RALEIGH, N.C. - An article written in a Aug. 31 edition of theStar-Ledger in New Jersey referred to new North Carolina Centralhead football coach Henry Frazier III as "Dr. Fix It" as well as with goodreason. The former Bowie State quarterback has taken over three losingfootball programs as well as turned them into winners. Frazier's successin revitalizing a Prairie View A&M program which had won 21 of216 games since 1980 prior to his arrival as well as leading them to the2009 Southwestern Athletic Conference title earned him a EddieRobinson Award as a nation's best Football ChampionshipSubdivision head football coach. Now Frazier looks to do a same at North Carolina Central which isnow eligible to compete for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conferencetitle. Saturday's homecoming matchup against a program he calledthe conference's "premier flagship team" in South Carolina Statecould serve as a barometer in determining where a Eagles stand intheir rebuilding phase. "They are such a good football team," Frazier said during Tuesday'sMEAC teleconference. "When you watch them on film, they doeverything extremely well." North Carolina Central (1-3, 0-1) is coming off a bye week whichwas preceded by back-to-back frustrating home losses to Elon(23-22) as well as Savannah State (33-30). The latter setback saw theEagles amass a season-high 420 yards of total offense, 315 comingoff a arm of quarterback Michael Johnson, but commit threeturnovers which resulted in 13 second-half points for a visitingTigers. A week earlier, a missed extra point by freshman place-kicker OlegParent as well as botched snap on a potential game-winning field goalproved dear for a Eagles. "Anytime you lose, especially right before a bye week, you've ! got acou ple of weeks to kind of stew in a little bit," he said. "Sowe're ready to get back in as well as we have a formidable opponent inSouth Carolina State. But nonetheless, we're ready to getback." Despite a setbacks, Frazier still believes a program is on theright path. "It's a routine as well as I still have a captive audience in terms of myfootball team," he said. "I told them after a Savannah State game... you still have to give me your all. We just have to learn andstay focused on a right teams. But they're still with me. I toldthem I'm not going to blow this team up, but if I have a sense thatthe guys are going rogue as well as doing their own thing, then it'll be atrue freshman in a future. We've got about 25 freshman we'reredshirting as well as we have quite a few kids that's sitting out thisyear. So we'll get better. But as long as a guys that's on thefield give me their all as well as come to work as well as going to investigate hall,going to class, doing all a little things, then we'll keep ongoing on this path. But if I sense that they're not, I'll blow itup." When asked if a Bulldogs were vulnerable coming off a 17-14 lossat Norfolk State, Frazier said either a Eagles would get"smashed" or play a good game. The key for North Carolina Centralis to have a same strong belief as well as focus in victory as NorfolkState did. This is a first meeting between two of a charter members of theMEAC since 1993. The Bulldogs hold a 10-8 lead in a series andhave won a last six meetings dating back to 1975. Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 1:30 p.m. at Oliver C.Dawson Stadium Bulldogs drop in Black College polls A week after reigning number one in a major black college! football polls, South Carolina State took a precipitous dropfollowing last Saturday's loss to Norfolk State. The Bulldogs fell to fourth in a Heritage Sports Radio Network'sTop 10 as well as fifth in both SBN Sports as well as a Boxtorow.com rankings.Alabama State moved up to a top spot in all four polls, whileNorfolk State ranked second in a Heritage Sports Radio Networkand Bowtorow.com polls. HERITAGE SPORTS RADIO NETWORK TOP 10 BCF POLL 1. Alabama State Hornets (14) 4-1 237 2. Norfolk State Spartans (10) 4-1 232 3. Jackson State Tigers 4-1 177 4. South Carolina State Bulldogs 2-3 166 5. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (1) 2-2 160 6. Hampton Pirates 2-2 132 7. Florida A&M Rattlers 3-2 112 8. Alabama A&M Bulldogs 3-2 68 9. Prairie View A&M Panthers 3-2 33 10. Texas Southern Tigers 2-2 26 Others receiving votes (in order of points): Arkansas-Pine Bluff24, North Carolina A&T 8. SBN SPORTS BCF TOP 10 1. Alabama State Hornets (17) 4-1 259 2. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (8) 2-2 238 3. Norfolk State Spartans (5) 4-1 197 4. Albany State Golden Rams 3-1 134 5. South Carolina State Bulldogs 2-3 123 ! 6. Winston-Salem State Rams 5-0 97 7. Jackson State Tigers 4-1 75 8. Florida A&M Rattlers 3-2 68 9. Hampton Pirates 2-2 52 10. Morehouse Maroon Tigers 4-1 36 Others receiving votes (in order of points): Prairie View 28,Arkansas-Pine Bluff 23, Stillman 21, Alabama A&M 18, TexasSouthern 16. BOXTOROW HBCU FOOTBALL MEDIA TOP 10 1. Alabama State (13) 4-1 169 2. Norfolk State (5) 4-1 145 3. Jackson State 4-1 129 4. Albany State 4-1 126 5. South Carolina State 2-3 117 6. Bethune-Cookman 2-2 113 7. Winston-Salem State (1) 5-0 78 8. Hampton 2-2 59 9. Florida A&M 3-2 57 10. Morehouse 4-1 21 Others receiving votes: Alabama A&M (3-2) 11, Prairie ViewA&M (3-2) 7, Texas Southern (2-2) 5, Stillman (4-1) 5,Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-2) 1, Virginia Union (3-2) 1, Bowie State(3-2) 1. BOXTOROW FCS HBCU FOOTBALL COACHES TOP 10 1. Alabama State (10) 4-1 125 2. Norfolk State (2) 4-1 113 3. Jackson State (1) 4-1 104 4. Bethune-Cookman 2-2 82 5. South Carolina State 2-3 68 6. Hampton 2-2 59 ! 7. Florida A&M 3-2 55 8. Alabama A&M 3-2 37 9. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3-2 30 10. Prairie View A&M 3-2 27 Others receiving votes: North Carolina A&T (2-2) 5, Southern(2-3) 3, Texas Southern (2-2) 3. Contact a writer: tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by calling(803) 533-5547. For more information about S.C. State athletics,visit www.thebulldogzone.com. Follow him onTwitter@TandDSports.com.
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