DURHAM, North Carolina – With an ecstatic fourth quarter and minimal room for error, the North Carolina Central University football team reigned victorious with a 24-16 triumph over the Norfolk State University Spartans on Saturday, Oct. 31 in front of a sellout homecoming crowd of 11,965 inside NCCU's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
NCCU (5-3, 4-1 MEAC) receiver Armani Lanier caught a 77-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback Malcolm Bell, making for the longest play-pass since Oct. 30, 1999, when the Eagles battled Livingstone College and Darrell Sanders caught an 81-yard pass from Brandon Roberson. Bell's connection with Lanier broke a 7-7 tie and provided the Eagles with a much-needed push.
The Eagles defense worked wonders for NCCU with five sacks and 12 tackles for a loss. Of the team's 81 total tackles, C.J. Moore and Theo Livingston were each responsible for 13 total stops on the day.
NCCU defensive linemen Richard Mitchell had a clutch performance near the end of the game with one of his two-and-a-half sacks of NSU quarterback Greg Hankerson on a fourth-down conversion attempt with less than three minutes remaining in the game. Livingston forced the Spartan fourth down by aggressively breaking up a pass from Hankerson, who threw for 230 yards.
Eagles' running back Dorrel McClain led the offense in rushing and receiving yards with 93 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and 43 in the air. Bell finished with 281 yards of total offense, accounting for 193 yards passing and 88 rushing.
The Spartans (2-6, 2-3 MEAC) created a 13-yard touchdown run from Hankerson to claim the scoreboard early, leading 7-0 in the first quarter.
The Eagles were unable to immediately respond, and it wasn't until inside the two-minute warning of the first half that the Eagles managed to join the scoreboard, thanks to a one-yard rushing touchdown by McClain.
NCCU and NSU matched the score at seven before their journey into the locker room at halftime, but returned to the field with a scoreless third quarter.
After Lanier's tie-breaking touchdown catch, McClain ran in for a short, two-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a greater advantage, leading 21-7 with the fourth-quarter clock reading 10:56.
NSU's Hankerson responded to the Eagles, taking matters into his own hands with an electric 77-yard touchdown run, narrowing the NCCU lead to 21-13.
Near the seven-minute mark, NCCU kicker Nigel Macauley provided the Eagles with three points after a successful 33-yard field goal attempt to give the Eagles a 24-13 edge as the final minutes approached the game clock.
Despite a late 32-yard field goal from NSU's Cameron Marouf, the Eagles managed to close out another conference victory, their fourth in-a-row.
Senior day is the next event for NCCU football as the Eagles look to handle Delaware State University on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. in O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
BOX SCORE
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
No comments:
Post a Comment