Game Notes: NCCU Eagles at SC State Bulldogs

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

THE KICKOFF    
Saturday, October 11, 2014 – Kickoff at 2:00 p.m.

THE SITE    
Oliver C. Dawson Stadium (22,000 capacity/Poly Turf) - Orangeburg, S.C.

THE RECORDS    
N.C. Central (2-3 overall, 1-0 MEAC); S.C. State (4-2 overall, 2-0 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 1:30 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play).




 QUICK HITS     
•    NCCU and South Carolina State are both unbeaten in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play this season. The Eagles are 1-0 against conference foes, while the Bulldogs are 2-0.
•    In the last 10 years, S.C. State has captured two MEAC titles (2008 & 2009) outright and shared three others (2004, 2010, 2013), and made four trips to the FCS playoffs (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013).
•    S.C. State has won eight of the last nine games against the Eagles, dating back to 1976. NCCU won the 2012 meeting 40-10 in the Circle City Classic.
•    During S.C. State's three-game win streak, the Bulldogs have not scored more than 17 points, but have not allowed more than 10 points (17-7 over Furman, 17-10 over Hampton, 13-0 over N.C. A&T).
•    S.C. State is tied for the MEAC lead with 20 sacks in six games (3.3 avg.).
•    Five NCCU Eagles hail from the state of South Carolina: Andre Clarke (Mauldin), Jazz King (Duncan), Neil Williams (Chester), Keiton Burgess (Sumter), and Roderick "Dee" Harris (Simpsonville).
•    NCCU junior receiver and return specialist Adrian Wilkins ranks seventh in the nation (FCS) with an average of 174.0 all-purpose yards per game. Wilkins also leads the MEAC in receiving yards per game (74.2) and ranks second in receptions per game (5.2).
•    NCCU tops the MEAC and ranks fourth in the nation (FCS) in punt returns with an average of 23.4 yards per return.
•    NCCU's turnover margin (+4) ranks second in the MEAC.
•    Next week (Oct. 18), NCCU visits Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.

THE SERIES    
This will be the 22nd football meeting between South Carolina State and NCCU since the two schools first played on Oct. 15, 1927. SCSU leads the series 12-9. The Bulldogs have won eight of the last nine match-ups dating back to 1976. Two year's ago, NCCU snapped a seven-game losing skid to the Bulldogs by cruising to a 40-10 victory at the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis. Last season, S.C. State returned the favor by beating the Eagles 44-3 in Durham.

Oct. 10, 2013 - SCSU 44, NCCU 3 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 6, 2012 - NCCU 40, SCSU 10 (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Oct. 8, 2011 - SCSU 49, NCCU 38 (Orangeburg, S.C.)

THE LAST MEETING    
(S.C. State 44, NCCU 3 - Oct. 10, 2013) South Carolina State pounded out 232 yards rushing and shut down NCCU's ground game to cruise to a 44-3 victory over the Eagles in a Thursday night ESPNU contest inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. SCSU tallied 476 yards of total offense, while NCCU finished with 105 yards of total offense and was held to negative-11 yards rushing. Quarterback Jordan Reid faced pressure from the SCSU defense most of the night, completing just 9-of-25 passes for 116 yards and being sacked five times. 

LAST WEEK    
(NCCU 27, Howard 22) NCCU posted 392 yards of total offense during a 27-22 victory over Howard. Although the Bison tallied 485 yards of total offense, the host Eagles held a 27-9 cushion until Howard scored twice in the final 6:30 of the contest to make the final score close. NCCU quarterback Malcolm Bell threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns, while running for a team-high 66 yards. 

(S.C. State 13, North Carolina A&T 0) South Carolina State capitalized on a special teams mistake and a time consuming drive late in the game to defeat the North Carolina A&T State Aggies 13-0 in the 26th annual Atlanta Football Classic. The Bulldogs amassed 197 rushing yards, while holding A&T to just 156 yards of total offense. SCSU junior running back Jalen Simmons rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown.

THE COACHES    
NCCU: Jerry Mack (Arkansas State, 2003) is in his first season as a college head coach. At age 33, he boasts 10 years of coaching experience, including stints with five NCAA Division I programs and two conference championship teams. A native of Memphis, Tenn., Mack has held positions as wide receivers coach at the University of South Alabama (2012-13) and the University of Memphis (2011), as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (2010), as passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at the University of Central Arkansas (2008-09), as wide receivers and tight ends coach at Jackson State University (2006-07), and as an offensive graduate assistant at Delta State University (2004-05). Mack began his collegiate playing career at Jackson State before transferring after one season (1999) to Arkansas State University.  He lettered three years at Arkansas State (2001-03) before earning his bachelor's degree in management information systems in 2003. Mack completed his master's degree in physical education from Delta State in 2006.

South Carolina State: Oliver "Buddy" Pough is in his 13th season as head coach at South Carolina State, his alma mater. Since succeeding head coach emeritus Willie Jeffries as Bulldog head coach in 2002, Pough has built the SC State football program into a perennial power in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). During his 13-year tenure at the school where he earned a bachelor's and a master's as well as All-MEAC honors as an offensive lineman, Pough has compiled an enviable 101-45 overall record. His teams have also captured two MEAC titles (2008 & 2009) outright and shared three others (2004, 2010, 2013), and made four trips to the FCS playoffs (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013).

THREE EAGLES EARN WEEKLY MEAC AWARDS    Three North Carolina Central University Eagles – quarterback Malcolm Bell, safety C.J. Moore and offensive lineman Clevonne Davis - have received weekly awards from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) for their play during a 27-22 win over Howard University on Saturday (Oct. 4). Bell (Richmond, Va.) has been selected as the MEAC Offensive Player of the Week, Moore (Raleigh, N.C.) has been named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, and Davis (Miramar, Fla.) has been chosen as the MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week. Bell accounted for 311 yards of total offense against the Bison. He completed 20-of-30 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns through the air, and ran for a team-best 66 ground yards. Bell is tied atop the MEAC with six passing touchdowns, ranks second in the conference in pass efficiency (145.4) and third in the league with 170.8 passing yards per game. Moore collected nine tackles (seven solo), including 2.0 hits for a loss, with a forced fumble and an interception. He tops the Eagles with 43 tackles, ranks fourth in the MEAC with 8.6 takedowns per contest, and is tied for second in the league with two fumble recoveries. Davis graded out at 98 percent of his blocking assignments against Howard, anchoring an offensive line that paved the way for 392 yards of total offense by the Eagles. He tallied five pancake blocks and did not allow a sack or record a penalty in NCCU's first conference victory.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION