Eagles Hold Off Late Charging Falcons 27-18

CIAA Football Week in Review
For the week ending October 7, 2006 (Week 6)

Eagles Hold Off Late Charging Falcons 27-18

North Carolina Central jumped out to a 27-6 lead then withstood a frenzied fourth quarter rally by Saint Augustine's to post a 27-18 win over the home standing Falcons.

NCCU jumped out to a 17-0 first quarter lead on a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Stadford Brown (149 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions) to Charles Futrell, a 36-yard Brandon Gilbert field goal and a 27-yard interception return by defensive back Craig Amos. 

Brown's second touchdown pass of the day, this time a 21-yarder to Julius McClellan (2 receptions for 25 yards and 1 touchdown) extended the Eagles' lead to 24-0 late in the second quarter.  Saint Augustine's would finally get on the scoreboard with 21 seconds left in the half, when Duane Smith (165 passing yards, 2 touchdowns) hooked up with tight end Eric McLaughlin on a 27-yard touchdown pass.  The two-point conversion attempt failed as the Falcons headed to the locker room trailing the Eagles 24-6.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Eagles got their final points of the day early in the fourth quarter when Gilbert kicked a 22-yard field goal as NCCU stretched their lead to 27-6 with 14:55 remaining in the game.  The Falcons would not go away quietly though.  Andre McGlone returned a Brandon Gilbert punt 75 yards for a touchdown to cut NCCU's lead to 27-12 with 5:05 left in the contest.  Saint Augustine's then recovered an onside kick and drove 50 yards in three plays, capped by Smith's second touchdown pass of the day to McLaughlin (3 receptions, 65 yards and 2 touchdowns) as Saint Augustine's cut NC Central's lead to 27-18 with under four minutes remaining in the game.  On the ensuing kickoff, the Falcons attempted another onside kick, but this time the Eagles recovered and ran out the clock to preserve the 27-18 win.  With the win, North Carolina Central improves to 6-0 and 4-0 in the CIAA and are off to their best start in 37 years.  Saint Augustine's falls to 1-5 and 1-3 in the CIAA.

 Conference Scoreboard            
Bowie State                   17                    Shaw                           14
Elizabeth City State      27                    Virginia State               0
Johnson C. Smith          19                    Livingstone                   0
NC Central                    27                    Saint Augustine's       18         

*Virginia Union vs. Saint Paul's Sunday October 8, 2006 @ 4:00 pm            

Upcoming Games:

14	Bowie State University	Elizabeth City State University	Bowie, MD	1:00pm
	Homecoming
14	Fayetteville State University	North Carolina Central University	Fayetteville, NC	6:00pm
14	Johnson C. Smith University	St. Augustine's College	Charlotte, NC	6:00pm
14	St. Paul's College	Virginia State University	Lawrenceville, VA	1:30pm
	Homecoming
14	Shaw University	Virginia Union University	Raleigh, NC	1:30pm
	Homecoming

                

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
October 7, 2006

Ronnie McClary	Curtis Rich

Offensive Lineman
Ronnie McClary - Elizabeth City State, OT, 6'4", 320, SR, Goldsboro, NC 
            McClary paved the way for the Vikings' offense to rack up 421 yards (236 passing, 185 rushing) in Saturday's 27-0 shutout of Trojans of Virginia State.

Receiver
Marvin Jackson - Elizabeth City State, WR, 5'9", 165, SR, Plymouth, NC 
            In Saturday's game against Virginia State, Jackson hauled in 4 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown against the Trojans secondary to help aid in the Vikings' 27-0 shutout. His longest reception was for 36 yards.

Offensive Back
Curtis Rich, Jr. - Elizabeth City State, QB, 6'3", 185, JR, Fort Washington, MD 
            Rich continues to put up impressive numbers as he completed 11-of-20 passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns to guide the Vikings to their third shutout of the season. He also carried the ball 6 times for 20 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Defensive Lineman
Emanuel Plummer - Elizabeth City State, LB, 6'1", 235, SR, Freeport, NY 
            Plummer played a key role in stopping the Trojans' offense as he collected 10 total tackles (6 solo, 4 assisted), including 1.5 tackles for a loss of 6 yards, forced 2 fumbles, recovered one fumble and had one sack for a loss of 4 yards in the Vikings' win over Virginia State.

Defensive Back
Craig Amos - North Carolina Central, CB, 5'10", 180, JR, Winston-Salem, NC 
            In Saturday's game against cross town rival Saint Augustine's College, Amos recorded 5 tackles (4 solo, 1 assisted) and hauled in an interception which he returned for a 27-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 17-0 lead early in the first quarter.

Rookie
Stadford Brown - North Carolina Central, QB, 6'1", 196, Washington, DC 
            The Eagles continue their winning ways behind rookie sensation Stadford Brown. Brown completed 12-of-29 receptions for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns in Saturday's 27-18 win over Saint Augustine's College.

Speciality
Brandon Gilbert - North Carolina Central, PK/P, 5'9", 183, JR, Graham, NC 
            Gilbert accounted for nine of the Eagles' 27 points as he connected on two field foals (36, 22) and three extra-point kicks in the win over Falcons. He is tied for fifth on the NCCU's all-time career scoring list with 186 points.

Coach
Rod Broadway - North Carolina Central 
            Coach Broadway and the Eagles are now 6-0 on the season after defeating Saint Augustine's College 27-18 in Saturday's conference action on the gridiron. The Eagles haven't had a 6-0 record since the 1969 season.