Elizabeth City State 49, Saint Augustine's 0

September 30, 2006

RALEIGH, NC-Elizabeth City State University topped Saint Augustine’s College 49-0 Saturday, September 30, 2006, in a CIAA football contest at Broughton High School before 2,025 fans.

The loss was the third straight for the Falcons, who fell to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the CIAA. The Vikings improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the CIAA.

The Falcons failed to score for the first time since October 5, 2002 when North Carolina Central defeated them 28-0, a span of 37 games. It is the fourth time the Falcons were held scoreless since the college restarted football in 2002. Three of the shutouts occurred during the inaugural 2002 season.

Ironically, the Vikings failed to score in three previous meetings against the Falcons, who lead the season series 3-2 since 2002 including three straight wins before Saturday.

Quarterback Curtis Rich passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Vikings, who led 14-0 before the Falcons’ defense took the field. Chris Carter added two touchdown catches and Billy Wiggins, the nation’s top Division II returner, scored on a 77-yard punt return.

The Vikings led 7-0 on Wiggins’ long punt return at the 11:45 mark in the first quarter. After a Falcons’ fumble, Brandon Fields scored from the 2-yard line to make the score 14-0 with 9:45 left in the first quarter. Leading 28-0 at halftime, the Vikings scored three more touchdowns in the second half.

The Vikings gained 317 offensive yards while the Falcons gained a season-low 29 yards. Part of the Falcons’ struggles can be attributed to an injury to starting quarterback Brandon Franklin (Kannapolis, NC) during the week. Backup freshman Kevin Johnson (Olympia, WA) started for the Falcons.

Linebacker Kente Blount (Hampton, VA) led the Falcons with a team-high 8 tackles and two forced fumbles. Linebacker Demius Frazier (Opelika, AL) added 6 tackles including a game-high 3.5 tackles for losses. Tim Riley (Temple Hills, MD) and freshman Richard Boone (Petersburg, VA) combined for 139 yards on 6 kickoffs, and Boone averaged 39 yards per punt with three punts inside the 20-yard line. His longest punt was 51 yards.

The Falcons will try to snap their losing streak against unbeaten North Carolina Central on October, 7, 2006, at Broughton High School. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.