HOUSTON, Texas – The North Carolina Central University football program will kick off the 2026 season on Saturday, hitting the road for Week 0 to take on Texas Southern at W.W. Thorne Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will air live on HBCUGo.

The Match-Up: This will be the first-ever meeting between NCCU and Texas Southern.

Last Time Out: NCCU wrapped up the 2025 season on the road with a 33-14 win over Morgan State, giving the Eagles another eight-win campaign – and the fifth straight in which they finished above .500 in conference play.

NCCU on the Road: The Eagles are 18-16 on the road under head coach Trei Oliver after the Eagles closed out the 2025 season with a win at Morgan State, and the Eagles have been .500 or better on the road in each of the last three seasons. The Eagles were 5-1 on the road last year.

Scouting Texas Southern: Texas Southern is entering its third season under head coach Cris Dishman, looking for another season of improvement. The Tigers went 6-5 overall in 2025, while also going 5-3 in SWAC play. Texas Southern was picked to finish fourth in the SWAC Western Division in the predicted order of finish, and three Tigers earned Preseason Second Team All-SWAC honors. Junior tight end Kordell Rodgers, sophomore offensive lineman Jayden Daniels and redshirt junior wideout Roriyon Richardson earned preseason all-conference honors at SWAC Media Day. Richardson led the Tigers with four touchdown receptions a year ago, while Rodgers added three scoring grabs. Daniels started on the offensive line as a freshman in 2025 and will be an anchor up front for the Tigers.

The Coaches: Trei Oliver enters his eighth year (seventh season) at the helm in Durham, and he is just five wins shy of 50 for his career. After leading the Eagles to an 8-4 mark last year, Oliver has led NCCU to four straight seasons of eight wins or more. The Tigers are entering their third season under head coach Cris Dishman. Texas Southern has improved in each of Dishman's first two seasons, including a 6-5 mark in the 2025 campaign.

NCCU vs. The SWAC: Since rejoining the MEAC in 2010, the Eagles are 6-3 against teams from the SWAC. Head coach Trei Oliver is 6-1 against teams from the SWAC, following wins over Southern and Florida A&M during the 2025 season. NCCU will face one SWAC school this season with this weekend's contest at Texas Southern. This weekend's game will mark the fourth straight season in which the Eagles have faced at least one SWAC program.

Non-Conference Success: NCCU is 23-14 in non-conference games under head coach Trei Oliver after going 5-2 in such games last season. Over the last three 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 will face opponents from the SWAC, CAA Football, the OVC, the American, the CIAA and the Patriot League.

North Carolina State of Mind: Head coach Trei Oliver has made a point of playing schools from the state of North Carolina, and there are five on the schedule this year (Elizabeth City State, North Carolina A&T, Gardner-Webb, East Carolina and Campbell). Those five games will be played all in a row. There have been at least two teams from the Tar Heel State on the schedule each year since Oliver took over as head coach. NCCU defeated both North Carolina teams on its schedule last season, winning games over Fayetteville State and North Carolina A&T. Since 2011, the Eagles are 24-21 against teams from North Carolina, and Oliver has a 12-6 advantage. The Eagles went 2-2 against teams from North Carolina in 2024, and they are 9-3 over the last three seasons.

Strength in the Offensive Trenches: One of the Eagles' biggest strengths in 2025 was the offensive line. The veteran squad helped NCCU lead the MEAC in scoring offense, rank second in yards per game and average nearly 150 yards per game on the ground. NCCU also gave up the fewest sacks in the MEAC with 133. The second-lowest sack total came from Delaware State (204). AC McMoore highlights this year's offensive line, earning Preseason First Team All-MEAC honors. He was a Second Team All-MEAC honoree in 2025. Center Holly Saint-Melus, as well as offensive linemen Taron Williams and Victor Goree, were also named Preseason All-MEAC.

Peterson Has the Spotlight: Wide receiver Chance Peterson was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in a poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Peterson was a Second Team All-MEAC selection last season after ranking second on the team with 60 receiving yards per game. He caught 48 passes for 720 yards and a touchdown on the season, and he recorded back-to-back 100-yard receiving games against Florida A&M (104) and Delaware State (134). Those performances were the first 100-yard receiving performances of his collegiate career. He came close to a third such game against Fayetteville State, racking up 91 yards on just three catches. In 2025, Peterson had at least three receptions in every game but one. In three seasons with the Eagles, Peterson has 1,003 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

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