DURHAM, N. C. - North Carolina Central University scored 10 first half points and the Eagles' defense held Savannah State University to just 122 total yards as NCCU defeated the visiting Tigers 10-7 on Senior Day at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Saturday. Nine NCCU seniors closed out their college careers in style, winning three of their last four games to finish the school's second Division I (FCS) season with a 4-7 record.
NCCU amassed 330 yards of total offense, including a career-high 216 passing yards by red-shirt freshman quarterback Keon Williams, who completed 15-of-20 attempts through the air. Sophomore running backs Tim Shankle and Tony McCord combined for 155 rushing yards, with Shankle recording a team-best 88 ground yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run at the beginning of the second quarter which proved to be the game-winner.
Junior Will Scott topped the Eagles receiving corps with five catches for 83 yards, while senior Wayne Blackwell collected four receptions for 49 yards in his final college game. Blackwell finishes his career as the eighth leading receiver in NCCU history with 117 catches for 1,462 yards.
A stifling NCCU defense held Savannah State to only 23 yards rushing on the afternoon, including negative-4 yards on the ground in the first half. The Eagles recorded six tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including four sacks, while forcing two turnovers. In the critical fourth quarter, the NCCU defense held the Tigers to just one first down, 33 yards passing and zero yards rushing. NCCU sophomore lineman Teryl White had a fumble recovery to go along with six tackles, including a sack. Red-shirt freshman David Ingram collected his team-best fourth interception of the season.
Among the school's all-time career leaders, senior quarterback Stadford Brown (#2) ranks third in pass completions (399), third in passing touchdowns (46), fourth in passing yards (5,202) and fourth in total offense (5,207). Brown's college career was cut short when his collarbone was broken during the second quarter of the Eagles' win over rival North Carolina A&T on Oct. 4, 2008. NCCU senior linebacker Troy McConico amassed a team-high 10 tackles, including a sack and two forced fumbles, while senior lineman Eric Smalls accounted for six tackles, including 2.5 hits for a loss with a sack. Senior defensive back Derek Harvey finished his Eagle tenure with a career-high six tackles.
NCCU senior kicker Brandon Gilbert hit a 42-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead at 3:44 of the first quarter, then made his 104th consecutive extra-point kick at 13:42 of the second quarter. Gilbert ends his college career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 279 points, and also tops the Eagles career lists for field goals (44) and extra-point kicks (147).
Savannah State (5-7) was topped by senior defensive back Javorris Jackson with 16 tackles, while senior linebacker Calvin Leonard added 11 stops, including two hits for a loss. The Tigers were led offensively by freshman quarterback Kurvin Curry, who completed 8-of-18 passes for 99 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown to Isaiah Osborne with 3:49 left in the third quarter.
The other NCCU seniors that ended their careers Saturday were offensive lineman Jovan Olafioye, offensive lineman Greg Greene, quarterback Stadford Brown and running back Jeff Toliver.
Attendance: 4,027 at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, Durham, N.C.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - It's basketball season, and Norfolk State football won Saturday thanks to an assist from DeAngelo Branche. The running back out of Maury High School rumbled his way to a career-high 181 yards, lifting the Spartans to a 17-14 victory over Winston-Salem State at Bowman-Gray Stadium in the season finale for both teams. Branche, who eclipsed his previous career-high by one yard, finished the season with 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound back barreled for 154 of those in a second half that saw NSU rally twice to get past a team that beat Hampton and Delaware State in the last three weeks.
