NCCU Eagles Visit Howard Bison for First Time Since 1995

DURHAM, North Carolina -- North Carolina Central University head coach Dwayne Foster along with senior fullback Gabe Smith (Washington, D.C.) chat with the local media prior to NCCU's first conference matchup against the Bison of Howard University. The Eagles (2-2) will look to get league play started off strong against Howard as kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. from Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Tune in to the Denny's of Durham Pregame Show at 12:30 p.m. as play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network Chris Hooks and color analyst Kyle Serba count listeners down to the 18th meeting between the Bison and the Eagles.

Complete Game Notes (PDF):

GAME NOTES: NCCU EAGLES vs. HOWARD UNIVERSITY BISON

THE KICKOFF
Saturday, October 5, 2013 – Kickoff at 1:00 p.m.

THE SITE
William H. Greene Stadium (7,086 capacity/Artificial Grass) - Washington, D.C.

THE RECORDS
N.C. Central (2-2 overall, 0-0 MEAC); Howard (1-3 overall, 0-1 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 12:30 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play).

QUICK HITS
• NCCU begins the first of eight straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference games.
• Saturday will be NCCU's first trip to Howard since 1995 (Sept. 16) when the Eagles defeated the Bison 37-32.
• NCCU interim head coach Dwayne Foster is a native of Washington, D.C., and made his name on the high school level in his hometown as the head coach of his alma mater Archbishop Carroll High School from 1997-2003. At Archbishop, Foster received coach of the year honors by the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Committee in 1998.
• Four Eagles - Gabe Smith, Kevin Staton, Kevin Thompson and Aaron Wallace - list their hometown as Washington, D.C., while seven Eagles hail from the state of Maryland.
• NCCU true freshman cornerback Michael Jones (Baltimore, Md.) is tied as the national leader with four interceptions and leads the MEAC with seven total passes defended.
• NCCU senior linebacker Tazmon Foster (Henderson, N.C.), who amassed 17 tackles versus No. 4 Towson in the Eagles' last outing on Sept. 21, leads the MEAC with 46 tackles.

THE SERIES
This will be the 18th meeting between the Eagles and the Bison. Howard leads the series with NCCU, 9-7-1. The last meeting was on Sept. 16, 1995 in Washington, D.C., with NCCU beating the Bison 37-32 to snap a six-game Howard winning streak dating back to 1975.

NCCU ROOKIE JONES TIED AS NATIONAL LEADER IN INTERCEPTIONS
NCCU true freshman cornerback Michael Jones collected two interceptions against Charlotte and another versus No. 4 Towson to increase his season total to four picks, which ties the Baltimore, Md., native for the lead in the NCAA Division I-FCS ranks.

NCCU'S FOSTER NAMED MEAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
North Carolina Central University senior linebacker Tazmon Foster was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 23) for his outstanding performance against No. 4 Towson University in week four. Foster, a 5-10, 215-pound native of Henderson, N.C., amassed a career-high 17 tackles (eight solo) along with a forced fumble during the 35-17 setback to the nationally-ranked Tigers. His 17 takedowns are the most by an Eagle in 10 years. The last to reach that standard was Luis George, who tallied 17 stops on Oct. 18, 2003 against Fayetteville State. On the season, Foster has racked up 46 tackles, an average of 11.5 hits per game, to lead the MEAC.  In just 12 games with the Eagles, the linebacker has totaled 126 tackles and has two touchdowns to his credit with fumble and interception returns to the end zone.

THE COACHES
North Carolina Central ...

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