N.C. Central coach Mose Rison is 14-18 after three seasons, and the future continues to look bright. (File photo by Rob Rowe)
N.C. Central’s football season has been over for nearly a week now, and for the second straight season Mose Rison’s club finished with a 4-7 record.
After a tough start in which the Eagles went 0-6 with road defeats to heavily favored Liberty, Appalachian State and Duke, the third-year head coach had set a goal of winning the last five games to finish 5-6. And because of a road defeat at Old Dominion in the ninth game of the season, it didn’t happen.
But what kind of shape is the NCCU program in right now? Reality says it’s pretty good. Continue reading »
NCCU senior Rashad Fox celebrates after he blocks a pass from Savannah State. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
O’KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM/DURHAM It’s the season football finale at N.C. Central, and so far the whole campaign has been a mixed bag.
NCCU went 0-6 through an extremely tough first “half” of the schedule, in which the Eagles dropped a pair of very winnable games in overtime.
Coach Mose Rison at that point set a goal of winning the last five in a row. Old Dominion derailed that idea two weeks ago, but now the idea is to win four of the last five and match last season’s 4-7 finish.
The opponent is Savannah State (2-7), which is reeling with a couple of losses to teams below the Division I level. NCCU has beaten the Tigers the past two seasons, including the season-ender in Durham last year.
N.C. Central had all the points it needed at halftime.
Michael Johnson completed 10 of 21 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown while Tim Shankle (pictured) added 80 yards and another score on 21 carries, giving the Eagles an 18-10 victory over long-time rival and host Winston-Salem State at Bowman Gray Stadium.
The Eagles led 15-10 at the break.
Frankie Cardelle had a 24-yard field goal early in the second quarter and a 26-yarder midway through the fourth as Mose Rison’s club improved to 3-7 with its second straight victory over the Rams (1-9).
It was NCCU’s first win over a Division I (FCS) team this season, although WSSU has announced it will return to Division II in the fall.
NCCU leads the series 22-21.
Johnson’s touchdown pass was a four-yarder to Saeed Abdul-Azeez, the Durham senior’s only catch of the day.
The Eagles, who have won three of their last four games, conclude their season at home on Nov. 21 against Savannah State.
North Carolina Central's Michael Johnson scores in the Eagles' win over CSU. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
O’KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM/DURHAM It’s Homecoming day at N.C. Central, and for Eagles everywhere that means it’s a big game no matter the identity of the opponent.
This time, it’s Central State of Ohio, an Historically Black institution that belongs to the Division II Great Lakes Football Conference.
The Eagles come into the game with a 1-6 record, while CSU is 1-7.
NCCU lost its first six games before a 52-7 home romp over NAIA member Central Methodist two weeks ago, that coming after Rison challenged his team to win its final five games.
The crowd isn’t as big as at some recent homecoming contests, but that may change if the early-afternoon mist subsides. It does, increasing to an SRO situation with 10,319 who see the Eagles roll to a 53-22 win.
NCCU’s first drive is sloppy at times, but effective as quarterback Michael Johnson scrambles untouched down the left sideline 16 yards to complete an 11-play, 72-yard march. Frankie Cardelle’s boot makes it 7-0 at the 10:41 mark.
Back come the Marauders with an eight-play, 59-yard drive, with Joshua Anderson going in from a yard out. The kick is good and it’s 7-7 at 7:58.
NCCU scores again on its next possession but it’s only a field goal, a 32-yard boot from Cardelle to end a 14-play, 58-yard march with 1:01 left in the period.
The Eagles get the game’s first break when Rakeem Vick intercepts a Jeff Brooks pass at the CSU 26. Johnson connects with Will Scott, who cuts across the grain to go all the way before Cardelle adds the boot with 43.2 seconds left in the quarter to make it 17-7. Continue reading »
O’KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM/DURHAM N.C. Central wasn’t expecting a tough challenge when the game was scheduled.
It’s one of those “guarantee” games that the home team is supposed to win.
But when NCCU scheduled Central Methodist of Fayette, Mo., for the first and perhaps the only “Battle of the Central Eagles” nobody knew what kind of team CMU would have.
Alan Dykens’ club, a member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, comes in 5-1, ranked No. 20 in the NAIA national poll and having one of the best seasons in school history. NCCU is 0-6 including three excruciatingly close losses.
With the losing streak and the home fans unfamiliar with the opposition, there’s not a big crowd in the house at kickoff on a chilly afternoon many might call a “perfect day for football.” It’s a breast cancer awareness day and the officials are throwing - you guessed it - fuschia pink flags.
