DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University football program will celebrate Homecoming on Saturday, welcoming Morgan State to O'Kelly Riddick Stadium as conference play resumes for the Eagles.

The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. It will air live on ESPN+, then re-air on ESPNU at 11 p.m.

Series History: This will be the 46th meeting on the gridiron between NCCU and Morgan State since the teams first played on Nov. 15, 1930. The Bears hold a 23-19-2 advantage in the all-time series. The Bears won the first five contests, then rolled off another five-game win streak from 1964-68, outscoring the Eagles 125-7 during that stretch, including four straight shutouts. NCCU posted a pair of three-game win streaks, from 1957-59 and from 1972-74, and is currently riding a six-game win streak from 2015-23. 

Last Time Out: The Eagles (5-2, 1-0 MEAC) were idle this past weekend, and two weeks ago, they wrapped up the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 68-0 win over Virginia University of Lynchburg. Quarterback Walker Harris threw three touchdown passes, and five Eagles recorded rushing touchdowns.

The Bears (3-4, 0-0 MEAC) are also coming off their bye week; on Oct. 12, they fell 32-24 to Merrimack College in their 2024 non-conference finale. Myles Miree had two rushing touchdowns for Morgan State, and J.J. Davis added another as the Bears racked up 142 yards on the ground.

Taylor Made: N.C. Central has been known for producing some great running backs, and J'Mari Taylor is cut from the same fabric as the others. Taylor has rushed for 594 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 84.9 rushing  yards per game. He has 16 receptions for 152 yards and two touchdowns. He has scored at least one touchdown running the ball in every game he has played in this season. Taylor leads the team and the MEAC in scoring with 66 points. He is currently 12th in NCAA FCS rushing touchdowns (9), ninth in scoring (9.4) and eighth in total touchdowns (11).

Quick on the Uptake: In games against North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State, Markell Quick had a combined nine receptions for 243 yards and three touchdowns. Over that span, he recorded two catches of 60 yards or more. In the game against North Carolina A&T, Quick had four catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Against Norfolk State, he had five catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns. It marked his first 100-yard receiving game, and the first multi-touchdown game of his career.

No Fly Zone: The Eagles secondary has gotten tougher as the season has progressed, and they were tested against Campbell; the Camels came into that game having thrown over 1,224 yards passing on the season. NC Central defense held Campbell to just 103 yards passing and allowed quarterback Chad Mascoe to complete just 10 passes for 92 yards while also throwing two interceptions. N.C. Central's secondary has recorded nine interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, 21 pass breakups and 15 quarterback hurries going into the Morgan State game. The Eagles defense is ranked 17th in the NCAA in total defense (311.4) and fourth in defensive touchdowns (3).

Red Zone Success: This season, the Eagles have made 29 trips into the red zone and have come away with points each time except one. The one time N.C. Central didn't come away with points was because the Eagles decided to take a knee to end the game against Norfolk State. 

Twenty-five of those red-zone trips have resulted in touchdowns, an 86% conversion rate. NCCU ranks fourth in the NCAA FCS and leads the MEAC in red zone offense (96.6%). 

The Coaches: Trei Oliver (N.C. Central, 1998) is in his fifth season as a college head coach. With 24 years of college coaching experience that includes five conference championships and three 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, Va., 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.

Damon Wilson enters his third season as Morgan's head coach. He previously spent 13 seasons as the head coach at Bowie State University, where he achieved three straight Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) conference championships.

NCCU the MEAC Favorite: The 2022 MEAC champion and HBCU national champion Eagles were selected as the preseason favorite to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) for the second straight season.

Four Eagles made the preseason first team: Trevon Humphrey (OL), Jaden Taylor (DL), Kole Jones (DB) and Juan Velarde (P/K). Four more Eagles were on the second team list: J'Mari Taylor (RB), Joaquin Davis (WR), Ja'Quan Sprinkle (OL), and Max U'Ren (LB).

Nationally, NCCU is ranked 20th in the Stats Perform Top 25 poll and tied for 21st in the AFCA poll..

Youth Movement: Underclassmen have played a significant role with the Eagles during the first seven games this season, and that shows just how much youth is on this team. There are 56 underclassmen on the roster (freshman or sophomore), and they continue to play snaps for the Eagles. Seven games into the season, 45 of the 56 underclassmen have seen playing time.

A North Carolina State of Mind: NCCU's emphasis on recruiting talent in North Carolina is demonstrated with 63 Eagles calling the Tar Heel state their home out of the 110 student-athletes on the team's season-opening roster (63%).