DURHAM, North Carolina - During North Carolina Central University's "Maroon vs. Gray" Spring Football Game, the Gray squad took advantage of big plays on offense, defense and special teams to hold off the Maroon team for a 10-6 victory in front of more than 3,000 fans inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium on Friday night.
Brandon McLaren opened the scoring for the Gray team by blasting a 47-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.
In the final minute of the second quarter, linebacker Tazmon Foster intercepted a pass at midfield for the Gray squad and returned the pick 20 yards to the 30-yard line. On the next play, the final snap before halftime, Quenton Rucker completed a 30-yard bomb into the end zone to Lamar Scruggs for a touchdown to give the Gray team a 1 0-0 lead at intermission.
The Maroon team threatened to score in the third quarter, but Jordan Reid’s pass to the goal line was intercepted by Tim Thaniel to end the threat.
Near the end of the fourth quarter, quarterback Malcolm Bell raced through the line of scrimmage and into the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown for the Maroon squad. The extra-point kick by Oleg Parent missed the mark to keep the Gray lead at 10-6.
After forcing a punt, the Maroon team got the ball back for one final drive with a chance to win the game. Bell completed passes of 20 and 16 yards, then benefitted from a 15-yard personal foul penalty, to move the ball to the 9-yard line.
With its back against the wall, the Gray defense posted a sack by lineman Phillip Mitchell, then forced two incomplete passes to keep the Maroon offense out of the end zone and preserve the victory.
Foster sparked the Gray defensive effort with seven tackles, including six hits for a loss, along with an interception. Fellow linebacker Neil Williams added six takedowns with two tackles for a loss.
Rucker threw for 78 yards and a touchdown on 7-for-14 passing for the Gray squad, while teammate Matt Goggans completed 10-of-13 passes for 84 yards.
Scruggs finished as Gray’s top receiver with six catches for 76 yards, including the 30-yard touchdown grab.
The Maroon offense was paced by Bell, who threw for 104 yards on 12-of-19 passing with an interception, while also recording a game-high 29 rushing yards, including a 14-yard touchdown scamper.
Adrian Wilkins led Maroon’s receiving corps with five catches for 40 yards.
For the Maroon defense, linebacker Allonte Tuppins collected a team-best seven tackles with three hits for a loss, including two sacks. Fellow linebacker Tiron Guion contributed six stops with three takedowns behind the line of scrimmage, including a pair of sacks, along with a forced fumble.
The Eagles open their 12-game 2013 schedule with the “Bull City Gridiron Classic” at Duke on Aug. 31. The first of six NCCU home games will take place on Sept. 7 versus Saint Augustine’s.
Season tickets are on sale now for only $105, an $80 savings off of the value of a reserved seat for each home game. For complete details about season ticket specials, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or call the NCCU Ticket Office at (919) 530-5170.
For more information about NCCU football, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon.
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COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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