And it does turn out to be an almost perfect day for NCCU, which scores on its first seven possessions and dominates every facet in a 52-7 victory. The home Eagles finish with 361 yards’ total offense to the visitors’ 93, get two special-teams touchdowns and a turnover margin of 4-0.
NCCU gets on the board on its first possession after a CMU punt. The hosts go 62 yards in 10 plays, with Frankie Cardelle booting a convincing 41-yard field goal at the 6:49 mark of the period.
Soon after that NCCU gets another break when Calvin Hillie, who had two takeaways at Appalachian State last week, picks off a Bryant Jackson pass at the CMU 28. Five plays later Tim Shankle takes it in from six yards out. Following that is a trick play, in which Cardelle takes a lateral from holder Nickolas Hahula and runs left before heaving an ugly but effective pass to Saeed Abdul-Azeez in the end zone, making it 11-0 at 3:24.
And the next time the home team gets the ball, lightning strikes. Michael Johnson (pictured) hits Andrew Johnson in stride up the middle for a 59-yard touchdown, with Cardelle’s kick making it 18-0 with 1:53 left in the first. Continue reading »
NCCU's Geovonie Irvine is tackled by A & T's Quay Long in the 2009 Aggie-Eagle Classic. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
AGGIE STADIUM/GREENSBORO It’s an early evening start for N.C. Central’s game at North Carolina A&T, which the official program is touting as “The Greatest Football Rivalry in North Carolina.”
At least in terms of intensity, it certainly has to be in the argument.
Say it with me, boys and girls. These two teams just do not like each other.
They’ve been playing almost since World War I, and are former rivals in both the CIAA and MEAC. Next season they’ll be MEAC rivals once again as the Eagles - who won’t be able to compete for the title until 2011-12 - will be official members of the conference.
Mose Rison’s Eagles come in with an 0-4 record that might have been 2-2, on the heels of a 49-14 loss to Duke a week ago in the inaugural Bull City Gridiron Classic.
A&T is 2-2 and attempting to break a two-game losing streak.
And the Aggies have a little chip on their shoulder coming into a nearly full house, as NCCU has won three straight in the series.
Let’s wade through the big, late-arriving crowd, grab a press box roast beef sandwich and see what happens.
From the outset it’s very obvious the Aggies - who break the NCCU spell with a 23-17 win in two overtimes - are ready to play. Continue reading »
WALLACE WADE STADIUM/DURHAM History is being made in the old Bull City tonight, but unfortunately Mother Nature hasn’t decided to cooperate.
Although the rains aren’t still falling at kickoff, the field is wet for the start of the first “Bull City Gridiron Classic” - the inaugural football meeting between cross-town rivals Duke and N.C. Central - and the crowd is going to be somewhat smaller than expected. It’s not a record crowd, but 26,390 and a full press contingent come out on an absolutely nasty night for football on which the Devils pull away with a big second half to win 49-14.
Members of Duke's and NCCU's student governments share some love before the inaugural Bull City Gridiron Classic. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
There has been a week of festivities around the game, with a Mayoral proclamation on Monday night, a big joint pep rally at newly remodeled historic Durham Athletic Park on Thursday and a day of service projects and basketball clinics involving students from both universities today.
The schools have previously met in both men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, tennis and cross-country dual meets and have had plenty of joint appearances in track & field.
But this is the first football meeting, primarily of late because the Eagles are in transition from NCAA Division II to Division I (Championship Subdivision) while Duke has played in the top level in football since the program was first established well over a century ago.
Duke will be a heavy favorite tonight, as the Eagles are playing only their second game against a team above the Championship Subdivision level (they lost 50-14 at Western Kentucky, which was transitioning from Division I-AA to Division I-A two years ago).
Duke - which is playing its annual homecoming game - comes into its final non-ACC regular-season game of the season with a 1-2 record, while the Eagles are 0-3.
After the traditional press box barbecue and fried chicken and banana pudding and sweet tea, Hillside high alum Desmond Scott gets his first collegiate touch on the opening kickoff and the Blue Devils are in business.
Duke needs five plays to go 59 yards, with Patrick Kurunwune bursting up the middle from 14 yards out. Nick Maggio’s kick makes it 7-0 at the 12:33 mark.
The Eagles are three-and-out on their first possession, and Duke takes it down the field again. This time the Blue Devils go 64 yards in four plays, with Scott scoring on a 23-yard run and Maggio adding the boot for a 14-0 lead at 8:42.
And Duke scores again on its next possession, going 61 yards on 12 plays with Thaddeus Lewis hitting Donovan Varner from 18 yards out and Maggio converting again at 3:19.
The Eagles finally get on the board on their next possession. Tim Shankle scores from two yards out with 1:27 left in the quarter to complete a six-play, 70 yard drive with Frankie Cardelle on the conversion to make it 21-7. The big play of the drive comes from two more Hillside alumni, as Michael Johnson hits Geo Irvine for a 55-yard gain to the Duke 15.
