The North Carolina Central Eagles' FCS Playoff run ends before it even got started following an unceremonious 49-27 defeat to the Richmond Spiders. Not only did the Eagles miss their opportunity to repeat as Celebration Bowl champions, but they squander an otherwise successful 9-3 season. Richmond, meanwhile, moves on to play #5 University of Albany on Dec. 2.

The Eagles controlled much of the first quarter, and even held a lead going into half time. Richmond, however, struck first. Quarterback Kyle Wickersham connected with Ja'Vion Griffin for a 38-yard reception to help the Spiders cross midfield. A play later, he found top receiver Nick DeGennaro for a 35-yard touchdown to take a quick 7-0 lead. Their opening possession took little over a minute to complete.

The Eagles' second offensive possession resulted in points. The slowly matriculated down the field until quarterback Davius Richard hit Devin Smith for a 31-yard completion. The catch put North Carolina Central at Richmond's goal line. Richard ran for the touchdown, though the Eagles missed the kick, keeping the score at 7-6.

NCCU, however, did not trail for long. The Eagles defense forced Richmond to punt. At their own six-yard line, Richard connected with Smith for a 91-yard touchdown. This time, they made the extra point, taking a 13-7 lead. North Carolina Central continued to pour down against Richmond in the second quarter. With 7:30 to go in the quarter, the Eagle offense took over at Richmond's 26-yard line, right outside the red zone. Following an eight-yard run by J'Mari Taylor, Richard scored his second rushing touchdown with an 18-yard run.

For a while, it looked like NCCU was going to run away with the victory. The Spider offense couldn't get going, while the Eagles kept up the pressure on defense. On Richmond's final possession of the half, however, they managed to find the end zone. They slowly moved the ball down the field, primarily through Wickersham's arm. They finished the three-minute drive with a second touchdown to Nick DeGennaro. Still, the Eagles led 20-14 going into the half.

The second half, specifically the fourth quarter, went about as poorly as NCCU fans could have imagined. They came out of the break with the ball, but they punted immediately. Following the punt, the Spiders, aided by a pass interference call on a critical third down, moved down the field for the touchdown. Running back Savon Smith scored on a 14-yard rush to give his team a 21-20 lead.

For the majority of the third quarter, both teams punted the ball to each other. Neither offense got going for the rest of the period. The Spiders, however, struck in special teams. With just second remaining in the quarter, the Eagles punted once again. This time, Savon Smith returned the punt for a 65-yard touchdown. The punt return seemed to jolt the entire Richmond team going into the fourth quarter. After another NCCU punt, Wickersham completed a 71-yard touchdown to Jerry Garcia Jr., taking a 35-20 lead.

North Carolina Central seemed to punch back with a score of their own. A 53-yard completion to Devin Smith got them into the red zone once again. From there, Richard ran for his third rushing touchdown in an effort to close the gap.

Unfortunately for NCCU, Richard's efforts were futile. Richmond's offense found the end zone once again, largely due to a 34-yard pass completion to Griffin down to the Eagles' 13-yard line. Garcia Jr. ran for a six-yard touchdown for the 42-27 advantage. The Spiders got the ball back off of a North Carolina Central turnover on downs. Smith ran for a 24-yard touchdown, officially plunging the dagger into NCCU's hearts. Their final offensive drive didn't even get started as Richard threw an interception on the second play.

Davius Richard finished on a strong note with 262 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception on 16 completions in 27 attempts. Devin Smith led all receivers with six catches for 202 yards and a touchdown. No other Eagle receiver had more than 27 receiving yards. Richard led North Carolina Central in rushing yards with 51 and three touchdowns on 18 carries. J'Mari Taylor turned his four rushing attempts into 18 yards.

Kyle Wickersham had an incredible day, also completing 16 of his 23 passing attempts for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Jerry Garcia Jr. caught five balls for 107 yards and a touchdown, but Ja'Vion Griffin and Nick DeGennaro both went over 80 yards. DeGennaro also had two receiving touchdowns. Savon Smith led all rushers with 73 yards and two touchdowns on 15 attempts. Wickersham had 69 rushing yards on 13 carries, while Fonnae Webb has 68 yards on just four carries.