Title Image via Doug Burt
Courtesy of North Carolina Central Athletics
THE GAME
Delaware State University “Hornets” vs. #14 North Carolina Central University “Eagles”
THE KICKOFF
Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 – Kickoff at 2:00 p.m.
THE SITE
O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity) – Durham, N.C.
THE RECORDS
#14 N.C. Central (8-2 overall, 3-1 MEAC); Delaware State (1-9, 0-4 MEAC)
MEDIA COVERAGE
TV/Video: ESPN+
QUICK HITS
• NCCU is ranked 14th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Top 25 poll and 17th in the Stats Perform FCS poll.
• NCCU will repeat as MEAC champions with a win over Delaware State and a Morgan State victory over Howard.
• NCCU’s 8-1 start was the best during the program’s NCAA Division I-FCS era. In NCCU’s final season of NCAA Division II competition, the 2006 Eagles won their first 11 games before losing in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.
• The Eagles are 21-4 (.840) dating back to the last three games of the 2021 season.
• NCCU leads the series against Delaware State, 21-7. The Eagles have won 12 of the last 14 contests against the Hornets.
• After a homecoming victory over Norfolk State (Nov. 4), the Eagles extended their home win streak to 10 games, including a 4-0 record inside O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium last season. NCCU’s last setback at home was on Oct. 30, 2021, to SC State.
• NCCU leads the nation (FCS) in fourth down conversions (81.8%) and ranks third in turnovers lost (6 = 3 fumbles, 3 INT), and fifth in red zone offense (91.7%).
• The Eagles top the MEAC and rank 11th in the nation (FCS) in scoring with an average of 34.8 points per game.
• NCCU quarterback Davius Richard tops the nation (FCS) in points responsible for (19.3 points per game), and ranks third in rushing touchdowns (14), and fourth in scoring (9.3 points per game).
• NCCU return specialist Brandon Codrington tops the nation (FCS) in punt returns, averaging 22.3 yards per return, and is one of only three players in the nation with two punt return touchdowns.
• NCCU quarterback Davius Richard already holds NCCU career records for rushing touchdowns (40), total touchdowns (40), and touchdowns responsible for (107). He is on the verge of eclipsing more NCCU records. Richard needs three rushing touchdowns to break NCCU’s single-season record, 15 pass completions to break the school’s career standard, and 385 yards of total offense to surpass the NCCU career record for total yards.
• NCCU kicker Adrian Olivo is 12 points away from breaking the NCCU career scoring record, held by kicker Brandon Gilbert (2004-08) with 279 points. He could also break Gilbert’s career records with three field goals and six extra-point kicks.
• Senior running back Latrell “Mookie” Collier ranks eighth in NCCU career rushing yards with 2,190.
• A host of NCCU Eagles are leading the way in the MEAC, including quarterback Davius Richard (14 rushing touchdowns/84 points/2,073 yards of total offense), wide receiver Devin Smith (32 receptions), linebacker Jayden Flaker (63 tackles, 2 forced fumbles), defensive back Kole Jones (2 forced fumbles), cornerback Jason Chambers (3 interceptions), kicker Adrian Olivo (8 field goals), and return specialist Brandon Codrington (22.3 punt return yards/game, 2 punt return TD).
• NCCU senior quarterback Davius Richard rushed for four touchdowns against Campbell to tie the school record, which was last accomplished 24 years ago. Richard’s third score versus the Camels broke the NCCU record for career rushing touchdowns, previously held by Gerald Fraylon (1981-84) with 31. Richard now has 40 career rushing touchdowns, which is also a new NCCU career record for total touchdowns scored, passing prior record-holder Robert Clark (WR, 1983-86) with 38.
• NCCU’s Davius Richard ranks second in NCCU history with 8,343 career passing yards, 10,283 yards of total offense, and 67 career passing touchdowns, trailing only NCCU hall of famer Earl “Air” Harvey (1985-88).
• Davius Richard’s 107 career touchdowns responsible for (67 pass, 40 rush) is a new record in NCCU history, as he passed quarterback Earl Harvey’s 106 TD responsible for (86 pass, 20 rush).