Duke is moving the ball easily on its fourth possession when the Blue Devils have two bad things happen in quick succession. First, the senior Lewis is hurt. And on the next play freshman Sean Renfree - who has played solidly in his previous appearances - is hurried by Teryl White and throws the ball right to the Eagles’ Jeffery Henderson, who returns the ball 83 yards to the end zone. Cardelle adds the boot and it’s 21-14 with 13:33 left in the half.
The Blue Devils finish the first-half scoring in the closing seconds, as Lewis hits Varner from 14 yards out - with the receiver eluding a couple of tacklers at the 6 - to finish a 13-play, 80-yard drive. Maggio makes it 28-14 with 33 seconds remaining before intermission. Continue reading »
O’KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM/DURHAM N.C. Central finally gets a home football game, on a warm, partly cloudy day in the Bull City.
The 0-2 Eagles have played twice as road underdogs so far, but this time they’ll be favored on their brand-new Mondoturf field.
The opponent is Morehead State (1-1) of the Pioneer Football League, the only public Division I school in the country that does not offer football scholarships. It’s the same football-only conference in which Davidson - where NCCU coach Mose Rison was an assistant for one season - and Campbell compete. It’s the schools’ first meeting in any sport, and there is no return date to Kentucky.
NCCU has an “E-Town” entertainment area on the practice field behind the North end zone, and the new scoreboard at that end of the field is up but not yet operating.
Despite the hype it isn’t a good day for the host Eagles, as they lose 13-10 in the second overtime on a 45-yard field goal from Rainer Duzan.
NCCU takes the opening kickoff and quickly drives to the MSU 31, but the offense can’t do anything more with it.
And the visitors quickly show they can move the ball. It takes Morehead just four plays to go 80 yards, with Evan Sawyer finding Ronnie McDermott from seven yards out and Justin Mullins adding the boot at 11:22.
After that there is a lot of offensive ineptitude on both sides for the remainder of the half.
NCCU gets to the Morehead 15 late in the first quarter, but the snap is awry on Frankie Cardelle’s field-goal attempt and the ball never has a chance to clear the linemen.
Then at the end of the half, NCCU has three shots from the Morehead 9 before Cardelle’s field-goal try at the buzzer is wide left.
NCCU finally gets something going on its second possession of the second half as Michael Johnson seems to find his mojo. The hosts go 71 yards in eight plays after a big Alex Winters interception, with Johnson hitting old Hillside High teammate Geo Irvine (pictured) in the middle of the end zone from 23 yards out. This time Cardelle’s kick is good, and it’s 7-7 with 1:06 left in the third. Continue reading »
N.C. Central did turn out to be a bit overmatched in its trip to Liberty, but it took the heavily favored Flames an awfully long time to prove it.
The Eagles scored the game’s first 10 points before second-half miscues sealed their fate in a 35-10 loss at Williams Stadium. Liberty is ranked No. 24 in the Division I FCS coaches’ poll.
NCCU fell to 0-2 after a pair of road games while the Flames - who fell 33-20 at West Virginia in their opener - evened their record at 1-1.
The Eagles took advantage of a short field twice early in the game.
A fumble recovery at the Flames’ 21 set up Michael Johnson’s six-yard scoring toss to Will Scott late in the first quarter, and a short punt that allowed the Eagles to take over at the hosts’ 36 set up a 35-yard field goal from Frankie Cardelle for the 10-0 lead.
But after that it was all Liberty.
The biggest turning point in the game came with 10:05 left in the game with the Flames up 14-10. Johnson (pictured) was sacked at his own 1-yard line and lost a fumble, setting up the first of three fourth-quarter touchdowns the Flames used to put the game away.
Liberty finished with 328 yards total offense - 231 of that on the ground - to 213 for the Eagles that included just 43 yards rushing.
Johnson completed 17 of 22 passes for 121 yards for the touchdown and one interception, while Tim Shankle rushed 26 times for 81 yards.
The Eagles will play their home opener on Sept. 19 at 1:30 against Morehead State of the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League.
Greg Nccu Student on "Miller leads NCCU to 11th victory": There are a lot of Rumors on Campus about Joanna Miller leaving NCCU next year. Please Coach Robinson, We need to keep this player from gong to another College.
Mike Potter on "Women’s roundup: NCCU wins on Senior Night, Tar Heels fall": She's certainly a solid talent and has a chance to be among the top few players in the history of the program. Next season's team will be even more talented. I'm thinking her scoring might be down a bit, but I'll be surprised if they don't approach 20 wins.
