DURHAM, North Carolina - The 2012 North Carolina Central University football schedule features a trip to the home of Super Bowl XLVI for the “Circle City Classic,” a rematch with Duke University, visits to four different states, eight MEAC opponents and four home games.
“I think it’s a good competitive schedule,” said NCCU football head coach Henry Frazier III, who enters his second season on the Eagles’ sideline. “It will be a good experience for our student-athletes in terms of opening the season at home, staying in North Carolina the first three weeks, playing in the Circle City Classic, going to Florida a couple of times, and closing the regular season at home against North Carolina A&T.”
While the Eagles will play in four different states this season, they remain in their home state for the first three contests. “We open the first three weeks in North Carolina against schools that are not too far to travel, so it will help us in terms of recruiting in the state,” Frazier said.
NCCU kicks off the 2012 slate by hosting former CIAA foe Fayetteville State University on Sept. 1 inside O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. The Eagles lead the head-to-head series 23-9, but the Broncos won the last match-up 33-22 on Aug. 31, 2008 in Durham, N.C.
On Sept. 8, NCCU will play Elon University in its first trip to Burlington, N.C., in 16 years and its first game inside Rhodes Stadium. The Eagles last played in Burlington on Sept. 14, 1996, beating Elon 17-14 at an off-campus venue, Memorial Stadium. The Phoenix have won three of the five meetings in Burlington and hold an 8-3 series advantage after a narrow 23-22 victory last season in Durham.
On Sept. 15, the Eagles will make a five-mile journey to Wallace Wade Stadium to face Duke University in a rematch of the first gridiron meeting between the two neighbor institutions on Sept. 26, 2009. The Blue Devils won that contest 49-14.
NCCU’s first trip out of the state will be to Savannah, Ga., on Sept. 22 to open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play against the Tigers of Savannah State University. The Eagles lead the series 4-2-1, but Savannah State has captured the last two victories.
After a week off, NCCU will appear in the “Circle City Classic” inside Lucas Oil Stadium, home of this year’s Super Bowl, in Indianapolis, Ind., against South Carolina State University on Oct. 6. The Bulldogs edged NCCU in a 49-38 shootout last season to take an 11-8 series lead.
Lucas Oil Stadium will be the sixth NFL venue the Eagles have played in since 2000, boasting a 4-1 record in those contests.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Circle City Classic,” Frazier said. “I’ve heard they put on a first-class show. We’re looking forward to playing in the stadium where the Super Bowl was just played. It will provide good publicity for our program and an exciting experience for our student-athletes.”
On Oct. 13, the Eagles travel to Baltimore, Md., to face Morgan State University. The Bears have won five of the last six meetings against NCCU to maintain a 22-12-2 head-to-head advantage.
After five weeks on the road, the Eagles return to their nest on Oct. 20 to host Hampton University. NCCU suffered a heart-breaking overtime setback last season in Virginia, marking the Pirates’ eighth consecutive win over the Eagles. Hampton leads the series 17-5, with NCCU’s last victory against the Pirates coming on Sept. 24, 1983 in Durham, N.C., by a score of 24-20.
NCCU makes its first of two trips to the Sunshine State on Oct. 27 to play Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Eagles’ last trip to Daytona Beach was their lone win in the three-game series, beating the Wildcats 24-5 on Sept. 24, 1994 under coach Larry Little.
Homecoming for NCCU will be celebrated on Nov. 3 when the Eagles host Delaware State. This will be the Hornets’ first game in Durham in nine years. NCCU leads the series 14-6 and has won five of the last six contests.
On Nov. 10, the Eagles will play in Tallahassee, Fla., against Florida A&M University for the first time in 73 years. NCCU has ventured south three times to match-up with FAMU, but those games were contested in Miami (1957, 1951) and Atlanta (1973). The Rattlers lead the series 5-1-1, including last season’s 31-10 win in Durham.
The regular season wraps up on Nov. 17 with the long-time rival Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University arriving on the campus of NCCU for just the second time in the past 20 years. A school record crowd of 15,173 witnessed the Eagles defeat the Aggies 27-16 two seasons ago inside NCCU’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
“Of course, to round out the schedule with A&T at home is special,” Frazier said. “Hopefully the game will have some conference ramifications on the line.”
NCCU football season tickets will be on sale starting March 1. Prices and packages will be announced Feb. 28.
2012 NCCU Football Schedule (PDF)
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
9/1 Fayetteville State, O'Kelley-Riddick Stadium, Durham NC 6:00 PM
9/8 at Elon University, Rhodes Stadium, Elon, NC TBA
9/15 at Duke University, Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC TBA
9/22 at Savannah State, Ted Wright Stadium, Savannah, GA TBA
10/6 vs. South Carolina State, at "Circle City Classic", Lucas Oil Stadium,
Indianapolis, Indiana, 2:30PM
10/13 at Morgan State, Hughes Stadium, Baltimore, MD TBA
10/20 Hampton University, O'Kelley-Riddick Stadium, Durham, NC 2:00 PM
10/27 at Bethune-Cookman, Municipal Stadium, Daytona Beach, FL TBA
11/3 Delaware State, (Homecoming), O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, 2 PM
11/10 at Florida A&M, Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, FL TBA
11/17 North Carolina A&T (Senior Day), O'Kelly-Reddick Stadium
By Kyle Serba, Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations
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