GREENVILLE, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University football program will be on the road again on Saturday, when they look to get back into the win column against East Carolina at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m., and the game will air live on ESPN+.

The Match-Up: This game will mark the second meeting all-time between North Carolina Central and East Carolina, with the Pirates having won the first meeting 52-7 to open the 2014 season.

Last Time Out: NCCU (2-2) fell on the road to Gardner-Webb this past Saturday, falling 44-20 after the Runnin' Bulldogs closed the contest with 20 unanswered points. Saturday's game marked the Eagles' first loss to a North Carolina-based foe since the UNC game early in the 2024 season. Plez Lawrence and Zion Dobson both had a rushing touchdown for the Eagles. Freshman kicker Riley Daniels kicked two more field goals, and is 8-for-9 on the season. Sophomore defensive back Joshua Truesdale racked up a season-high 17 tackles (12 solo).

Eagles on the Road: NCCU is 18-18 on the road under head coach Trei Oliver after this past weekend's loss at Gardner-Webb. 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 season. 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.

NCCU vs. The American: Of the 14 football programs currently in the American Conference, the Eagles are 1-2 against those programs. All three games have come against the two member schools located in North Carolina: East Carolina and Charlotte. NCCU is 0-1 against ECU and 1-1 against Charlotte. NCCU faced both programs in 2014, losing 52-7 to the Pirates and 40-28 to the 49ers. The Eagles defeated Charlotte 40-13 in 2013.

Scouting East Carolina: East Carolina is 1-2 on the season after picking up its first win of the season this past Saturday, a 20-17 defeat of Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. Prior to the win over ODU, the Pirates opened the season with back-to-back losses to Alabama and Appalachian State. The Pirates are in their second full season under head coach Blake Harrell, who has been with the program in a variety of capacities for the last seven years. Quarterback Mitch Griffis has three touchdown passes in three games, leading the way with 425 passing yards. Running back Ashton Gray is averaging nearly five yards per carry. On the defensive side of the ball, linebackers Julien Davis and DJ Johnson, Jr., lead the way with 19 tackles each. Linebacker Jackson Barker has 18 tackles through three games for the Pirates. 

The Coaches: Trei Oliver 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. He is three wins shy of 50 for his head coaching career.

Blake Harrell is in his second full season as head coach of East Carolina, and his seventh season overall with the program. Coming into 2026, he has guided the Pirates to a 14-5 (.737) record in 19 games becoming the fastest head coach to 14 victories and quickest to 10 wins in conference play, while becoming the second coach in program history to win consecutive bowl games with a 23-17 victory over Pittsburgh at the 2025 Go Bowling Military Bowl.

Non-Conference Success: NCCU is 25-16 in non-conference games under Oliver. Over the last three-plus seasons, the Eagles are 22-8 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. The Eagles went 5-2 in non-conference play last season, after going 4-2 in 2024.

North Carolina State of Mind: 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. So far this season, the Eagles have defeated both Elizabeth City State and North Carolina A&T, before falling to Gardner-Webb this past weekend. 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 26-21 against teams from North Carolina, and Oliver has a 14-6 advantage. The Eagles went 2-2 against teams from North Carolina in 2024, and they are 10-3 over the last three-plus seasons.

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