As the MEAC football slate kicks off this Saturday, there should be no debate that North Carolina Central is the conference's best team. Sure, the Eagles have faced several teams that aren't deemed as contenders in the early season, as Florida A&M & Southern are in disarray on the football field, and North Carolina A&T is still in its rebuilding phase under first-year head coach Shawn Gibbs.
North Carolina Central also lost an out-of-conference game to the formidable FCS playoff contender New Hampshire, 27-10, back on August 30th, a team they beat handily in 2022. However, the Eagles have played the most consistent football heading into the conference slate, still maintaining a high standard on both offense and defense.
Their attack draws headlines with the steady play of quarterback Walker Harris and the emergence of running back Chris Mosley as an all-purpose superstar—explosive on the ground and a reliable receiver out of the backfield. If the season ended today, I would pick North Carolina Central to win the MEAC Championship and represent the conference in the Celebration Bowl against what will all but certainly be Jackson State.
But unbeknownst to a lot of HBCU fans and prognosticators, Delaware State has been forming a mighty competitive team that could very well contend for the MEAC title this season. The arrival of coach DeSean Jackson at Delaware State was not met with the fanfare of Michael Vick's hiring at Norfolk State, which is understandable given Vick's stature and his return to coach close to his Virginia hometown.
Yet, Jackson has totally rebuilt the Delaware State Hornets, transforming a team that had won only two games in two seasons into one that is sitting at 4-3 as they head into North Carolina Central's homecoming on Saturday.
Delaware State boasts arguably the best rushing offense in the FCS, averaging 325 rushing yards per game. They just came off a sensational performance on October 11th against Southern Connecticut, where they rushed for over 608 yards and scored seven touchdowns on the ground. In modern football, where many college offenses deploy an air raid system, gaining that much yardage on the ground is simply unheard of. For Jackson's Hornets, the running game, led by backs Marquis Gillis and Kobe Boykin, sets the tone, with starting quarterback Kaiden Bennett often using his legs to complement the effort. The passing game is clearly secondary.
Delaware State, however, is not a perfect team. Their defense has room for improvement, particularly against the pass, where opponents average 281.2 yards per game through the air. This stat could easily work in favor of North Carolina Central and Harris, who averages over 262 passing yards per game.
The true fascination in this matchup lies in the running back duel. While Marquis Gillis has tallied the most rushing yards for an HBCU running back at 741 yards and six touchdowns on 140 attempts, Chris Mosley is only three yards behind him with 738 yards and six touchdowns on 127 carries. The game will ultimately come down to which defense can contain the opposing star runner.
While I have far more faith in Walker Harris as a quarterback than I do in Kaiden Bennett's ability to shoulder a heavy passing load, I believe Delaware State's run game could genuinely be the determinant in this matchup. Should Trei Oliver and his coaching staff fail to solve for it, the result could be the biggest upset of the season.
However, it is hard to bet against experience. Trei Oliver is one of the few HBCU coaches who managed to defeat Deion Sanders' dominant Jackson State team during their Celebration Bowl run. That JSU squad, featuring Shedeur Sanders, future Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, and stars like wide receiver Kevin Coleman and linebacker Aubrey Miller, boasted the best defense in the FCS. Oliver found a way to win that offensive firework show in overtime. While Jackson's team is not as heavily recruited as that JSU squad was at that point, Oliver is used to playing highly-touted coaches with standout players.
I believe Oliver and his coaching staff will devise a strategy to slow down the Delaware State rushing attack and force Kaiden Bennett to beat them with his arm. While Bennett proved himself to be a capable quarterback during his time at Sacramento State, and Delaware State does have capable receivers, the question remains: Can Delaware State move the ball through the air enough to keep pace with North Carolina Central's explosive and balanced offensive attack?
My prediction: This will be a closer game than people realize, but North Carolina Central ultimately wins, closing out their homecoming with a feel-good victory and staying firmly atop the MEAC standings.
Delaware State plays North Carolina Central during their homecoming on Saturday at 1:00 PM EST, with the game being broadcast on ESPN+.
