A fast start, a one-hour and 20-minute weather delay and clutch plays down the stretch. That's how North Carolina Central held off Alabama State in a matchup of two preseason favorites in HBCU football to open the year.
After a 31-24 victory, the Eagles look like a team capable of returning to the top of the HBCU football world. Now, the Orange Blossom Classic win should make North Carolina Central the HBCU football frontrunner in 2024.
The run game
North Carolina Central lost First-Team All-MEAC running back Latrell Collier and star quarterback Davius Richard. That's over 1,300 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns combined gone from last season. It also lost two all-conference offensive linemen.
Even with all of those losses, the Eagle rushing attack didn't take a step back in Week 1 against a formidable defense. The team ran for 151 yards, paced by running back J'Mari Taylor's 128 yards — on 5.3 yards per carry — and two touchdowns.
"We preached all practice to get the run game going to open up everything else," said Taylor after the win.
Taylor stole the show on a national stage, earning HBCU national player of the week honors from BOXTOROW. He credits an offensive line with only two returning starters from last year's playoff game. North Carolina Central's ability to run the football effectively came down to its mentality more than anything else.
"That's what we preach. We're a physical football team, and we knew we had to run the ball tonight," said coach Trei Oliver. "I thought our o-line did a great job. And we're still very young up front, but even in the fourth quarter, I told them we gotta lean on you guys to close the game out."
If North Carolina Central can run the ball as it did in its first game against live competition, imagine how the rushing attack can improve with more live reps. The run game should give defenses challenges all year long.
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The defense
Speaking of defenses, NC Central's defense played above-average football by all accounts in Week 1. It was the defensive play of defensive back Kole Jones that broke the Orange Blossom Classic open when his 27-yard interception return for a touchdown put the Eagles up 21-0 in the second quarter.
"The pick-six... I just gotta do my job at a high level," said Jones postgame. "It's not about doing too much, just doing your simple job."
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Jones' humble attitude is part of the reason North Carolina Central's defense can be the backbone of this team. Like the personality of Oliver — a former defensive back himself — NC Central's defense has a we-first attitude, not a me-first attitude. It showed on the field Sunday, with five different players having a part in five sacks, 16 different players making tackles, and Jones' backup D.J. Estes — who wasn't listed on the two-deep depth chart — sealing the game with an interception.
"We knew they were gonna make some plays, but when the plays came to us, we had to capitalize and make them," said Coach Oliver.
The opportunistic, everybody-eats mentality of the North Carolina Central defense will be hard for opposing offenses to gameplan for. After only allowing 88 passing yards to open the season, the NCCU squad showed an ability to carry the 2024 squad.
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The quarterback
The biggest question entering the season for North Carolina Central was at quarterback. Walker Harris was tasked with replacing former Player of the Year Davius Richard under center. While there was hype around him after he threw five touchdowns during his lone 2023 start, no one could be entirely sure how he would perform as THE guy.
"Davius Richard has a legacy here at North Carolina Central and had a great four-year career, but it's Walker's show now," said Coach Oliver.
Harris answered questions by going perfect through the air on his first two drives as NC Central built a 14-0 lead. While Harris only ended up completing 50 percent of his passes on the day and throwing for one touchdown, he didn't turn the ball over. He impressed with his escapability on his lone touchdown, finding J'Mari Taylor out of the backfield after scrambling.
"Walker's gonna make plays when he needs to make plays," said Jones.
"This was a huge game for it to be your first huge start. For a quarterback to come in here in this type of setting and be able to manage the offense the way he did was remarkable," said Coach Oliver.
Harris may not have lit up the stat sheet like he did in his lone start last season, but he did what needed to be done — manage the game. That's a positive sign for the rest of the North Carolina Central season, especially given its potential to lean on the ground game and defense.
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The Coach and The Culture
"It was probably the worst game I've coached," said Oliver after the Orange Blossom Classic.
And still, North Carolina Central never trailed and won the game.
When a team embodies the mentality of its coach, success is almost imminent. The hard-nosed win in the Orange Blossom Classic showed just that for North Carolina Central. While the coaching job might not have been the best for Oliver, the players picked up the slack by overcoming adversity down the stretch and making timely plays.
"We knew they were gonna make some plays. I was really happy about the way our guys responded when we faced adversity," said Coach Oliver.
NC Central's ability to win that game and hold off Alabama State after a rain delay might have stalled another team is a sign of the culture created by Coach Oliver and his staff. That culture is one of the best built in HBCU football, with Oliver being the second-most experienced coach at the FCS level. He's the most experienced coach in the MEAC since his hire in 2019, and few — if any — would rank Oliver behind Connell Maynor at Alabama A&M, the lone coach with a longer tenure than him in HBCU football.
Oliver is the best coach in HBCU football — and the only coach with a Celebration Bowl win. That can go a long way in the ever-competitive landscape of HBCU football this fall.
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The favorite
If North Carolina Central wasn't your MEAC and Celebration Bowl Favorite before Week 1, it should be now. A neutral-site nonconference win against a top-five team in HBCU football to open the year is impressive.
NC Central showed championship-level in the game, making it through a lengthy weather delay and holding off a late Alabama State rally. It has a balanced offensive attack, opportunistic defense and an elite coach that can carry this team back to the pinnacle of HBCU football.
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