North Carolina Central’s 62-28 romp over bitter rival South Carolina State last Thursday night may have looked easy to the casual observer, but the Eagles and head coach Trei Oliver don’t look past any opponent.
This weekend will be no different as the Eagles host Norfolk State for homecoming. The Spartans are 2-6, with five of those losses coming down to a single possession.
“Coach [Dawson] Odums is going to have his guys ready to play, coming in with guns blazing,” Oliver said during Monday’s MEAC coaches’ conference. “Their record doesn’t indicate the type of team they are; they’ve been in every game except the Temple game. They have a disciplined ballclub, and they take care of the football, so we must start fast to get the crowd involved.”
The Eagles are 7-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play heading into the Norfolk State game, and the secret to their success is a motto that has them ranked as a top 10 team in the FCS.
“We rock ‘culture over scheme’ every week,” Oliver explains. “It’s about getting good people in your program that are going to fight together, take care of each other, and do the right things on and off the football field. When you have good people in your program, it makes life easier.”
Life hasn’t been easy for the Spartans, but head coach Dawson Odums believes the Spartans’ turnaround is coming sooner rather than later.
“We feel like we’re going in the right direction,” Odums said. “This is going to be a test because we’re going in against a championship program and a proven winner. Coach Oliver’s done a great job of creating a culture and doing an outstanding job.”
The Spartans (2-6 overall, 0-2 MEAC) led Morgan State 21-10 at halftime of their homecoming game last weekend, but the Bears rallied for a 32-28 win, NSU’s fourth-straight defeat by a touchdown or less.
“One thing people generally don’t look at in sports is how momentum can shift from one direction to the next,” Odums said. “You have to put teams away and not give them a chance to get that momentum back. We weren’t able to do that, and Morgan walked out with a victory.”
Odums is confident that this young team, featuring just four seniors, will take advantage of these final three games to build something for 2024 and beyond.
“We’ve had some heartbreaking losses, but we have another opportunity to play 60 minutes this weekend,” he said. “We’re going to play at a high level because all of those experiences are going to pay off.”
