The 2026 North Carolina college football season opens with one of the state’s top Division II matchups as Wingate travels to face UNC Pembroke on a Thursday night in Pembroke. Wingate won nine games and made the D2 playoffs a season ago, while UNC Pembroke earned eight victories and finished as its conference runner-up.
🔄 Last Updated: August 24, 2026
🏟️ Game Information
Wingate (9-3 in 2025) at UNC Pembroke (8-3 in 2025)
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: Grace P. Johnson Stadium | Pembroke, NC
TV/Stream: Conference Carolinas Digital Network
📚 Series History
- Wingate leads series: 10-3
- Last meeting: Wingate 30, UNC Pembroke 21 (2025)
- Current streak: Wingate won 6 straight
⭐ 2026 Featured Game
👀 Previewing the Matchup
The “I-74 Rivalry” has been a staple of the D2 season in our state since the first meeting in 2007. The two regional rivals played nearly every season through 2019, then resumed in 2024 after a five-year gap.
Last season, Wingate jumped to a 24-7 lead and held on for a 30-21 triumph on its home turf. Bulldog quarterback Elijah Holmes threw for 222 yards and two TDs, while Xavier Pugh rushed for 106 yards and one score.
We didn’t know it at the time, but last season’s opening week contest featured four eventual conference MVPs:
- Isi Etute (UNC Pembroke): Conference Carolinas Co-Defensive Player of the Year
- Hunter Turner (UNC Pembroke): Conference Carolinas Co-Lineman of the Year
- Elihu Lipscomb (Wingate): South Atlantic Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year
- Jaylen Himes (Wingate): SAC Offensive Freshman of the Year
👀 What to Know About Wingate at UNC Pembroke 2026
Thursday night’s opener matches two teams expected to contend for conference championships this fall. Wingate is the preseason favorite in the South Atlantic Conference, while UNC Pembroke was picked second in Conference Carolinas behind North Greenville.
Both teams also enter the opener sharing one major question: Who’s playing quarterback?
🎯 UNC Pembroke has options — and plenty of experience
UNC Pembroke must replace Tre Robinson, who threw for 2,437 yards and 25 touchdowns and added 511 yards and nine scores on the ground last season.
Coach Mark Hall wasn’t ready to name names when NC Football News asked about the competition at Conference Carolinas media day last month.
“No names,” Hall said with a laugh. “I figured you would ask. We’re still a work in progress.”
One intriguing candidate transferred to UNCP in the off-season: Josh Ehrlich, a graduate transfer from Division III Susquehanna.
Ehrlich brings an impressive résumé to Pembroke:
- 33-6 record as a collegiate starter
- Six NCAA Division III playoff victories
- Two-time Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist
- Two-time Landmark Conference Offensive Player of the Year
- 2,670 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and just one interception in 2025
- 773 rushing yards and seven touchdowns last season
Ehrlich isn’t the only experienced option. Brice Koontz transferred from Bluefield State after passing for 1,952 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2025, while UNCP’s six-man quarterback room also includes transfers Jackson Dadich and Gabe Dombek.
Hall has gotten big production from his first two starting quarterbacks at UNCP, Colin Johnson and Robinson, and made it clear at media day what he’s looking for from the next one.
“The number one goal of that position is to play winning football and put our team in a position to score points so we can win games.”
We may not know until Thursday who gets the first snap.
🐶 Wingate’s quarterback question looks very different
Wingate also needs a new starter after Elijah Holmes, who passed for more than 3,000 yards during his breakout 2025 season, transferred to Buffalo.
Unlike UNCP, however, Wingate’s quarterback room has almost no college experience.
The Bulldogs’ current roster lists nine quarterbacks — and none are upperclassmen. Four are redshirt freshmen and five are true freshmen.
Redshirt freshman Brooks Brien is the only member of the group who attempted a pass for Wingate last season, completing 2 of 8 attempts for 26 yards in limited action.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Bulldogs can’t find their answer quickly. Holmes himself entered last season without having been Wingate’s regular starter, won the job during preseason camp and developed into one of the SAC’s most productive quarterbacks.
Could another young Bulldog be ready for a similar breakthrough?
🏆 Why Thursday matters
This isn’t a conference game, but it’s an immediate measuring stick for two teams with championship expectations.
Wingate enters as the SAC preseason favorite after winning nine games and reaching the Division II playoffs last season. UNC Pembroke won eight games in its first Conference Carolinas season and enters 2026 picked second behind North Greenville.
There’s history here, too. Wingate has won six consecutive meetings in the I-74 Rivalry, including last year’s 30-21 victory.
For the Bulldogs, Thursday offers the first indication of whether a young quarterback can keep a championship-caliber roster moving forward. For the Braves, it’s an opportunity to end Wingate’s recent dominance in the series and show they belong among the region’s top Division II programs.
And for both teams, we’ll learn a lot more about their quarterback situations once somebody finally has to take the first snap.
⭐ Featured Game: Wingate at UNC Pembroke was selected as one of NC Football News’ 25 Games That Could Define the 2026 Season, our statewide look at the most important matchups from the ACC to Division III.
🔗 More NC Football Coverage
- Wingate schedule
- South Atlantic Conference standings
- UNC Pembroke schedule
- Conference Carolinas standings
- 2026 week-by-week schedule
- North Carolina college football scores
📝 Game Recap
Check back after the game for a recap, stats and observations.
