NCCU To Begin Its New Journey In New Jersey Against Rutgers

The stage is set. The full transition from division II to division I is finished and NCCU is complete. Tonight at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscantawe, New Jersey the NCCU Eagles take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. This would be another typical game were it not for the implications that it presents for both sides. Rutgers is used to being the "dark horse" in games against most big schools they play against. Even next week as they take on the North Carolina Tar heels they will resume their role.

However today they are the big fish. NCCU has never really taken on this type of foe. The occasional match up against  Duke in Wallace Wade stadium is about as big as it has ever gotten for the Eagles. However Rutgers has been a top 20 team in the past 5 years and that is the direction that NCCU is hoping for. 

Let's be honest, very seldom does an FBS school compete with a BCS school, but occasionally the stars do line up and the competition gets very good. Just last year Jacksonville State shocked the world and took a big game against SEC foe Mississippi. They also aligned a few years earlier as Big 10 power Michigan was ripe for the picking against FCS super power Appalachian State. Just knowing that this type of win or loss can change the face of either program has both teams fired up.

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Henry Frazier III Named NCCU Head Coach

Today North Carolina Central University officially named Henry Frazier III as the Universities 21st head football coach.  Prior to his arrival in Durham, N.C., Frazier spent seven seasons at the helm of the Prairie View A&M University Panthers football team, becoming the 30th head coach in PVAMU history on Dec. 22, 2003. 

He took over a program that experienced the nation’s longest losing streak from 1989-98, dropping 80 straight contests. It’s no secret that Prairie View was the laughing stock of the NCAA. That job was coaching suicide as no one wanted it and when they got it they didn’t have a chance.

In 2009, Frazier guided the Panthers to their first conference championship since 1964, beating Alabama A&M 30-24 in the SWAC title game on Dec. 12. Prairie View posted its second straight 9-1 record, going undefeated in league play with its only loss a three-point setback at New Mexico State

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NCCU Football: A Season Of Hope Headed In The Wrong Direction

What started as a season of optimistic outcome has really turned into somewhat a disaster. The Eagles opened the season with a molly whopping of the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls and every sign was pointing to the beginning of something special at dear old NCC. However that is not the case. Failing to win 2 out of the next 3 games has the Eagles sitting 2 – 3 with a slew of talented teams left on the schedule. Let’s just say that the Eagles are in need of some intervention from a higher power.

The Eagles thus far have found ways to lose. In week 2 versus the Rams of Winston Salem State they were outperformed on offense and defense. The only real sparks came in the special team’s game with big returns by Arthur Goforth. In week 3 versus the Mountaineers of Appalachian State, the defense was stagnant but understood as the Mountaineers are a perennial power on the FCS scene.  In week 5 versus the Hampton Pirates, the offense and special teams were stagnant at best. With many opportunities to convert turnovers by the defense into points, the offense stalled and the field goal kicker had a day that he would like to forget forever.

In the two wins by the Eagles there were two things that were consistent, the ability to run the ball, and controlling all three phases of the game. I know it sounds cliché but running the ball is essential to winning in college football. If you look at the teams that win the national championship every year it is the team with the best running game. Call me crazy but running the ball does 3 things every team needs:

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2010 The Year of the NCCU Eagle

North Carolina Central University, the home of the Eagles, is about to begin it's fifth season in Division I athletics. The transition to division I has been a rough one. Moving from Division II to Division I is daunting to both coaches and student athletes. Anticipation for the 2010 season has brought good news as the Eagles finally found themselves a home. The Eagles have re-entered the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in which they helped found in the early 1900s.

MEAC competition is traditionally strong and the Eagles will get their fair share of physical battles. They can't officially win the MEAC this year but it is good to have competition on the schedule that you can become familiar with. Plus you can look in the background of the photo above and see that the Eagles fans love their football regardless of the competition level.

The past four years, the Eagles have had to play elite competition, mostly on the road,  and it was pretty obvious that these elite schools had a lot more in their arsenal than the school on the rise. The good news is that now they can play more home games and they will get to play their opponents yearly so there will be some familiarity with their opponents.

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NCCU Head Coach Mose Rison Mic'd Up For the First Eagle Practice

Day one at NCCU practice… Are you ready??? If you are a real football fan you have to get excited when August rolls around. There is nothing in this world like football. It’s a sport of all measures. You have to play with recklessness abandon but still have enough control to be successful.

The NCCU Sports Network put a microphone on NCCU Head Football Coach Mose Rison to give Eagle fans Inside Access into the first day of football practice. This is a good move to get fans excited and also a good public relations move as the Eagles move into the MEAC.

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