Campbell University has been affiliated with the Baptist church since its founding in 1887. The school will hold a different kind of Sunday service on the grounds this morning, resuming a football game against Western Carolina that was postponed from Saturday.
Kickoff for the highly anticipated matchup is slated for 11 a.m. at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Gates will open at 10 a.m., and tickets from Saturday will be honored.
The Sunday North Carolina college football slate also includes a game already on the schedule – Johnson C. Smith facing Albany State today at 4 p.m. in the Black College Hall of Fame Classic in Canton, Ohio.
🔄 Last Updated: September 6, 2026 1:26 am
🏈 North Carolina College Football Games Today | Sunday, Sept. 6
Western Carolina at Campbell – 11 a.m. ET, FloCollege
Records: Western Carolina 1-0 | Campbell 1-0
Location: Buies Creek, NC
Johnson C. Smith vs. Albany State – 4 p.m. ET, NFL Network
Records: Johnson C. Smith 0-1 | Albany State 0-1
Location: Canton, Ohio — Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
👀 What to Know
🌩️ Electrical issue shorts out WCU-Campbell
Western Carolina and Campbell got as far as the national anthem on Saturday afternoon before lightning forced a lengthy delay at Barker-Lane Stadium. As the storms passed by, Campbell officials discovered that one bank of stadium lights would not come back on, apparently the victim of a lightning strike.
That created unsafe conditions with sunset approaching, so officials decided to postpone the contest until today at 11 a.m. It’s a curious start time for sure, and one of the storylines will be how the teams respond to the overnight delay after a hype-filled week anticipating the matchup and its standout quarterbacks.
👉 READ MORE: For a deeper preview of Catamounts vs. Camels, visit our WCU-Campbell Game Center.
🏆 It’s literally champion vs. champion in Canton
For the second year in a row, the Black College Hall of Fame Classic will feature a pair of reigning conference champions – CIAA vs. SIAC. JCSU won the 2025 CIAA title, dethroning Virginia Union 45-21, while Albany State claimed the SIAC crown and went 12-2.
Both teams made the Division II playoffs. JCSU finished 10-2, while Albany State advanced all the way to the national quarterfinals as a No. 1 seed.
😬 Both champions are already 0-1.
JCSU lost its opener 32-10 at Benedict last Saturday. Albany State also lost, 20-7 at Florida A&M. So two defending conference champions arrive in Canton trying to avoid an 0-2 start. Johnson C. Smith played better than last week’s final score indicated, struggling to finish drives.
⚔️ Albany State’s new coach knows JCSU VERY well.
Albany State is coached by David Bowser, who is in his first season as the Golden Rams’ head coach. Last season? He was a special assistant to JCSU coach Maurice Flowers, helping the Golden Bulls to their first CIAA title since 1969.
🐂 Johnson C. Smith has a running back worth watching.
Despite the ugly opener, Johnson C. Smith’s Fabian Duncan ran for 183 yards on 22 carries, including a 64-yard touchdown against Benedict. He was named CIAA Offensive Back of the Week. Defensive back Rossie Grimes had 12 tackles, seven solo, and earned CIAA Defensive Back of the Week.
🔄 JCSU underwent a dramatic roster transition
This may explain why the defending CIAA champions didn’t look like themselves in the season opener. JCSU had to replace more than two dozen seniors from the title team. The Bulls brought in 35 new freshmen and 15+ transfers. One of the biggest changes came at quarterback, where former four-star prospect Parker McQuarrie won the job to replace Kelvin Durham.
👉 Saturday Rewind: Despite multiple weather delays yesterday, only WCU-Campbell did not finish among the 18 games involving North Carolina college teams. View our Saturday Scoreboard page to view final scores and updates from across the state.
Looking ahead: Today is the fourth of four straight days of college football action featuring North Carolina teams. College action resumes on Friday, Sept. 11 when Richmond visits NC State, followed by a busy Saturday, Sept. 12 slate of games across FBS, FCS, D2, D3 and junior college.