• Senior quarterback Davius Richard completed 64.0% of his passes in 2022 to break NCCU’s single-season record. During his standout four-year career at NCCU, Richard owns a completion percentage of 57.9%, which is on pace to break the school’s career completion percentage of 56.6% held by Malcolm Bell (2013-16).
• NCCU’s 62 points scored versus SC State on Oct. 26 are the most by the Eagles against a MEAC opponent and the seventh-most points scored in program history.
• Oct. 26 versus SC State marked the first time NCCU had two Eagles with 100 receiving yards in a game (receiver Devin Smith, 103 yards; running back J’Mari Taylor, 100 yards) since Sept. 29, 2007, against Presbyterian.
• Walker Harris passed for five touchdowns, the most by a NCCU quarterback in 18 years, during a 45-3 victory over Mississippi Valley State University in the Circle City Classic inside Lucas Oil Stadium. Harris’s five touchdowns through the air are the most by an Eagle since Aug. 27, 2005, when Adrian Warren set the NCCU game record with seven touchdown passes versus Edward Waters.
• Since the start of the 2012 season, NCCU has scored 46 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including three scores this season.
• Following the 45-3 win over Mississippi Valley State in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 23, 2023, NCCU improved its record to 7-2 in games played in an NFL stadium since 2000.
• NCCU is under the direction of fourth-season head coach Trei Oliver, who was an all-region safety and punter (1994-97) at NCCU, as well as an Eagles’ assistant coach (2003-06).
2022 NOTES:
• NCCU is coming off a 10-win campaign that included a MEAC championship and an HBCU national title.
• In 2022, NCCU won its first MEAC football championship since 2016, and defeated No. 5 Jackson State University, 41-34, in an overtime thriller in the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The victory delivered the university’s fourth HBCU national championship title, joining the company of those captured in 1954, 2005 and 2006.
• The 2022 NCCU Eagles became just the third team in school history to win 10 games in a season and earned the program’s highest NCAA Division I-FCS national ranking (at the time) at No. 17 in the final American Football Coaches Association Coaches’ Poll.
• Under the direction of 2022 MEAC Coach of the Year Trei Oliver, last season the Eagles celebrated non-conference FCS triumphs over North Carolina A&T, Tennessee Tech, No. 25 New Hampshire, and No. 5 Jackson State.
• The 2022 Eagles shattered NCCU single-season offensive records, including points scored (463 points), first downs (273), and total offense (5,344 yards/445.3 ypg). NCCU led NCAA Division I-FCS in third down conversions (55.8%) and ranked fifth in the nation in scoring (38.6 points per game). Defensively, NCCU topped the NCAA Division I-FCS in red zone defense and ranked 20th in the nation in both scoring defense (21.5 points allowed per game) and total defense (333.6 yards allowed per game).
• During NCCU’s 22-20 road victory over Tennessee Tech on Nov. 19, 2022, NCCU played its first penalty-free game, dating back to at least 1994.
• NCCU’s Davius Richard is just the second quarterback in NCCU history to record 2,000 passing yards in three consecutive seasons, joining NCCU hall of famer Earl Harvey (1985-88). Richard threw for 2,020 yards in 2019, 2,133 yards in 2021, and 2,661 yards in 2022.
• NCCU kicker Adrian Olivo broke the NCCU single-season record with 51 extra-point kicks in 2022.
THE SERIES
This will be the 29th meeting in the series between the Eagles and the Hornets since the teams first played in 1945. NCCU leads the series against Delaware State, 21-7. The Eagles have won 12 of the last 14 contests. NCCU owns an 12-3 advantage against the Hornets in Durham, with the Eagles winning the last seven matchups in the Bull City. DSU’s last win in Durham was in 1977.
NCCU vs. Delaware State Series Results:
10/29/2022 – NCCU 28, DSU 21 (Dover, Del.)
11/20/2021 – NCCU 34, DSU 28 OT (Durham, N.C.)
10/26/2019 – NCCU 30, DSU 23 (Durham, N.C.)
10/27/2018 – DSU 28, NCCU 13 (Dover, Del.)
10/28/2017 – NCCU 42, DSU 14 (Durham, N.C.)
11/5/2016 – NCCU 38, DSU 19 (Dover, Del.)
11/7/2015 – NCCU 43, DSU 10 (Durham, N.C.)
11/3/2012 – NCCU 23, DSU 20 – 2OT (Durham, N.C.)
