BALTIMORE, Md. – In a physical Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener, No. 10 North Carolina Central University took advantage of a pair of turnovers to overcome a halftime deficit for a 16-10 road victory over Morgan State University on Thursday night, televised live on ESPNU.

Sophomore cornerback Jason Chambers returned an interception 44 yards, his third consecutive game with a pick, to set up the Eagles' lone touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Senior receiver Tynez Warner took a five-yard pass from senior quarterback Davius Richard to the end zone to break a 3-3 tie and put NCCU ahead for good.

Chambers later recovered a fumble that was forced by senior safety Manny Smith (6 tackles), resulting in a field goal by Adrian Olivo to push the advantage to 13-3 with 6:58 left in the contest.

Olivo added a 41-yard field goal, his third of the night, with just 1:44 on the clock to ice the win. The senior kicker now owns 250 career points, which ranks second in NCCU history and 30 points from the school record.

Richard completed 16-of-30 passes for 122 yards, while rushing for 29 yards on 11 carries. Senior running back Latrell Collier posted 43 ground yards and four receptions. Junior receiver Devin Smith also tallied four catches for 29 yards.

Morgan State's defense, topped by Erick Hunter's 11 tackles, held NCCU to just 122 passing yards and 201 total yards, the fewest yards by the Eagles in both categories since Sept. 11, 2021, at Marshall.

The Bears (1-5, 0-1 MEAC) accumulate 285 total yards, including 118 yards rushing. MSU scored on a 40-yard pass play from Dominique Anthony to Jospeh Owumi to make it a one-possession contest with just 33 seconds on the clock, but the ensuing onside kick bounced out of bounds.

No. 10 NCCU (6-1, 1-0 MEAC) returns to MEAC play by hosting South Carolina State University on Thursday, Oct. 26 on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m.

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