CIAA Football Week in Review: Eagles Blank Golden Rams in CIAA-SIAC Challenge
CIAA Football Week in Review
For the week ending August 26, 2006 (Week 1)
Eagles Blank Golden Rams in CIAA-SIAC Challenge
So much for a challenge...Redshirt freshman Stadford Brown passed for 206 yards and a touchdown and a swarming defense gave up a paltry 148 yards of total offense as the 18th ranked (according to D2 Football.com) North Carolina Central Eagles blanked the 10th ranked Albany State Rams 20-0 in what was billed as the CIAA-SIAC Challenge yesterday, in Durham.
Brown, making his first collegiate start, got the Eagles on board in the first quarter, engineering a 6-play, 86-yard drive that was capped by Julius McClellan's 45-yard catch and run for a touchdown. Brandon Gilbert tacked on the PAT to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
NC Central, the defending CIAA champions, would extend their lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter when Brandon Gilbert kicked a 33-yard field goal to cap a 17-play drive. That margin would stand up until halftime as NCCU's defense limited the three-time SIAC champs from Georgia to a stunning 32 yards of offense in the first half.
After a scoreless third quarter, NCCU caught a break on the last play of the quarter, as Albany State quarterback Terrence Ransom coughed up the ball and the Eagles recovered at the Golden Rams' 25 yard line. Seven plays later, Gilbert's 24-yard field goal ended the drive as the Eagles extended their lead to13-0 with 11:39 to play in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles would seal the deal with 1:43 remaining in the game when Greg Pruitt Jr. scampered in from 15-yards out to end a three-play drive that was set up when the Eagles recovered a muffed punt in the shadow of the Golden Rams' goal line.
Pruitt would finish the game with 24 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Charles Futrell caught five balls for 105 yards for NCCU. Eric Ray led the Eagle defense, which recorded the first shutout of an Albany State team since 2002, with 10 tackles and a forced fumble.
Johnson C. Smith 19 Edward Waters 14
Marquis Belton caught six passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. Carl Richardson and Kevin Allen each rushed for a score as Johnson C. Smith snapped a 24-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over Edward Waters of Jacksonville, Florida.
Conference Scoreboard
Fayetteville
State
0
Wingate
19
Johnson C.
Smith
19
Edward Waters 14
Livingstone
14
Lenoir-Rhyne 17
NC
Central
20
Albany
State
0
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
2006 Football Standings
Through games of August 26, 2006
CIAA EAST
| Div/Conf | Overall | |||||
| ---- | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT |
| Bowie State | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Elizabeth City St. | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Saint Paul's | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Shaw | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Virginia State | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Virginia Union | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
CIAA West
| ---- | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT |
| Johnson C. Smith | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| N.C. Central | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Saint Augustine's | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Fayetteville St. | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Livingstone | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Upcoming Games:
| August | |||||
| 31 | St. Paul's College | Liberty University | Lynchburg, VA | 7:00pm | |
| September | |||||
| 2 | Bowie State University | West Virginia St. University | Bowie, MD | 1:00pm | |
| 2 | Elizabeth City State University | Livingstone College | Salisbury, NC | 6:00pm | |
| 2 | Fayetteville State University | Virginia Union University | Richmond, VA | 6:30pm | |
| 2 | Johnson C. Smith University | Glenville State University | Glenville, WV | 12:00pm | |
| 2 | St. Augustine's College | Lane College | Raleigh, NC | 1:30pm | |
| 2 | Virginia State University | Norfolk State University | Norfolk, VA | 6:00pm | Labor Day Classic |
| 3 | North Carolina Central University | Shaw University | Durham, NC | 4:00pm | Labor Day Classic |
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
August 26, 2006
Offensive Lineman
Sam Funches - North Carolina Central, T, 6'7",
266, SR, Lawnside, NJ
Funches was a key blocker as the Eagles amassed 334 yards of total
offense (206 passing, 128 rushing) and 20 points against the
defending SIAC Champions Albany State University.
Receiver
Marquis Belton - Johnson C. Smith, WR, 5'8",
165, SR, Charlotte, NC
In the opener against Edward Waters, Belton had 6 receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown in the Golden Bulls 19-14 victory.
Offensive Back
Gregg Pruitt, Jr. - North Carolina Central,
RB, 5'10", 200, SR, Cleveland, OH
Pruitt rushed for a game-high 87 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown in the Eagles' 20-0 shutout of the SIAC Defending Champions Albany State University.
Defensive Lineman
Jermaine Harper - Fayetteville State, LB,
6'0", 236, JR, Maysville, NC
Harper recorded a game-high 17 total tackles (10 solo, 7 assisted) and had one pass breakup in the Broncos' 0-19 loss to Wingate.
Defensive Back
Donte Wise - Fayetteville State, CB, 5'8",
173, SO, Fayetteville,
NC
Wise had seven tackles (5 solo, 2 assisted) in the Broncos' loss to Wingate.
Rookie
Stadford Brown - North Carolina Central, QB, 6'1",
196, Washington, DC
In his first collegiate game, Brown completed 13-of-21 passes (61.9%) for 206 yards and one touchdown in the Eagles' win over Albany State University.
Speciality
Brandon Gilbert - North Carolina Central, K/P, 5'9",
183, JR, Graham, NC
Gilbert made field goals of 24 and 33 yards and was 2-of -2 in the extra point category to account for 8 of the Eagles' 20 points in Saturday's victory over Albany State. He also punted 6 times for 227 yards (37.8 average per punt), including two inside the 20-yard line.
Coach
Rod Broadway - North Carolina Central
Broadway guided the Eagles to an impressive 20-0 win over Albany State in the battle of the CIAA and SIAC Champions. NCCU amassed 334 yards of total offense, compared to just 148 yards for the Rams. It was the Eagles' first shutout since 2004 and snapped Albany State's 27-game win streak against HBCUs dating back to 2003.
