DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University football program will return to O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium this Saturday, celebrating Homecoming and opening Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play against Delaware State.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and the game will air live on ESPN+.

The Match-Up: This will be the 31st meeting all-time between the Eagles and the Delaware State Hornets on the gridiron, dating all the way back to 1945. N.C. Central leads the all-time series against the Hornets 23-7, and they have won 10 of the last 11 meetings. The last win for the Hornets in the series came back on Oct. 27, 2018, in a game that was played in Dover. The Eagles have won the last five games in the series. As head coach, Trei Oliver is 5-0 against Delaware State.

NCCU vs. the MEAC: Since taking over as head coach before the 2019 season, Oliver is 19-9 in MEAC games. This includes a 4-1 mark in conference play in each of the last four seasons. 2019 was NCCU's last losing season in MEAC play, when the Eagles went 3-5. Since rejoining the MEAC in 2011, the Eagles are 56-42 in conference games.

NCCU at Home: NCCU is 19-7 at home Oliver, after defeating Fayetteville State 49-19 on Sept. 13. The Eagles are 1-1 at home so far this season. The Eagles have finished with a winning home record in each of the last four seasons, including undefeated home campaigns in 2022 (4-0) and 2023 (5-0). The Eagles went 4-1 at home last season.

Last Time Out: NCCU (5-2) won its fourth straight on Saturday, Oct. 11, defeating former MEAC rival Florida A&M 45-7 in Tallahassee, Fla. With the win, the Eagles snapped a three-game skid against the Rattlers and wrapped up the non-conference portion of their schedule. The Eagles have scored at least 45 points in the last four games. Quarterback Walker Harris threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns. He has 12 touchdown passes in the last four games. Harris connected with eight different receivers; wide receiver Chance Peterson caught eight passes for 104 yards. It was his first career 100-yard game. Running back Chris Mosley recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season, going for 131 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown.

Harris Busts Out: Harris followed up his career performance against Fayetteville State with another fantastic game, passing for 380 yards and three touchdowns against North Carolina A&T. After throwing for two scores at Florida A&M, Harris has thrown eight touchdown passes in the last four games. Through seven contests, he ranks eighth in FCS in passing yards and t-19th in passing touchdowns. He is the MEAC's top passer, and the only quarterback in the conference to eclipse the 1,750-yard mark. Harris, who has thrown 10 touchdown passes in the last four games, came into the season as a Preseason First Team All-MEAC honoree and one of the players on Stats Perform's HBCU Player of the Year Watch List. He was also named to the 2025 Black College Football Player of the Year Watch List.

Mosley Starting Strong: Running back Chris Mosley has come out of the gates strong in the Eagles' first six games. He ran for a game-high 182 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against Southern, en route to being named the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-Off MVP. The performance was the first 100-yard rushing game of Mosley's collegiate career; Mosley recorded another 100-yard rushing effort against New Hampshire, going for 106 yards on 19 carries. After recording his fourth 10-yard rushing game of the season against FAMU, Mosley currently leads the MEAC (and sits sixth nationally) in all-purpose yards and is second in both rushing yards (where he ranks 11th in the nation) and rushing yards per game (12th in FCS).

Oliver High on Johnson: Oliver expects big things out of defensive lineman Thomas Johnson this season, his fourth with the program. Johnson, a senior from Lawndale, Calif., has played in 25 career games to this point. In 2024, Johnson had 11 tackles in three games, including five tackles for loss and four sacks. Johnson was strong in the season opener against Southern, with seven tackles (two for loss), a sack, a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He added six tackles and 1.5 sacks against New Hampshire. Johnson currently sits tied for 11th in all of FCS in sacks, and he also sits second in the MEAC (and ranks 29th nationally) in tackles for loss.

Scouting Delaware State: The Hornets are 4-3 in their first season under head coach DeSean Jackson, coming off a bye week following a 70-23 win over Southern Connecticut State on Saturday, Oct. 11. Delaware State's four wins are the most in a season for the Hornets since they went 5-6 in the 2022 campaign. Running back Marquis Gillis leads the MEAC in rushing, averaging 109.6 yards per contest. He has 877 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Three Hornet running backs are among the league's top five rushers, including James Jones (third) and Kaiden Bennett (fifth). Bennett's nine rushing touchdowns are the most in the conference and rank tied for ninth in all of FCS. The Hornets lead the MEAC in scoring offense (38.1 ppg), total offense (493.4 ypg) and rushing offense (331.1 ypg). Linebacker Brian Bates leads Delaware State defensively with 56 total tackles.

Non-Conference Success: NCCU is 23-14 in non-conference games under Oliver after defeating Florida A&M 45-7 on Oct. 11. Over the last two-plus seasons, the Eagles are 20-6 against opponents from outside the MEAC. This includes wins over three top 25 teams (No. 25 Elon [2023], No. 25 New Hampshire [2022], and No. 5 Jackson State [2022]). This season, the Eagles faced opponents from the SWAC, CAA Football, the Sun Belt, the CIAA and the Southland Conference this season, and NCCU also faced one FBS opponent this season in Old Dominion.

Watch Out Now: Three Eagles are on the Stats Perform HBCU Player of the Year Watchlist heading into the 2025 season: quarterback Walker Harris, defensive back Malcolm Reed and offensive lineman Trevon Humphrey. All three are Preseason First Team All-MEAC honorees, and Reed is also a Stats Perform Preseason All-American.

Continuity Up Front: NCCU will have a remarkable level of experience along the offensive front, which is uncommon in college football these days, especially in the FCS. In addition to returning quarterback Walker Harris and tight end Luke Bracey, the Eagles are returning starters at all five offensive line positions. That includes Preseason All-MEAC honorees Noah McKinney and Trevon Humphrey.

For more information on NCCU athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.