NC Central vs. Old Dominion: Preview and Prediction

By David Asbury

Home Opener - WEAR HUDSON BLUE

On Saturday, the Castle will have its first game of the season.  The Monarchs will host the NC Central Eagles from the MEAC.  The MEAC is an FCS HBCU conference that includes Norfolk State and is headquartered in our fair city.  The Eagles were predicted to finish 2nd in the MEAC just behind South Carolina State in the MEAC Preseason Poll. They received 4 of the 12 first place votes, while SC State got 5. Considering how split the league is on the two squads, that should be an exciting conference fight to keep an eye on.

So far this season, the Eagles took on Southern University in an annual HBCU traditional game known as the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Week 0. NCCU won in convincing fashion by a score of 31-14.  But last week, they fell to New Hampshire 27-10 at home.  NC Central was the slight favorite. So, the loss had to sting a bit, especially with it being at home and by three scores.  They look to bounce back against the Monarchs in Norfolk which should be an uphill battle for the team from Durham, North Carolina.  ODU will be their toughest opponent of the season by far.

The Eagles are led by super senior quarterback Walker Harris.  Harris had a great first game against Southern but struggled against New Hampshire completing only 39% of his passes.  Over two games, he's completed 58.3% of his passes with two touchdowns and one interception.  He's a pocket passer that has only two rushing yards in 14 attempts on the year.  That number is low mostly due to sacks, but Harris is not beating teams with his feet.  The Monarchs' defense should have no problem stopping this quarterback.

However, NC Central does have a star running back to keep an eye out for.  Chris Mosley has over 300 all-purpose yards over two games and a touchdown.  The Monarchs allowed 309 rushing yards last week against Indiana.  The ODU defense needs to step up and stop the run this game and prove the success of the IU rushing attack was just a matter of talent winning the day due to their studded backfield and massive offensive line.  Mosley and company cannot be compared to Indiana talent-wise.  Expect the ODU defense to be in the backfield all day, stuffing the run and forcing the Eagles to pass the ball.  Jason Henderson should eat.

Turning to the defense, the Eagles have struggled against the run, our biggest strength on offense.  Southern ran for 249 yards with their QB getting 93 of his own.  Likewise, New Hampshire ran for 120, with their QB getting 36.  The Monarchs' rushing attack should eat.  Colton Joseph should have multiple rushing touchdowns and if he doesn't that will probably be because the Old Dominion running backs are scoring instead.  Maurki James started against Indiana and got the lion's share of the carries. Maybe NC Central could be his breakout game. Bull Hargrove spelled James with Devin Roche missing the contest in Bloomington. It's unclear when Roche will return. However, 

But hopefully, Joseph can use this game to tune up the passing attack and find a strong rhythm with his receivers.  Last week, New Hampshire threw for only 186 yards on this team.  Joseph can beat those numbers.  Moreover, the number one thing I want from this team is to just take care of the ball.  The last FCS team to nearly upset the Monarchs did so by creating a lot of sacks and getting a lot of turnovers.  Joseph needs to hold onto the ball and protect it above all else.

Overall, this NC Central team is a good MEAC and FCS program.  We like their chances to win their conference and will be rooting for it.  But FBS programs are only allowed to count 1 FCS win per year towards bowl eligibility for a reason.  The Monarchs should win and they should have no major issue handling any team from the MEAC. 

Prediction:  Old Dominion 35, NC Central 13
Last week, Aaron and Justice were the only Monarchists to pick ODU.  Gary and I get extra points for picking IU but ODU to cover as they did.  In fact, my 31-17 prediction was almost spot on when the score was 27-14.  This week, we're all picking Old Dominion to bounce back and dominate their FCS opponent.  Vegas has not even released a spread.  They tend not to when the game could be so lopsided that a spread would be over 40 points.  However, ESPN predicts 95.3% chance that the Monarchs win.

No excuses, the Monarchs should control every facet of game and dominate.  They cannot overlook NC Central.  That's what happened in 2023 where the much less talented Texas A&M-Commerce nearly upset the Monarchs.  That was the last time Vegas did not release a spread and ESPN gave ODU a 99.9% chance of winning.  It turned into a scary close game.  This NCCU team is much better than that squad from Texas. So, ODU has to treat this game like they would any other by remaining focused on the task at hand and fight to win every single play at every position on the field.

Go Monarchs, wear Hudson Blue and pack the Castle!