DOVER, Del. – The North Carolina Central University football program will hit the road on Friday, opening Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play against Delaware State.

Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., and the game will air live on ESPN2.

The Match-Up: This will be the 32nd 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 23-8, and they have won 10 of the last 12 meetings. The Hornets defeated the Eagles 35-26 in O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium last season. As head coach, Trei Oliver is 5-1 against Delaware State.

Last Time Out: NCCU dropped a low-scoring affair during Homecoming on Oct. 10, falling 17-14 to William & Mary. With their fourth straight loss, the Eagles closed non-conference play with a 2-5 mark. Quarterback Cobey Thompkins had the longest play from scrimmage with his 68-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The Eagles nearly had two 100-yard rushers on the day; running back Gino Addison ran for 169 yards on 22 carries, while Thompkins added 98 yards on the ground. The Eagles' 282 rushing yards were the highest total of the season.

Eagles on the Road: NCCU is 18-19 on the road during Oliver's tenure following a 42-9 loss at East Carolina back on Sept. 26. The Eagles have been .500 or better on the road in each of the last three seasons, and they were 5-1 on the road last year. They went 2-2 on the road in 2024, and 3-3 in 2023. In 2022, when NCCU won the MEAC title, the Eagles were 4-2 on the road.

Eagles vs. MEAC Foes: Since Oliver took over as head coach, the Eagles are 22-11 in MEAC play. That includes a stretch from 2021-24 in which NCCU went 4-1 in league play each season. The Eagles were 3-2 in the MEAC in 2025. NCCU won the MEAC title in 2022, before defeating Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl.

Scouting the Hornets: Delaware State is 4-3 on the season after defeating Franklin Pierce 34-0 on Oct. 10. The Hornets have alternated wins and losses each week so far this season. The Hornets are in their second season under head coach DeSean Jackson, looking to build on a 2025 campaign that saw them win eight games and finish 4-1 in the MEAC. Delaware State earned two first-place votes in the MEAC's predicted order of finish before the season, selected to finish third in the league behind NCCU and defending league champion South Carolina State. Quarterback Ui Ale is second in the MEAC in passing, averaging 175 yards per game through the air. He's completing nearly 61% of his passes this season, going for 1,050 yards and four touchdowns. Ale is also averaging 42.5 yards per game on the ground. Safety Kemari Nix is second in the MEAC in tackles with 47 (6.7 per game). He also has 7.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

The Coaches: Trei Oliver (NCCU, 1998) is in his seventh 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.

DeSean Jackson is in his second season as Delaware State University's head football coach, looking to build on a 2025 campaign that saw the Hornets win eight games and go 4-1 in league play. That was Delaware State's best season on the gridiron since 2007. In 2024, he completed his first season in a coaching role, serving as the offensive coordinator at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif. Jackson played in the NFL, suiting up for Philadelphia, Washington, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas, Baltimore and the Los Angeles Rams.

Dean of MEAC Coaches: Oliver is the most experienced coach in the MEAC, with his first season coming in 2019. He is also the longest-tenured head coach in HBCU Division I. Among all HBCUs, only Alvin Parker at Virginia Union and Richard Hayes of Fayetteville State have served as head coaches at their current institutions longer than Oliver.

Eagles Picked to Finish Second: The Eagles were picked to finish second in the MEAC in 2026, behind defending champion South Carolina State. NCCU has been in the thick of the conference race in the entirety of Oliver's tenure, going 4-1 in league play in four of the last five seasons and winning the title in 2022. NCCU went 3-2 in the MEAC in 2025.

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