By MIKE POTTER, The Herald-Sun
With the odd schedule the Eagles are having to play in their first season in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision, N.C. Central has already played its last home football game of the year.
But first-year head coach Mose Rison said he isn't worried about it.
The Eagles relish the chance to play on the road.
"We talk about it all the time," said Rison, whose 5-2 Eagles will travel to Savannah State (1-5) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the first of three road games to finish the campaign. "Our kids for some reason like to play on the road and like hostile environments."
"That was something [senior nose guard] Courtney Coard said to me once, and I've found it to be true."
The Eagles are 2-1 this season away from home, winning at North Carolina A&T and beating Elizabeth City State on a neutral site while losing to Presbyterian in the season opener.
This year's NCCU senior class has three chances to become the school's first football team since 1984 to put together four straight years of winning records. And since the beginning of the 2004 season, they're 15-3 away from O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
"I don't know if it's history or what it is, but I've found it to be true," Rison said of the road-warrior mentality during his weekly press conference on Tuesday at The Chicken Hut.
This season, the Eagles have been very good at winning close games. Only their 17-0 romp over Fayetteville State was decided by more than seven points. St. Augustine's, A T and most recent victim North Greenville have all had the ball with a chance for victory in the closing seconds, but all have come up empty.
"After looking at the film from Saturday's game, we played well on both sides of the ball," Rison said. "We didn't want to give up any big plays, and we were successful at that. And our offense played a really good football game -- I was extremely pleased with that."
One thing that has made him particularly happy is the continued progress of sophomore quarterback Stadford Brown, who last year was named the Black College offensive player of the year.
Brown may not have the stats to repeat, having completed 98 of 195 passes for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions, but with a less experienced group of skilled players around him, Brown has continued to direct a winner.
"Stadford isn't big on stats," Rison said. "He just likes to win football games. He's done a very good job of knowing when to just throw the ball away and live to fight another day.
"We're proud of our [+12] turnover ratio. We trust our defense to get the ball back for us."
NCCU is 1-0-1 all-time against the Tigers, having played back-to-back in 1974 and '75. Savannah State, currently the only other Historically Black College playing as a Division I independent, is in its first season under head coach Theo Lemon.
Rison and Lemon were on the same sideline for one season, when Rison was wide receivers/tight ends coach and Lemon linebackers coach at Rutgers in 1994.
"I know what kind of coach Theo is, and he'll have his team ready to play," Rison said. "They would like to have a better record, but they're a Division I football team with Division I talent."
NOTES -- Savannah State has lost four straight games, with its only victory so far a 24-10 win over visiting CIAA member Johnson C. Smith. ... NCCU has no reported injuries except for the two players - kicker Brandon Gilbert and running back Jeff Tolliver - who were reported out for the season in September. ... NCCU is 34-7 since the beginning of the 2004 season; the previous best four-year run was 30-10-2 for the class of 1974.
With the odd schedule the Eagles are having to play in their first season in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision, N.C. Central has already played its last home football game of the year.
But first-year head coach Mose Rison said he isn't worried about it.
The Eagles relish the chance to play on the road.
"We talk about it all the time," said Rison, whose 5-2 Eagles will travel to Savannah State (1-5) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the first of three road games to finish the campaign. "Our kids for some reason like to play on the road and like hostile environments."
"That was something [senior nose guard] Courtney Coard said to me once, and I've found it to be true."
The Eagles are 2-1 this season away from home, winning at North Carolina A&T and beating Elizabeth City State on a neutral site while losing to Presbyterian in the season opener.
This year's NCCU senior class has three chances to become the school's first football team since 1984 to put together four straight years of winning records. And since the beginning of the 2004 season, they're 15-3 away from O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
"I don't know if it's history or what it is, but I've found it to be true," Rison said of the road-warrior mentality during his weekly press conference on Tuesday at The Chicken Hut.
This season, the Eagles have been very good at winning close games. Only their 17-0 romp over Fayetteville State was decided by more than seven points. St. Augustine's, A T and most recent victim North Greenville have all had the ball with a chance for victory in the closing seconds, but all have come up empty.
"After looking at the film from Saturday's game, we played well on both sides of the ball," Rison said. "We didn't want to give up any big plays, and we were successful at that. And our offense played a really good football game -- I was extremely pleased with that."
One thing that has made him particularly happy is the continued progress of sophomore quarterback Stadford Brown, who last year was named the Black College offensive player of the year.
Brown may not have the stats to repeat, having completed 98 of 195 passes for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions, but with a less experienced group of skilled players around him, Brown has continued to direct a winner.
"Stadford isn't big on stats," Rison said. "He just likes to win football games. He's done a very good job of knowing when to just throw the ball away and live to fight another day.
"We're proud of our [+12] turnover ratio. We trust our defense to get the ball back for us."
NCCU is 1-0-1 all-time against the Tigers, having played back-to-back in 1974 and '75. Savannah State, currently the only other Historically Black College playing as a Division I independent, is in its first season under head coach Theo Lemon.
Rison and Lemon were on the same sideline for one season, when Rison was wide receivers/tight ends coach and Lemon linebackers coach at Rutgers in 1994.
"I know what kind of coach Theo is, and he'll have his team ready to play," Rison said. "They would like to have a better record, but they're a Division I football team with Division I talent."
NOTES -- Savannah State has lost four straight games, with its only victory so far a 24-10 win over visiting CIAA member Johnson C. Smith. ... NCCU has no reported injuries except for the two players - kicker Brandon Gilbert and running back Jeff Tolliver - who were reported out for the season in September. ... NCCU is 34-7 since the beginning of the 2004 season; the previous best four-year run was 30-10-2 for the class of 1974.
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