11/5/2011 – NCCU 14, DSU 7 (Dover, Del.)
11/6/2010 – DSU 29, NCCU 7 (Dover, Del.)
9/11/2004 – NCCU 26, DSU 23 (Dover, Del.)
9/20/2003 – NCCU 21, DSU 14 (Durham, N.C.)
9/21/1996 – NCCU 21, DSU 16 (Atlantic City, N.J.)
10/13/1979 – NCCU 31, DSU 26 (Durham, N.C.)
10/14/1978 – DSU 16, NCCU 13 (Dover, Del.)
10/15/1977 – DSU 23, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
10/16/1976 – NCCU 27, DSU 6 (Dover, Del.)
10/18/1975 – NCCU 16, DSU 14 (Durham, N.C.)
10/19/1974 – NCCU 7, DSU 0 (Dover, Del.)
10/13/1973 – NCCU 32, DSU 7 (Durham, N.C.)
10/14/1972 – DSU 14, NCCU 10 (Dover, Del.)
10/16/1971 – NCCU 34, DSU 3 (Durham, N.C.)
10/7/1950 – NCC 13, DSU 0 (Dover, Del.)
10/22/1949 – NCC 27, DSU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
9/25/1948 – NCC 14, DSU 0 (Dover, Del.)
9/27/1947 – DSU 7, NCC 0 (Durham, N.C.)
9/28/1946 – NCC 32, DSU 6 (Durham, N.C.)
9/29/1945 – DSU 13, NCC 12 (Durham, N.C.)
THE COACHES
NCCU: Trei Oliver (N.C. Central, 1998) is in his fourth season as a college head coach. With more than two decades of college coaching experience that includes six conference championships and four Black college football national titles, Oliver returned to his alma mater as North Carolina Central University’s 24th head football coach in December 2018. A native of Yorktown, Virginia, Oliver earned all-conference and all-region honors as a defensive back and punter during his four-year playing career at NCCU from 1994-97. The 1998 graduate later returned to NCCU as an assistant coach from 2003-06, helping the Eagles to back-to-back Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships in 2005 and 2006.
Delaware State: Lee Hull (Holy Cross, 1988) was introduced as the 24th head coach in team history on Dec. 20, 2022. A former MEAC champion head coach, Hull most recently served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at rival Howard University since 2020. Hull’s MEAC experience also includes a two-year stint as head coach at Morgan State during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Following his two years at Morgan State, Hull joined the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League as wide receivers coach before the 2016 season.
EAGLES IN TOP-25
The NCCU Eagles received their first national ranking as a Division I-FCS program on Nov. 7, 2016, when the FCS Coaches Poll announced NCCU at No. 25. By the end of the 2016 regular season, the Eagles jumped to No. 18 and finished at No. 19 in the final FCS Coaches poll. NCCU ranked No. 22 in the final 2016 STATS FCS Top 25 poll. NCCU achieved a national ranking of No. 17 in the final 2022 AFCA FCS Coaches’ poll. On Nov. 6, 2023, the Eagles soared to their highest national ranking at No. 7 in the AFCA Coaches poll and the Stats Perform poll.
Nov. 13, 2023 – #14 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #17 Stats Perform
Nov. 6, 2023 – #7 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #7 Stats Perform
Oct. 30, 2023 – #9 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #12 Stats Perform
Oct. 23, 2023 – #10 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #13 Stats Perform
Oct. 16, 2023 – #10 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #16 Stats Perform
Oct. 9, 2023 – #9 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #14 Stats Perform
Oct. 2, 2023 – #11 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #14 Stats Perform
Sept. 25, 2023 – #13 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #15 Stats Perform
Sept. 18, 2023 – #18 Stats Perform FCS Top 25 / #19 AFCA Coaches’
Sept. 11, 2023 – #17 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #17 Stats Perform
Sept. 4, 2023 – #18 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #18 Stats Perform
Jan. 9, 2023 – #17 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 / #21 Stats Perform (Final 2022)
Nov. 21, 2022 – #21 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25
Nov. 14, 2022 – #25 AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25
Sept. 19, 2022 – #25 Stats Perform FCS Top 25
Oct. 16, 2017 – #25 STATS FCS Top 25
Oct. 9, 2017 – #25 STATS FCS Top 25
Jan. 9, 2017 – #19 FCS Coaches Poll / #22 STATS FCS Top 25 (Final 2016)
Nov. 21, 2016 – #18 FCS Coaches Poll / #20 STATS FCS Top 25
Nov. 14, 2016 – #20 FCS Coaches Poll / #24 STATS FCS Top 25
Nov. 7, 2016 – #25 FCS Coaches Poll
HOME SWEET HOME
The Eagles extended their home win streak to 10 games with a homecoming victory over Norfolk State (Nov. 4) and by posting a 4-0 record inside O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium last season. In those four 2022 triumphs, NCCU out-scored its opponents, 209-55, averaging 52.3 points and 502.8 yards of total offense per contest. Defensively, the Eagles held the opposition to just 13.8 points and 214.5 total yards per game. That equates to a differential of +38.5 points and +288.3 total yards per outing.
