DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University football program will be at home for the first time this season on Saturday, welcoming Elizabeth City State University to O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game will air live on the MEAC Network.

The Series: This marks the 31st all-time meeting between the two teams. NCCU leads the all-time series 21-8 and has won each of the last five match-ups between the former conference rivals.

Last Time Out: NCCU opened the 2026 campaign this past Saturday with a 42-30 loss at Texas Southern. Freshman quarterback Nelson Layne recorded over 100 yards rushing and 100 yards passing in his Eagles debut. Layne finished with 131 passing and 116 rushing yards, and he was named MEAC Rookie of the Week. Eight different Eagles caught passes on Saturday, led by four each from Chance Peterson and Brendon Wyatt. Saturday's loss snapped a streak of five straight season-opening wins for the Eagles.

Eagles at Home: NCCU is 20-9 at home under head coach Trei Oliver, after closing last season's home slate with a loss to South Carolina State. The Eagles were 2-3 at home in 2025. The Eagles have finished with a winning home record in four of the last five seasons, including undefeated home campaigns in 2022 (4-0) and 2023 (5-0).

Eagles vs. The CIAA: The Eagles are no strangers to the CIAA, having previously been members of the conference on two separate occasions (1928-70; 1980-2007). NCCU won eight combined CIAA football titles, including back-to-back championships in 2005 and 2006. NCCU made three NCAA Div. II playoff appearances while CIAA members: 1988, 2005 and 2006. Oliver is 5-0 against teams from the CIAA. NCCU last faced a CIAA squad in 2025, defeating Fayetteville State 49-19.

Scouting Elizabeth City State: Elizabeth City State is in its second season under head coach Adrian Jones, looking to improve upon a 4-6 record in 2025 – though the Vikings did close the year on a three-game winning streak. The Vikings are 0-1 on the season, dropping their season opener 17-14 to Fort Valley State. ECSU was picked to finish seventh in the CIAA this year, and the Vikings had five Preseason All-CIAA honorees – its highest total since 2011. The Vikings' preseason honorees were tight end Joe Griffin, offensive lineman Toriono Combs, defensive lineman Sir'Sean Ingram, linebacker Jaevon Branch and return specialist Shamaar Sutton. Combs was a First Team All-CIAA honoree in 2025, and Branch was last season's Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Coaches: Trei Oliver (NCCU, 1998) is in his sixth 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 currently five wins shy of 50 for his head coaching career. Adrian Jones is in his second season as the Head Coach of the Elizabeth City State Vikings. In his first season at the helm, Jones led Elizabeth City State to measurable progress, guiding the Vikings to a 4-6 overall record and a 4-3 mark in CIAA play. The conference finish marked the program's best since 2013, while the overall record represented its highest win total since 2017.

Non-Conference Success: NCCU is 23-15 in non-conference games under Oliver. Over the last three-plus seasons, the Eagles are 20-7 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.

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). 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.

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