jjohnson@heraldsun.com; 419-6678
DURHAM -- With one game to go in the season, N.C. Central coach Mose Rison said his team is a lot farther along than he thought they would be despite a 3-7 record.
"I'm disappointed being 3-7 because I thought we could have had at least five or six wins if things had gone our way," Rison said. "We've played, by far, the toughest schedule we've ever had, and we are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were going into the final game last year."
If the Eagles beat Savannah State on Saturday, they will match their 2008 season mark. Rison said that was a good accomplishment considering the slate of opponents NCCU has faced.
"Our opposition has helped us get better and grow the program," Rison said. "We've escalated our level of play because of who we have played. I have a better understanding of what we're going to do in the future."
The Eagles have played two games against ranked teams in the Football Championship Subdivision -- Liberty and Appalachian State. And they squared off against Duke for the first time in school history, marking the highest level of competition the Eagles have ever faced.
"We're playing teams that are making us better," Rison said.
Saturday's game will mark the final competition for five seniors, though, and Rison said it was important to send the group out on a winning note.
"We have five seniors who've meant a lot to the program," Rison said. "We want to get them a win. We want to send them out right."
The seniors include wide receiver Will Scott, offensive tackle Gabriel Manns, fullback Saeed Abdul-Azeez, linebacker Alex Winters and strong safety Derek Harvey.
With so few seniors in the lineup this season, Rison said there have been some growing pains for the team. But last weekend against Winston-Salem State, his youngest players really came through in a 18-10 victory.
Rison had to use his freshmen -- including cornerback Marc Lewis, and defensive linemen Tyrone Jackson and Thomas Wallace -- because starting defensive tackle Teryl White was out with a shoulder injury and linebacker Rakeem Vick had a bad ankle.
"We worked with what we had," Rison said. "We knew we should be all right because they had played some before this season."
Rison was pleased with the final outcome and called it the best defensive effort of the season. The Eagles got off to a fast start on defense, which Rison has been seeking for the past several weeks, and they play with physical abandon, knocking Winston-Salem State's first two quarterbacks out of the game.
"We had very few mistakes," Rison said. "We hit them pretty good. Knocking their two quarterbacks out changed the game for them, and when you're down to your third quarterback, there isn't a lot you can do. It was unfortunate for them."
Rison said the win over Winston-Salem State also gave his team confidence that it could win on the road. It has been two seasons since NCCU's most recent win away from O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, and that was against the upcoming opponent Savannah State.
"That was a game we needed to win," Rison said. "We needed a road victory. Not getting a road win in two years, we can look forward now. It got us back on track, and winning our last game could men a lot going into next season."