EAGLES AGAINST NATIONALLY-RANKED OPPOSITION
Since the start of the transition to NCAA Division I-FCS in 2007, NCCU is 6-13 against nationally-ranked FCS opponents. The Eagles knocked off No. 25 Elon on the road on Oct. 7, 2023. Last season, the Eagles took down No. 25 New Hampshire on Sept. 17, 2022, and No. 5 Jackson State on Dec. 17, 2022.
10/7/2023 – #25 Elon – 34-23 W
12/17/2022 – #5 Jackson State – 41-34 OT W
9/17/2022 – #25 New Hampshire – 45-27 W
9/7/2019 – #8 Towson – 3-42 L
11/17/2018 – #12 North Carolina A&T – 0-45 L
11/18/2017 – #7 North Carolina A&T – 10-24 L
12/17/2016 – #14 Grambling – 9-10 L
11/19/2016 – #9 North Carolina A&T – 42-21 W
11/21/2015 – #13 North Carolina A&T – 21-16 W
11/22/2014 – #24 North Carolina A&T – 21-14 W
11/1/2014 – #20 Bethune-Cookman – 20-34 L
11/2/2013 – #13 Bethune-Cookman – 14-38 L
9/21/2013 – #4 Towson – 17-35 L
10/23/2010 – #14 Bethune-Cookman – 10-23 L
9/18/2010 – #1 Appalachian State – 16-44 L
10/10/2009 – #9 Appalachian State – 21-55 L
9/12/2009 – #24 Liberty – 10-35 L
11/8/2008 – #3 Cal Poly – 3-49 L
9/6/2008 – #8 James Madison – 7-56 L
EAGLES TURN DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS INTO POINTS
Since the start of the 2012 season, the Eagles have demonstrated a knack for finding the end zone when the offense is off the field. In the past 123 games, NCCU has scored 47 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including four this season. In 2023, the Eagles have tallied 85-yard and 81-yard punt returns by Brandon Codrington, along with a 20-yard fumble return by Max U’Ren and a kickoff return recovery by Romeo Stancil. Other non-offensive touchdowns include a 33-yard interception return by Khalil Baker at New Hampshire in 2022, two in 2021, two in 2019, two in 2018, three in 2017, three in 2016, six in 2015, five in 2014, nine in 2013 and 10 in 2012. In that time, the Eagles have made trips to the end zone on 17 punt returns, eight kickoff returns, three blocked field goal returns, 13 interceptions and five fumble recoveries.
HARD TIMES AGAINST FBS OPPONENTS
Since departing the NCAA Division II ranks at the end of the 2006 season, the Eagles have lined up against a NCAA Division I-FBS opponent 13 times, all resulting in losses. UCLA was the first nationally-ranked FBS foe NCCU faced.
Sept. 16, 2023 at #24 UCLA (7-59 L)
Sept. 11, 2021 at Marshall (10-44 L)
Sept. 22, 2018 at Duke (13-55 L)
Sept. 2, 2017 at Duke (7-60 L)
Sept. 10, 2016 at Western Michigan (21-70 L)
Sept. 3, 2016 at Duke (6-49 L)
Sept. 19, 2015 at FIU (14-39 L)
Sept. 12, 2015 at Duke (0-55 L)
Aug. 30, 2014 at East Carolina (7-52 L)
Aug. 31, 2013 at Duke (0-45 L)
Sept. 15, 2012 at Duke (17-54 L)
Sept. 1, 2011 at Rutgers (0-48 L)
Sept. 26, 2009 at Duke (14-49 L)
NCCU EAGLES IN NFL VENUES
Since 2000, NCCU has played in NFL venues 10 times with an 8-2 record. During that time, NCCU’s only losses were in the Georgia Dome (2016, 2010).
