Monday, September 3, 2007

NCCU notches first win as Division I team


Jaymes Powell Jr., Staff Writer, The News Observer

Brown, defense lead NCCU to convincing victory over Fayetteville State

DURHAM - With style and dominance, N.C. Central presented the Triangle with its newest Division I football team Sunday. And the reviews were all good. "This just feels great. We're making progress," NCCU athletics director Williams Hayes said after the game as he prepared to congratulate the team following the Labor Day Classic. "This is a big day for this institution."

In beating Division II Fayetteville State 17-0, the Eagles got their first victory as a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team. NCCU, formerly a member of the Division II CIAA and the league's champion the past two seasons, has submitted an application to join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Currently an independent, NCCU joined Appalachian State and North Carolina as the only Division I football teams from the state to win over the weekend.

N.C. Central got an early start in joining the D-I party, jumping to a 14-point lead with two second-quarter touchdown passes by quarterback Stadford Brown, who frustrated the Broncos with his poise, coverage reading and evasiveness.

Brown said it was a great feeling to be the starting quarterback in N.C. Central's first win as a Division I team, knowing he'll be remembered historically.

"No matter what level you're on, you still have to prepare," said Brown, who passed for 142 yards.

Tim Shankle led the Eagles in rushing, gaining 72 yards on 18 carries.

But it was NCCU's swift and larcenous defense that doomed FSU, nabbing three interceptions and forcing three fumbles, keeping the Broncos off balance and looking somewhat stunned.

"I loved the way we were running around and flying around on defense," NCCU's first-year coach Mose Rison said after watching the unit limit FSU to 92 rushing yards. "This gives us something to build on."

Perhaps the player who had the best game was Eagles cornerback Craig Amos, who had four tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.

The Eagles' special teams were also spectacular, blocking two FSU field goals (both by Amos) and a punt.

NCCU senior kicker Brandon Gilbert kicked the game's final points in the late minutes to become N.C. Central's career scoring leader, which put a huge smile on Rison's face after the game.

There wasn't much smiling after last week's 16-10 loss at Albany State, NCCU's official D-I kickoff, but the home fans didn't have to stomach that one. Instead, Durham's first view of the upgraded Eagles was a great one.

As the game drew to a close, NCCU alum McDonald Vick, 52, of Durham, wondered if perhaps one day the Eagles could be on par with Appalachian State, the FCS team that shocked the football universe Saturday by beating Michigan.

"It would take a long time to build to that, but it's possible," Vick said. "But this just shows that the university is moving in the right direction."


North Carolina Central University Marching Eagles Band

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