LIVE FOOTBALL TONIGHT ON ESPNU: South Carolina State Bulldogs at North Carolina Central Eagles

THE GAME
South Carolina State University "Bulldogs" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

GAME NOTES .pdf

THE KICKOFF
Thursday, October 10, 2013 – Kickoff at 7:30 p.m.

THE SITE
O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity/Mondoturf) - Durham, N.C.

THE RECORDS
S.C. State (4-2 overall, 2-0 MEAC); N.C. Central (3-2 overall, 1-0 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio: NCCU Sports Network mobile app (iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, Kindle Fire HD); "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (audio internet stream). Broadcast starts at 7:00 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst).

Television: ESPNU / ESPN3. Broadcast starts at 7:30 p.m. (Mark Neely, play-by-play; Jay Walker, color analyst)

QUICK HITS
• Battle of two unbeaten teams in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.
• S.C. State's last visit to NCCU's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium was in 1977 (Oct. 29).
• S.C. State has won seven of the last eight games against the Eagles, dating back to 1976. NCCU won last year's meeting 40-10 in the Circle City Classic.
• NCCU has won three of its last four contests, with its only setback during that time coming against No. 4 Towson (now No. 3 at 6-0).
• After losing to Coastal Carolina and Clemson to open the season, S.C. State has won four straight games by a combined score of 150-36.
• NCCU true freshman cornerback Michael Jones (Baltimore, Md.) is the national FCS leader with four interceptions and leads the MEAC with 10 total passes defended.
• NCCU senior linebacker Tazmon Foster (Henderson, N.C.), who amassed 80 tackles in eight games last season, leads the MEAC with 58 tackles (6th in FCS).
• The last time NCCU played in an ESPNU contest, the Eagles beat Hampton 37-20 on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012 in Durham, N.C.  NCCU linebacker Tazmon Foster made SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays with an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown.
• WHITE OUT - Fans are encouraged to wear white to the game in order to "White Out" the stadium for the ESPNU viewing audience.

THE SERIES
This will be the 21st football meeting between South Carolina State and NCCU since the two schools first played on Oct. 15, 1927. SCSU leads the series 11-9. The Bulldogs have won seven of the last eight match-ups dating back to 1976. In last season's meeting, NCCU snapped a seven-game losing skid to the Bulldogs by cruising to a 40-10 victory at the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis.
Oct. 6, 2012 - NCCU 40, SCSU 10 (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Oct. 8, 2011 - SCSU 49, NCCU 38 (Orangeburg, S.C.)

LAST WEEK
(NCCU 37, Howard 28) NCCU used two special teams touchdowns and a season-high 215 rushing yards to earn a 37-28 road conference victory over Howard University on Saturday inside Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.



(S.C. State 29, N.C. A&T 24) S.C. State redshirt senior quarterback Richard Cue threw for a game-high 236 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-28 passing to lead the Bulldogs to a 29-24 victory over rival N.C. A&T in the Atlanta Football Classic at the Georgia Dome.

FOUR OF MEAC'S TOP DEFENDERS IN ACTION THURSDAY NIGHT
Four of the top defenders in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will be on the same field Thursday night. NCCU senior linebacker Tazmon Foster leads the conference in tackles with 11.6 stops per game (58 total tackles). NCCU freshman cornerback Michael Jones tops the MEAC and is the national NCAA Division I-FCS leader with four interceptions, while also leading the conference with 10 passes defended. SCSU junior defensive end Andrew Carter leads the league with 11.5 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks. Bulldogs senior linebacker Joe Thomas tops the conference in total tackles with 62, including 8.5 hits for a loss with 3.0 sacks.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION