, 2013 - MSU 34, NCCU 22 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 13, 2012 - NCCU 24, MSU 20 (Baltimore, Md.)
Oct. 15, 2011 - MSU 52, NCCU 3 (Durham, N.C.)
Sept. 13, 2008 - MSU 49, NCCU 7 (Baltimore, Md.)
Oct. 16, 1982 - NCCU 27, MSU 7 (Baltimore, Md.)
Oct. 10, 1981 - MSU 35, NCCU 27 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 11, 1980 - MSU 14, NCCU 7 (Baltimore, Md.)

THE COACHES
NCCU: Trei Oliver (N.C. Central, 1998) is in his fourth season as a college head coach. With more than two decades of college coaching experience that includes six conference championships and four 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.

Morgan State: Damon Wilson (Bowie State, 1998) was announced as the Bears' 23rd head football coach on June 10, 2022, and previously spent 13 seasons as the head coach at Bowie State University, where he achieved three straight Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) conference championship 2010-12.

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. NCCU achieved a national ranking of No. 17 in the final 2022 AFCA FCS Coaches' poll. On Oct. 9, 2023, the Eagles soared to their highest national ranking at No. 9 in the AFCA Coaches poll.
Oct. 16, 2023 - #10 AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 / #16 Stats Perform
Oct. 9, 2023 - #9 AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 / #14 Stats Perform
Oct. 2, 2023 - #11 AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 / #14 Stats Perform
Sept. 25, 2023 - #13 AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 / #15 Stats Perform
Sept. 18, 2023 - #18 Stats Perform FCS Top 25 / #19 AFCA Coaches'
Sept. 11, 2023 - #17 AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 / #17 Stats Perform
Sept. 4, 2023 - #18 AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 / #18 Stats Perform 
Jan. 9, 2023 - #17 AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 / #21 Stats Perform (Final 2022)
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 6-13 against nationally-ranked FCS opponents. The Eagles knocked off No. 25 Elon on the road on Oct. 7, 2023. Last season, the Eagles took down No. 25 New Hampshire on Sept. 17, 2022, and No. 5 Jackson State on Dec. 17, 2022.
10/7/2023 - #25 Elon - 34-23 W
12/17/2022 - #5 Jackson State - 41-34 OT W
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

HOME SWEET HOME
The Eagles extended their home win streak to eight games with a come-from-behind overtime victory over Campbell and by posting a 4-0 record inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium last season. In those four 2022 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.

ALL-MEAC RETURNERS
For the 2023 season, NCCU returns 12 All-MEAC performers, including five first team all-conference honorees. Headlining the group are senior quarterback Davius Richard, the 2022 MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, and senior defensive back Khalil Baker, the 2022 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. NCCU's other All-MEAC returners are senior running back Latrell Collier, junior center Torricelli Simpkins III, senior kicker Adrian Olivo, junior receiver Devin Smith, junior defensive lineman Jaden Taylor, junior linebacker Jaki Brevard, senior defensive back Manny Smith, junior running back J'Mari Taylor, junior defensive lineman Christian Smith, and senior return specialist/defensive back Brandon Codrington.

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 119 games, NCCU has scored 44 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including an 81-yard punt return by Brandon Codrington against Winston-Salem State this season, a 33-yard interception return by Khalil Baker at New Hampshire in 2022, 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 17 punt returns, seven kickoff returns, three blocked field goal returns, 13 interceptions and four fumble recoveries. 

HARD TIMES AGAINST FBS OPPONENTS
Since departing the NCAA Division II ranks at the end of the 2006 season, the Eagles have lined up against a NCAA Division I-FBS opponent 13 times, all resulting in losses. UCLA was the first nationally-ranked FBS foe NCCU faced.
Sept. 16, 2023 at #24 UCLA (7-59 L)
Sept. 11, 2021 at Marshall (10-44 L)
Sept. 22, 2018 at Duke (13-55 L)
Sept. 2, 2017 at Duke (7-60 L)
Sept. 10, 2016 at Western Michigan (21-70 L)
Sept. 3, 2016 at Duke (6-49 L)
Sept. 19, 2015 at FIU (14-39 L)
Sept. 12, 2015 at Duke (0-55 L)
Aug. 30, 2014 at East Carolina (7-52 L)
Aug. 31, 2013 at Duke (0-45 L)
Sept. 15, 2012 at Duke (17-54 L)
Sept. 1, 2011 at Rutgers (0-48 L)
Sept. 26, 2009 at Duke (14-49 L)

NCCU EAGLES IN NFL VENUES
Since 2000, NCCU has played in NFL venues 10 times with an 8-2 record. During that time, NCCU's only losses were in the Georgia Dome (2016, 2010).
Recent Trips to NFL Stadiums:
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis Colts (Sept. 23, 2023 vs. MVSU - W, 45-3)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta Falcons (Dec. 17, 2022 vs. Jackson St. - W 41-34 OT)
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)

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.

ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
• North Carolina Central University is in its 12th 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), 71 all-Americans, 41 NFL draft picks, 12 conference championships and four Black College National Championships (1954, 2005, 2006, 2022).
• 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.