NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 13, 2022 – A Thursday night tilt in Durham, N.C., between Morgan State and North Carolina Central, will be televised live on ESPN2, kicking off a four-game slate for Week 7 of the 2022 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) football season.
 
Here’s a look at this week’s games.

Morgan State Bears (2-3, 0-1 MEAC) vs. North Carolina Central Eagles (4-1, 0-0 MEAC)
Thursday, Oct. 13 • O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium • Durham, N.C. • 7:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN2 • Live Stats

A nationally-televised tilt awaits the Bears and the Eagles on Thursday night, as North Carolina Central will open its conference slate after opening 2022 with the MEAC’s best record. The Eagles were idle this past week and are coming off a 48-18 loss to Campbell on Oct. 1, while the Bears are coming off a heartbreaking 24-21 loss to Norfolk State this past weekend to spoil Morgan State’s Homecoming. North Carolina Central quarterback Davius Richard leads the MEAC and ranks No. 20 in total offense (267 yards per game), while ranking second in the conference in both rushing and passing. Morgan State running back Alfonzo Graham, the reigning MEAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, leads the MEAC and ranks eighth nationally in rushing with 108.4 yards per game. Morgan State, in its first season under head coach Damon Wilson, leads the all-time series 11-10 over the Eagles, even though North Carolina Central has won each of the last four meetings (including a 28-17 decision last season).

Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons (0-6) vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs (1-4, 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, Oct. 15 • Oliver C. Dawson Stadium • Orangeburg, S.C. • 1:30 p.m.
TV: MEAC Digital Network/ESPN+

South Carolina State will look to bounce back following last week’s 20-14 loss to Florida A&M – despite two touchdown receptions from Shaquan Davis and two interceptions from BJ Davis – and the Bulldogs will return to Oliver C. Dawson Stadium to celebrate Homecoming. This match-up against the Dragons will mark the second of three straight home games for the defending MEAC and Cricket Celebration Bowl champions, and the Bulldogs will be in search of their first win since Sept. 10 (a 33-9 defeat of Bethune-Cookman). Lynchburg has opened the season with six straight losses, all on the road, after falling 28-14 to Savannah State this past weekend. Shaquan Davis’ five touchdown receptions are the most in the MEAC so far this season, and running back Kendrell Flowers is sixth in the league in rushing. BJ Davis is tied for the MEAC lead with four interceptions, and his 47 tackles are third-most in the conference. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and the Dragons, though Lynchburg is no stranger to the MEAC this season – having already faced Delaware State, Morgan State and North Carolina Central.

Delaware State Hornets (3-2, 0-0 MEAC) vs. Norfolk State Spartans (1-5, 1-0 MEAC)
Saturday, Oct. 15 • Dick Price Stadium • Norfolk, Va. • 2 p.m.
TV: MEAC Digital Network/ESPN+ • Live Stats

Norfolk State is also celebrating its Homecoming this weekend, and the Spartans return to Dick Price Stadium fresh off their first win of the season – a 24-21 thriller over Morgan State in what was the MEAC opener for both teams. The Bears had scored 21 unanswered points to take a 21-17 lead with less than two minutes to play, but Norfolk State drove down the field and scored the game winner with five seconds remaining – when Jaylan Adams found MEAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week Da’Quan Felton in the corner of the end zone from three yards out. Delaware State is coming off a bye week, and the Hornets defeated Robert Morris 14-9 their last time out, on Oct. 1. The Hornets’ Marquis Gillis is the MEAC’s fifth-leading rusher so far this season, and the Spartans’ Felton is fifth in receiving. Norfolk State’s Tyler Long is the MEAC’s leading tackler, racking up 57 total stops so far in 2022. Delaware State leads the all-time series 17-9 and snapped a three-game losing streak in the series last season with a 28-26 comeback victory in Dover, Del.

Harvard Crimson (3-1, 2-0 Ivy League) vs. Howard Bison (1-4, 0-0 MEAC)
Truth & Service Classic
Saturday, Oct. 15 • Audi Field • Washington, D.C. • 4 p.m.
TV: ESPN3 (re-air on ESPNU, 11 p.m.) • Live Stats

Though not a true home game, this weekend marks the first time this season the Bison will play a football game in Washington, D.C., as they welcome Harvard to Audi Field for the Truth & Service Classic. Howard is coming off a bye week, having fallen 34-26 to Yale back on Oct. 1, while Harvard is undefeated in Ivy League play after defeating Cornell 35-28 on Friday, Oct. 7. Bison quarterback Quinton Williams in the MEAC’s top passer, averaging 234.4 yards per game through the air, while wideout Antoine Murray’s 74.2 receiving yards per game are second in the conference and running back Jarrett Hunter ranks fourth in the MEAC in rushing. This will be Howard’s second straight game against an Ivy League opponent. These two teams have met just once before: in 2019, when Harvard came away with a 62-17 victory.

About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 52^nd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2022-23 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically Black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.