North Carolina Central entered Dover with a 0.7% chance of reaching the Celebration Bowl in the first Toyota Championship Projection, the lowest of any MEAC team. Freshman Gino Addison did not seem to notice. He ran for 214 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries Friday at Alumni Stadium, the best game of his career, and the Eagles opened MEAC play with a 31-12 win over Delaware State, which entered the night at 7.3%.

The win snapped North Carolina Central’s four-game losing streak (3-5, 1-0 MEAC) and handed Delaware State (4-4, 0-1 MEAC) its first home loss of the season.

The Eagles controlled the game on the ground. They ran for 272 yards, their third 200-yard rushing game of the season and their second in a row, and outgained the Hornets 427-257. North Carolina Central held the ball for 37:18, got 28 first downs to Delaware State’s 14, and scored on all five trips inside the red zone.

A Rough Start, Then Control

Delaware State scored first, and it didn’t take much to do it. On the second play of the first drive, freshman defensive back Amari Sifford intercepted Jayden Sauray, but Jaron Kelley forced a fumble on the return, and Terrence Rone recovered at the North Carolina Central 26. Kyree Benton ran 26 yards for a touchdown on the next play, and the extra point was no good, leaving it 6-0 less than a minute and a half into the game.

North Carolina Central answered with an eight-play, 64-yard drive. Addison broke runs of 11 and 18 yards, and Zion Dobson scored from 5 yards out on fourth down. Riley Daniels’ extra point gave the Eagles a 7-6 lead with 4:36 left in the first quarter.

Daniels added a 25-yard field goal with 3:05 left in the half to cap a 15-play, 77-yard drive that took 7:09. Delaware State reached midfield on its next possession, but Sifford came up with his second interception at the North Carolina Central 5 with 1:11 left, and the Eagles took a 10-6 lead into halftime.

Addison Takes Over

The Eagles opened the second half with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that ate 8:34 off the clock. Addison converted a fourth-and-2 at the Delaware State 12, then scored from 6 yards out to give the Eagles a 17-6 lead with 6:26 left in the third quarter.

Delaware State drove to North Carolina Central on its next possession, but Patrick Fisher-Butler’s 47-yard field-goal attempt fell short. The Eagles went 71 yards in seven plays the other way. Addison ripped off a 22-yard run, then finished the drive with a 16-yard touchdown run with 13:35 left for a 24-6 lead.

The defense then put it away. Zarion Walters sacked Ui Ale, and Khareem Thompson and Isaiah Lawson combined to sack Marqui Adams on third down, forcing a punt from the Delaware State 8. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the return gave North Carolina Central the ball at the Delaware State 19, and two plays later Cobey Thompkins found tight end Luke Bracey for a 21-yard touchdown with 2:06 left. Adams ran for a 10-yard touchdown on the Hornets’ final play.

The Numbers

Addison averaged 6.9 yards a carry and now has 456 rushing yards in six games, the most on the team. Dobson added 57 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

Thompkins started at quarterback and completed 15 of 18 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. Mehki Wall caught three passes for 49 yards, including a 34-yarder, and also returned three punts for 29 yards. Chance Peterson caught four for 33 yards, and Reginald Lancaster caught three for 38.

Sifford’s two interceptions bring his total to three for the season, and North Carolina Central now has 10 interceptions and 18 takeaways. Walters led the Eagles with six tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss, and the defense held Delaware State to 1-of-8 on third down.

“We hungry, man,” Sifford said. “Every practice, every game, we want to get it. We preach turnovers, punching the ball out, playing with good eye discipline.”

Delaware State used three quarterbacks. Ale completed 9 of 10 passes for 74 yards; Sauray threw 2-of-7 for 50 yards, with both interceptions; and Adams went 1-for-3. Jaylin Terzado caught two passes for 65 yards, including a 46-yarder. Linebacker Jordan Banks made 14 tackles with four tackles for loss and a sack.

What’s Next

Trei Oliver is now 6-1 against Delaware State and two wins shy of 50 for his career, and North Carolina Central has won 11 of the last 13 meetings in the series.

Sifford was already looking ahead. “The MEAC play now is playoffs, so everybody 0-0,” he said. “So this one win under our belt. We got to go get it next week.”

North Carolina Central hosts Howard at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Delaware State meets Norfolk State in Philadelphia the same day. The Road to Atlanta: Every Path to the MEAC Title and the Celebration Bowl lays out what is left for both teams.