NC Central 21, Shaw 12

September 3, 2006

DURHAM, NC - North Carolina Central University received a balanced all-around effort in Sunday's "Labor Day Classic" as the reigning CIAA champions beat Shaw 21-12 in front of a sellout crowd of 10,103 inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

NCCU (2-0, 1-0 CIAA) racked up 301 yards of total offense, forced four Bears turnovers and amassed 116 yards on special teams returns to win its first conference match-up in the Eagles' title-defending campaign.

The Eagles struck first on a well-executed play by NCCU rookie quarterback Stadford Brown, who faked two hand-offs - to the running back up the middle and another to the receiver on the reverse - before calmly tucking the pigskin behind his back and patiently waiting for senior receiver Charles Futrell to streak across the field, where Brown found his target between two defenders for a 25-yard touchdown strike. Brandon Gilbert's extra-point made the score 7-0 at 5:47 of the first quarter.

The rest of the first half was a defensive battle, with both teams combining for 192 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes of play.

The second half began with Brown throwing an interception to sophomore linebacker James Duplessis, who returned the pick 23 yards to the Eagles' 11-yard line.

On the next play, Shaw senior quarterback Jermonty Kimbrough connected with sophomore Anthony Frost for the first points scored against the Eagles this season. The Bears' momentum was halted by a failed extra-point kick, which kept NCCU on top 7-6 at the 14:01 mark of the third quarter.

NCCU quickly responded, as senior Julius McClellan returned the kickoff 50 yards to the Bears' 47-yard line. After a holding penalty backed the Eagles into their own territory, Brown found McClellan for another 50-yard play, as the 6-4, 230-pound receiver broke three tackles before being dragged down at the 6-yard line. Three plays later, Brown completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to junior linebacker Eric Ray, who was part of the Eagles' power package at full back. Gilbert made the extra-point kick to provide NCCU a 14-6 advantage with 11:03 remaining in the third.

Just before the close of the third stanza, Shaw posted a 10-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Kimbrough to James Pettway. The Bears attempted a two-point conversion to tie the game, but Kimbrough's roll-out to the left was stuffed by the NCCU defense, leaving the score 14-12 in favor of the home team.

With less than five minutes remaining in a tight two-point contest, Kimbrough's pass down field was intercepted by senior safety Andre George to ease the tension on the NCCU sideline.

With the outcome of the game still in question, Shaw called timeout with 1:27 left in the contest and the Eagles facing third down and nine yards to go. NCCU senior running back Greg Pruitt, Jr. erased all doubt by spinning away from two tackles and then out-running the rest of the Bears' defense into the end zone to provide the Eagles a 21-12 cushion with only 1:17 on the clock.

On Shaw's first play from scrimmage, Kimbrough was intercepted again when NCCU junior Darren Brothers nailed the Bears' receiver to dislodge the ball, which was grabbed by George for his second interception of the night to seal the victory.

Brown paced the Eagles' offense for the second straight week by completing 13-of-26 passes for 206 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Pruitt finished with 81 yards and a score on 17 carries and is now the school's third all-time leading rusher with 2,443 career yards. McClellan caught four passes for 64 yards, while senior tight end Kenneth Broadway set career-highs with three receptions for 60 yards.

A fast and hard-hitting NCCU defense was topped by Eric Ray, who also caught a touchdown pass as a full back, with nine tackles, three pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Senior defensive lineman Greg Peterson was all over the Shaw backfield with three tackles for a loss among his eight total takedowns.

NCCU junior Brandon Alston, who electrified the capacity crowd with a dazzling 43-yard punt return in the first quarter, became the school's all-time career leader with 783 punt return yards, passing Reginald Smith's record of 777 yards from 1974-77.

Shaw (0-1, 0-1 CIAA) recorded 290 yards of total offense and 18 first downs, but the Bears committed 14 penalties for 119 yards to hurt their chances.

Kimbrough led Shaw with 226 total yards, including 216 yards on 19-for-39 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sophomore tight end/punter Calvin Grimes caught a game-best six passes for 79 yards and was the team's leading rusher as a result of a 31-yard gain on a fake punt.

Sophomore linebacker Galen Houston topped Shaw's defense with a game-high 10 tackles.

Next week, NCCU hosts Lenoir-Rhyne at 4 p.m. at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, while Shaw travels to Carson-Newman for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.