Recent Trips to NFL Stadiums:
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis Colts (Sept. 23, 2023 vs. MVSU – W, 45-3)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta Falcons (Dec. 17, 2022 vs. Jackson St. – W 41-34 OT)
Bank of America Stadium – Carolina Panthers (Sept. 3, 2022 vs. N.C. A&T – W 28-13)
Georgia Dome – Atlanta Falcons (Dec. 17, 2016 vs. Grambling – L, 9-10)
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis Colts (Oct. 6, 2012 vs. S.C. State – W, 40-10)
Cleveland Browns Stadium (Sept. 10, 2011 vs. Central State – W, 42-3)
Georgia Dome – Atlanta Falcons (Oct. 16, 2010 vs. Georgia State – L, 17-20 OT)
Giants Stadium – New York Giants (Sept. 15, 2007 vs. Elizabeth City State – W, 18-10)
Ericsson Stadium – Carolina Panthers (Nov. 4, 2001 vs. Johnson C. Smith – W, 34-3)
Veterans Stadium – Philadelphia Eagles (Sept. 30, 2000 vs. Morris Brown – W, 19-16)
ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL
• North Carolina Central University is in its 12th season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletics competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
• The Eagles have won 12 conference championships as members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1953, 1954, 1956, 1961, 1963, 1980, 2005, 2006) and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (1972, 1973, 2016, 2022), and have made three appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs (1988, 2005, 2006). The Eagles won back-to-back football conference championships and a Black College National Championship in their final two years in the Division II ranks (2005 and 2006) before starting the transition to Division I in 2007.
• During its storied gridiron tradition, NCCU has produced 156 all-conference selections (first team), 71 all-Americans, 41 NFL draft picks, 12 conference championships and four Black College National Championships (1954, 2005, 2006, 2022).
• Three Eagles have represented NCCU on the National Football League’s grandest stage – the Super Bowl. The first NCCU Eagle to make a Super Bowl appearance was Richard Sligh, who was a reserve tackle with the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II against the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 14, 1968. Sligh, who holds the distinction as the tallest player in NFL history (7’0″), played at NCCU from 1962-64 and was later drafted by the Raiders in the 10th round of the 1967 NFL draft. On Jan. 24, 1982, former NCCU Eagle Louis Breeden was a starting cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI against the San Francisco 49ers. Earlier in the season (Nov. 8, 1981), Breeden intercepted a pass thrown by San Diego Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts and returned it a team-record 102 yards for a touchdown. The following year, he was selected as a First-Team All-Pro. He completed his 10-year NFL career with 33 interceptions for 558 return yards and two touchdowns. The third Eagle to play in the Super Bowl was Ryan Smith with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Feb. 7, 2021, as Smith became the first NCCU Eagle to play in a Super Bowl victory.
• The first Eagle selected in the NFL Draft was Matt Boone, who was taken by the Giants with the eighth pick in the 18th round in 1956. The latest Eagle announced during the NFL Draft was Ryan Smith, who was chosen by the Buccaneers in the fourth round in 2016. NCCU’s highest draft pick was Doug Wilkerson, who was selected in the first round with the 14th overall pick of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Oilers. The Eagles have also had three second-round NFL draft picks, including Robert Massey in 1989 by the Saints, Charles Smith in 1975 by the Broncos and Chuck Hinton in 1962 by the Browns.
• HBCU football pioneer John Brown, who represented NCCU (then North Carolina College) on the gridiron in the 1940s, was one of the first to play professional football out of a historically Black college or university. Brown shares the honor with Ezzret Anderson of Kentucky State and Elmore Harris of Morgan State, who all began their professional football careers in 1947. Brown and Anderson were teammates on the Los Angeles Dons, while Harris was a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. According to NCCU records, Brown was the first of the three to sign a professional football contract. He played center and linebacker with the Dons from 1947-49, before moving to the Canadian Football League.
