It wasn’t a perfect season opener for defending Celebration Bowl champion North Carolina Central, but a win nonetheless as they defeated Winston-Salem State 47-21 at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium Saturday afternoon.
As the Eagles turn their attention to another longtime rival this weekend in North Carolina A&T, head coach Trei Oliver sees a few things that NCCU can improve upon heading into a fierce rivalry game.
“I thought our guys played well early in the first half and got out to a big lead, but I wasn’t pleased with how we finished the game,” Oliver said. “We had way too many missed tackles on defense, and we moved the ball well on the ground offensively, but we need more explosive plays from our receivers. Some things we need to shore up, but overall, it’s good to come out of a game with a win.”
The Eagles never trailed as senior quarterback Davius Richard completed 15 of 22 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns and also carried seven times for 42 yards and another score on the ground. Defensive back Brandon Coddington returned a Rams punt 81 yards for a touchdown, the fourth-longest such return in Eagles history.
Central opened up a 37-0 lead at halftime but was outscored 21-10 in the second half by WSSU, something Oliver took note of.
“We wanted to get some guys reps and give our starters some rest,” he explained. “We expect those guys to play as well as the starters, but you’re going to have those struggles early on. I was pleased to see that the effort was there.”
‘This is our biggest rival’
That effort will need to be there again Saturday night in Greensboro against an Aggies team coming off a rough 35-6 loss to FBS opponent Alabama-Birmingham. Oliver knows new head coach Vincent Brown will have A&T ready to go, especially since a loss would give Central its first back-to-back sweeps of Winston-Salem and the Aggies since the 1973 and 1974 seasons.
NCCU Football week two presser snippet.
You heard coach, @NCCU_Football is battle tested! 💪See the full presser here: https://t.co/Vjsy48QPeY#eaglepride pic.twitter.com/x8qKoBLP9d
— NCCU Athletics (@NCCUAthletics) September 5, 2023
“Obviously, this is our biggest rival,” he said. “We have to have a thermostat mentality – can’t get too high or too low. We’re excited about it, and I know our fans are going to come out and pack the place.”
Even with such a competitive and contentious atmosphere on deck, Oliver isn’t worried about anything except posting another “W” on their 2023 record.
“These two schools have been battling for years. We respect each other, it’s going to be a hard-fought contest,” he said. “I’m just focused on getting our guys locked in and prepared to play a great game on Saturday.”
