2022 MEAC Football Media Guide | MEAC Football Weekly Notes | MEAC Football Coaches Weekly Video Conference | Media Center
NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 20, 2022 – North Carolina Central’s biggest test of the 2022 season so far will be this Saturday, when the Eagles head to Orangeburg, S.C., to take on defending MEAC champion South Carolina State – highlighting a three-game slate of action.
Here’s a look at this week’s games.
Delaware State Hornets (4-2, 1-0 MEAC) vs. Howard Bison (1-5, 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, Oct. 22 • Greene Stadium • Washington, D.C. • 1 p.m.
TV: MEAC Digital Network/ESPN+ • Live Stats
Howard will play its first game at Greene Stadium of the 2022 season this weekend, opening the MEAC portion of its schedule against a Delaware State team that won its conference opener last week, spoiling Norfolk State’s Homecoming 28-7 behind three touchdown passes from C.J. Henry. Howard is coming off a 41-25 loss to Harvard at Audi Field in the Truth & Service Classic this past weekend, but the Bison have a clean slate of sorts now that conference play is upon them. The Hornets, meanwhile, will be playing with heavy hearts following the unexpected passing of offensive coordinator Bryan Bossard earlier in the week. The all-time series between the two teams, which dates all the way back to 1941, is 38-38-1, and the Hornets snapped a four-game skid to the Bison last season with a 30-23 win at Alumni Stadium in Dover, Del.
North Carolina Central Eagles (5-1, 1-0 MEAC) vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs (2-4, 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, Oct. 22 • Oliver C. Dawson Stadium • Orangeburg, S.C. • 1:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN3 (re-air on ESPNU, 11 p.m.)
North Carolina Central has been the hottest team in the MEAC this year, nationally ranked at one point in the season, and riding momentum after opening MEAC play on Thursday, Oct. 13 with a 59-20 win over Morgan State – a game in which quarterback Davius Richard accounted for six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) and the Eagles racked up 530 yards of total offense. But South Carolina State – which snapped a three-game skid last Saturday with a 36-0 win over Virginia University of Lynchburg – is the defending MEAC and Cricket Celebration Bowl champion, and the Bulldogs were the preseason favorite to win the MEAC again this season. The Bulldogs will be playing their third straight home game after opening the 2022 season with four straight road games. South Carolina State leads the all-time series 14-12, having won 10 of the last 14 match-ups after escaping Durham, N.C., with a 27-24 victory last season. The Eagles last defeated the Bulldogs in 2018 (21-17 in Orangeburg, S.C.).
Morgan State Bears (2-4, 0-2 MEAC) vs. No. 12 Delaware Blue Hens (5-1, 3-1 CAA)
Saturday, Oct. 22 • Delaware Stadium • Newark, Del. • 3 p.m.
TV: FloFootball • Live Stats
After an 0-2 start to conference play, Morgan State will face a non-conference foe this Saturday, traveling to Newark, Del., to take on the University of Delaware in the nationally-ranked Blue Hens’ Homecoming. This will be the fifth meeting between the two programs, with Delaware leading 3-0-1 all-time; the last meeting came back in 1984, when the Blue Hens came away with a 76-0 win. Delaware suffered its first loss of the season this past weekend, falling 27-21 at William & Mary, and the Bears fell 59-20 to North Carolina Central on Thursday, Oct. 13. Both the Bears and the Blue Hens are in their first seasons under their respective head coaches: Morgan State with Damon Wilson and Delaware with Ryan Carty. The Bears are looking to not only snap a two-game losing streak, but they’re also in search of their first road victory since 2018 (44-27 over Norfolk State) and their first non-conference road win since 2009 (16-10 over Winston-Salem State).
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 52nd 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.