MEAC Opener on ESPN2: North Carolina Central at Delaware State
MEAC play opens Friday night in Dover, where Delaware State hosts North Carolina Central at 5 p.m. ET at Alumni Stadium. The game airs nationally on ESPN2, and both teams are coming off a bye.
It is the 32nd meeting in a series that dates to 1945. North Carolina Central leads 23-8, has won 10 of the last 12, and Trei Oliver is 5-1 against the Hornets as head coach.
The one loss came last season, when Delaware State won 35-26 in Durham. Kaiden Bennett threw three touchdown passes to NyGhee Lolley, and Marquis Gillis ran for two scores in the fourth quarter.
The first Toyota Championship Projection gives Delaware State a 7.3% chance to reach the Celebration Bowl and North Carolina Central a 0.7% chance. The Road to Atlanta: Every Path to the MEAC Title and the Celebration Bowl breaks down both teams’ conference schedules.
About North Carolina Central
North Carolina Central (2-5) closed nonconference play with four straight losses. The last was a 17-14 Homecoming loss to William & Mary on Oct. 10, a game in which the Eagles outgained the Tribe 439 to 221 and ran for a season-high 282 yards.
The biggest question is at quarterback. Oliver said Josh Jones has been banged up all season, and Nelson Layne was hurt in the Campbell game, leaving Cobey Thompkins as the healthy quarterback during the bye week. Oliver called Jones and Layne day-by-day decisions.
Layne has thrown for 781 yards and accounted for eight touchdowns. Thompkins has thrown for 229 yards and run for 109, most of it on a 98-yard day against William & Mary that included a 69-yard touchdown run.
Plez Lawrence leads the Eagles with 317 rushing yards. Chance Peterson, the MEAC’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, has 33 catches for 348 yards.
The defense has forced 16 turnovers, at least one in every game, tying it for third in the FCS. Its eight fumble recoveries are tied for the FCS lead. Zarion Walters leads the team with 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
Safety Joshua Truesdale, who leads the Eagles with 52 tackles, is back this week, and so is cornerback Terrence Brown.
Freshman kicker Riley Daniels is 10-for-13 on field goals but missed one against William & Mary. Oliver said the staff is working with him on his plant foot and hip position, and that he would rather his offense score touchdowns “and take the pressure off the young fella.”
Oliver also expects the conditions in Dover to be a factor. “That’s a tough place to play, especially this time of year,” he said. “Usually, it’s real cold up there, gloomy, very windy. The wind’s coming off the water, and it’s usually swirling winds.”
About Delaware State
Delaware State (4-3) is 4-0 at Alumni Stadium, with home wins over Stony Brook, Bowie State, Towson and Franklin Pierce, and 0-3 on the road. The Hornets have alternated wins and losses all season and are coming off a 34-0 Homecoming shutout of Franklin Pierce.
DeSean Jackson is in his second season. His first produced eight wins and a 4-1 MEAC record, Delaware State’s best season since 2007. The Hornets were picked third in the MEAC preseason poll with two first-place votes, behind South Carolina State and North Carolina Central.
Quarterback Ui Ale has completed nearly 61% of his passes for 1,050 yards and four touchdowns, and he adds 42.5 rushing yards a game. The Hornets run for 187.6 yards per game.
Safety Kemari Nix leads the MEAC with 47 tackles and has 7.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Oliver said the Eagles have to “stop the run defensively” and keep Delaware State’s “very athletic and mobile” quarterbacks in the pocket. He also pointed to a strong Hornets defensive line and called their linebackers “very fast and athletic.”
