By WRAL staff

North Carolina Central Eagles	10
North Carolina Tar Heels	17
ACC | 3rd – 03:53

12 miles is about the difference between the campuses of UNC and NCCU. On Saturday at 6 p.m., the Tar Heels and Eagles will face off for the first-ever football matchup.

UNC, led by Head Coach Mack Brown improved to a 2-0 start on the season after defeating Charlotte 38-20. Sophomore quarterback Conner Harrell finished the game with 219 yards while adding three total touchdowns. The Heels defense stamped their mark as well totaling six tackles for loss, and three sacks.

NCCU on the other hand is coming off its first home loss since 2021, after falling to Elon 41-19. Head Coach Trei Oliver saw success going 4-0 against in-state teams last season and is 8-5 since taking over the Eagles in 2019. Against the ACC historically NCCU has not seen success going 0-7, all against Duke.

The Tar Heels rank third in the ACC with 208 rushing yards per game. The Eagles’ defense will look to find ways to neutralize their attack, despite giving up 202.5 rushing yards a game defensively.

“We’re going to have to play with great pad level. You know, those guys have a huge offensive line, so we have to be physical,” Coach Oliver said in a press conference on Monday.

Both head coaches expressed the level of respect they have for each other, and their respective programs built over the years. “ He’s smart, he’s driven, he’s done a great job of elevating that program, so I really admire what I say and I think he’s going to have a tremendous career in this business,” Coach Brown said about Oliver in his weekly press conference.

UNC has received votes for the AP and Coaches Top 25 poll, while NCCU has received FCS votes in both Stats Perform and the AFCA Coaches poll.

Source: wralsportsfan.com