Charles GreenAfter last week’s 27-10 loss to the New Hampshire University Wildcats, the N.C. Central Eagles are in Norfolk, Virginia to face the Old Dominion Monarchs in their home opener today at 6 p.m. This game marks their first meeting in 15 years.
The Eagles are 0-2 against the Monarchs, a Football Bowl Subdivision school, with their last match-up ending with a score of 33-21. Under Coach Oliver, NCCU has gone 0-3 against FBS teams.
Their first match-up took place in 2009, before NCCU was classified as Division 1.
As time winds down before kickoff, here are three things to look out for during the game:
The Eagles’ continued success on defense
The defense has been a bright spot for the Eagles in both games this season. They may continue their success today.
At the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, the Eagles prevented the Southern University Jaguars from scoring the entire second half of the game. Southern’s starting quarterback, Cam’Ron McCoy, threw for only 70 yards and was sacked once, compared to NCCU’s quarterback Walker Harris, who threw for 186 yards and one touchdown and was sacked once.
Despite the loss to New Hampshire, the Eagles’ defense sacked Wildcats’ quarterback Matt Vezza three times and prevented any first quarter points.
Another great Chris Mosley performance
Redshirt senior running back Chris Mosley has been a star this season and may continue his streak of strong performances and highlight plays. In the first week of the season, Mosley rushed for 182-yards on 17 attempts against Southern, scoring one touchdown while averaging 10.7 yards a carry.
Mosley’s strong week one performance earned him the title of HBCU National Player of the Week.
Mosley didn’t score against a tougher New Hampshire defense but created a memorable moment after hurdling over a defender for a first down in the third quarter. The Fort Worth, Texas native rushed for 108 yards averaging 5.6 yards a carry.
Walker Harris bounce back
Harris began his first week performance against Southern University throwing 186 yards, scoring one touchdown and completing 86% of his passes.
His efficiency in a high stakes environment helped the Eagles secure the victory at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge.
In the contest against New Hampshire, Harris completed 39.7% of his passes and threw his first interception of the season.
He still managed to throw for 172-yards and one touchdown, showing that if his efficiency stays high, the Eagles may have a chance to secure a victory against Old Dominion.
The Eagles compete against the Monarchs today at Foreman Field on ESPN+.
