Today's game live on Internet streaming broadcast at 6:30 p.m. at: http://www.jarvistv.com/NCCU .By MIKE POTTER, The HERALD-SUN
First-year N.C. Central head football coach Mose Rison said earlier this week he didn't want to be a part of history.
But he and his 3-1 Eagles can't help it.
When they put their three-game winning streak on the line tonight at 6:30 p.m. against historic arch-rival N.C. A&T (0-3) at Greensboro's Aggie Stadium, it will be the Eagles' first game as a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) against another team from the FCS.
That will be some good history the Eagles, and perhaps for both schools.
What Rison doesn't want to do is be part of breaking the Aggies' 19-game losing streak, currently the longest among FCS teams.
Although it wasn't likely to happen at any rate, he doesn't want the Eagles to be taking the Aggies lightly.
"They will be the best football team we have played this season," said Rison, whose team has played four NCAA Division II teams so far. "We just have to make sure our guys don't get caught up in the hype."
Aggies coach Lee Fobbs said his team desperately wants to end the losing streak, no matter what team turns out to be N.C. A&T's unfortunate victim.
"It's tough on the coaches, but it's tougher on the kids," Fobbs said. "I'm really proud of our guys. But they dropped their heads after they played so hard last week [in a 59-14 loss to Hampton].
"The staff and our kids have learned that the only way we can get this thing turned around is to get our chins up and get ready to practice hard every day. The important thing is that the kids love to play football."
Fobbs, who is looking for his first win with the program in his second season, said he knows all about how big tonight's game is for both schools.
"It's real important because it's the next game on our schedule," Fobbs said. "I know the rivalry dates back quite a few years. It's great for our area, and it's a game the fans really want to see. It's college football at its best. It's a big-time ball game in a lot of ways."
Indeed it is an ancient rivalry, going all the way back to a 13-13 tie at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in 1924. N.C. A&T leads the series 45-28-5.
Since 1945, the game has been contested every year except 1993 and last season. Both times, N.C. A&T administrators were trying to get away from playing a game against a Division II team.
The teams have split their last four meetings, all at N.C. State's Carter-Finley Stadium. And three of them were worth double the price of admission. In 2002, the Eagles recovered from a 27-0 deficit after the first quarter to win 33-30 in overtime, the second largest comeback in Division II history. After the Aggies rolled 25-0 in 2003, they won 16-15 the next year on Carlos Davalos' 50-yard field goal. It was almost déjà vu in 2005, but the Aggies missed their last-second field-goal attempt and NCCU survived 23-22.
The Aggies' leading rusher is junior tailback and Northern High alumnus Michael Ferguson. Ferguson is averaging 114.3 yards per game, but is still looking for his first touchdown of the season.
N.C. A&T's junior right tackle Juan Williams is a Durham native who played at Garner High. Also on the Aggies' roster are Corey Hairston, a junior wide receiver out of Hillside; and sophomore defensive end Woodrow Scrivens and freshman linebacker Jamal Wardlaw from Riverside. The Eagles have no players from Greensboro.
NOTES -- The Aggies won 48-0 the last time the teams met in Greensboro back in 1991. NCCU's most recent win in Greensboro was a 38-19 romp in 1987, in the final game for legendary Eagles quarterback Earl "Air" Harvey. …NCCU has no new injuries after kicker Brandon Gilbert and running back Jeff Toliver were declared out for the season. …A&T's injury list includes running backs Demerick Chancellor (shoulder, out) and Reginald James (shoulder, out), strong safety Brandon Jackson (knee, out), defensive back Brandon Long (knee, questionable), quarterback Herb Miller (knee, questionable), cornerback Simeon Platt (ankle, questionable), linebacker Robert Russell (back, probable) and defensive lineman Tyre Glasper (elbow, probable).
KEYS TO THE GAME
Can the Eagles move the ball consistently?
That question may be answered early in the game. The Eagles have been sleepily effective ever since the final period of their season-opening loss to Albany State. Tim Shankle's triple-digit rushing total last week was a very good sign, and quarterback Stadford Brown has been able to handle going for the little play instead of the big one. Middle linebacker Andre Thornton and defensive back Marques Ruffin are A&T's big weapons.
Will NCCU's defense continue to dominate?
There aren't many teams in the country that would turn down Eagles cornerback Craig Amos, and Derrick Ray has been a big-play guy at linebacker. But the Aggies' players were recruited to play Division I-AA football while the Eagles' veteran standouts were recruited at the Division II level. N.C. A&T running back and Northern High alumnus Michael Ferguson is hungry for the end zone.
What about the intangibles of the rivalry?
"Throw out the records" and all the other clichés fit. This is one of the most bitter rivalries in college sports. For over a generation, a win over N.C. A&T could make the Eagles' season. But now the shoe is on the other foot with the Eagles up and the Aggies down. If the Eagles don't play well early, their rivals' 19-game losing streak could be in jeopardy.
The Pick
N.C. Central 26, N.C. A&T 14
NCCU Eagles Marching Band
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