North Carolina Central knows what it is up against.
And the Eagles — despite being 16.5-point underdogs against 12-0 Jackson State — are not shying away from the challenge that awaits them in Saturday’s Celebration Bowl.
“They line up with our eleven versus your eleven mentality,” North Carolina Central junior All-American defensive back Khalil Baker said about how JSU approaches opponents. “I feel like they’re putting doubt on us. I feel like there are a lot of people putting doubt on us. With us being the underdogs, we don’t see anything for us to lose. We’re going to come out swinging with everything we got.”
Unlike Jackson State, which is an unapologetic bunch that put its full program and all its unique personalities on display under head coach Deion Sanders, NC Central, carries a quiet confidence that goes along with its 9-2 overall record.
“We’re just gonna put our heads down, work, and get at it,” said MEAC Offensive Player of the Year Davius Richard during Friday’s Celebration Bowl media availability.
That mentality is shared by NCCU head coach Trei Oliver, who admittedly prefers to let what transpires on the field, not tweets or social media posts, speak.
“We’re playing a very good football team. First and foremost, we’re going to stay in the moment and do what we do,” he said. “… Don’t get caught up in the hype and play your brand of football. There is no special sauce, magic or anything like that. Just play ball, man. That’s all it is.”
Oliver, who played at North Carolina Central in college and won the Celebration Bowl as an assistant with North Carolina A&T in 2015, understands what winning this game would mean for a program that had not won a Black National Championship since 2005.
“People are not going to give you credit for beating a 3-8 team,” said Oliver. “You beat a 12-0 team, and I promise you they will remember who you are. You have an opportunity to do something great. You’ve won that conference championship. Let’s win that national championship.”
