UNC won the Victory Bell back, Charlotte won for the first time in 15 tries, and Campbell survived a homecoming scare against an opponent that hasn’t won in 2026.
Davidson kicked a game-winning field goal in overtime, while Wingate booted a game-winner late in the fourth quarter to beat rival Lenoir-Rhyne.
CIAA play was kind to Winston-Salem State, Fayetteville State and Johnson C. Smith – but not so much for Shaw or Elizabeth City State. Conference Carolinas play was kind to Chowan and UNC Pembroke – but not so much for Barton.
North Carolina is no longer home to any winless college football teams – congrats to Charlotte and WSSU for getting rid of those goose eggs. But we lost our next-to-last undefeated team as Brevard went down to defeat in D3 action.
Our final unbeaten team – Louisburg College – gets the high score award for the week. The Hurricanes dominated Myrtle Beach Collegiate 74-8.
Week 7 of the North Carolina college football season is now in the books. Here’s a brief snapshot of how all 23 games went that involved teams from the Old North State.
North Carolina College Football Week 7 Recaps
FBS Games
Charlotte 38, Temple 31
The 49ers snapped a 15-game losing skid dating back to September 2025 and gave second-year coach Tim Albin his first victory against an FBS foe. Connor Harrell threw two touchdown passes and rushed for two more.
UNC 24, Duke 20
Jaylen McGill scored the game-winning touchdown for the Tar Heels on a 24-yard run with 1:53 to play. North Carolina’s defense then picked off Duke quarterback Walker Eget in the final seconds to seal it. The Heels reclaimed the Victory Bell after a two-year absence.
Wake Forest at Cal
10:30 p.m., ESPN2
FCS Games
North Carolina A&T 27, Chicago State 12
The Aggies built a 24-0 lead by halftime and cruised to their second win in a row and third in four outings. Kevin White threw three touchdown passes, including a pair to Michael Carlock-Williams. Tyrek Brown had four tackles-for-loss for the Aggies. Jonathan Kimbrough-Campbell made 11 tackles and picked off a pass.
Davidson 34, Morehead State 31 (OT)
Christos Tzoumakas kicked a 33-yard field goal in overtime, and the Wildcats collected their first Pioneer Football League win. Erick Bonner picked off a Morehead State pass in OT. Davidson quarterback Casey Bullock rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing a TD pass. The Wildcats are now 2-0 in overtime games this season, with Tzoumakas providing the winning field goals in both.
UT Martin 17, Gardner-Webb 6
The Runnin’ Bulldogs struggled to move the ball all day, earning just 168 total yards and only 20 on the ground. Starting quarterback Cole Pennington did not play. Gardner-Webb’s points came on an 86-yard kickoff return from Joshua George with 6:34 in the third quarter. GWU dropped to 2-6 on the season.
Campbell 24, Towson 20
De’Von Thomas rushed for two touchdowns – the fourth time he has done that this season – and the No. 16/18 Camels survived on homecoming against the winless Tigers. Towson marched inside the Campbell 30-yard line in the final two minutes but failed to convert on fourth down. The Camels improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in CAA play heading into a bye week.
Stanford 34, Elon 7
The Phoenix took a break from CAA play to make a crosscountry trip to (far western) ACC Country. Micah Ford rushed for four touchdowns, including an 81-yarder in the fourth quarter to lead Stanford. Elon running back Kamerin McDowell-Moore impressed against ACC competition, rushing for 164 yards on 21 carries and scoring on an 18-yard run late in the game.
Division II Games
Winston-Salem State 43, Bluefield State 14
Winston-Salem State got into the win column for the first time, overwhelming the CIAA’s other winless team. The Rams gained 340 yards on the ground and scored four rushing touchdowns. Jayvion Danzy enjoyed a career day with 182 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. WSSU recorded five sacks and held Bluefield State to 83 rushing yards. .
Chowan 37, Erskine 7
One of the most improved teams in our state impressed once again, cruising past Erskine to improve to 3-0 in Conference Carolinas. The Hawks built a 20-0 halftime lead. Tyler Adkins threw for 361 yards and found Amir Alexander for three touchdowns. Alexander finished with 170 receiving yards. Jerrel Howard intercepted a pass, recovered two fumbles and broke up two other throws.
Newberry 20, Mars Hill 7
The Lions, once 5-0 and nationally ranked, suffered their second straight loss. Rayvon Durant scored Mars Hill’s lone touchdown on a 39-yard run in the third quarter. That cut the Newberry lead to 13-7, but the Wolves tacked on another touchdown on a 55-yard pass from Mason Kidd to Alex Meeks. Mars Hill managed just 190 total yards and 34 on the ground.
Virginia State 76, Shaw 13
Shaw found the end zone in the game’s first minute when Alexander Marsh completed a 60-yard touchdown pass to Reggie King Jr. But the Bears were overwhelmed from that point, falling to 4-4 on the season. Virginia State scored 35 points in the second quarter and 44 more in the second half. VSU quarterback Rahsaan Matthews Jr. finished with 305 passing yards and five touchdowns.
Fayetteville State 43, Elizabeth City State 7
Jamir Dismukes threw a trio of touchdown passes, and the Broncos cruised on homecoming. Dismukes also rushed for a touchdown, helping the Broncos improve to 4-3, 3-2 in CIAA play. Fayetteville State got off to a hot start, scoring 22 points in the opening period. ECSU dropped to 1-7, 1-5 CIAA. The Vikings only mounted 12 rushing yards and 73 total yards against FSU’s vaunted defense.
Catawba 37, Anderson 33
Catawba twice rallied from deficits to win a South Atlantic Conference game on the road. The Indians outscored Anderson 13-0 in the final period, with Mason Fortune throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Venezia and Bennett Galloway running for a 5-yard TD. Galloway had two touchdowns on the day. Jayden Jones rushed for 107 yards and one score.
Johnson C. Smith 40, Lincoln (PA) 6
The defending CIAA champions kept rolling, winning for the sixth time in a row since dropping their opener at Benedict. Damien Mazil threw two touchdown passes to Reginald Daniel and two more to Brian Lane. Alexis Rosario-Beltran booted field goals from 41 and 43 yards out.
Wingate 20, Lenoir-Rhyne 17
Gunnar Hilsinger hit a 25-yard field goal with 1:27 to play, lifting the Bulldogs to victory in the SAC rivalry contest. Lenoir-Rhyne had tied the game 17-17 six minutes earlier with a 37-yard field goal from Cole Allbaugh. Elijah Evans and Tyson Brown each had two sacks for Wingate, with Evans finishing with 3.0 tackles-for-loss.
UNC Pembroke 59, Barton 0
The Braves outgained the Bulldogs 571-63 on the way to their sixth win of the season. Josh Ehrlich threw five touchdown passes for the second consecutive game. Malik Brown made two touchdown catches for the second week in a row. Jake Davids rushed for 99 yards and two scores. Bryson Simpkins made his two catches count, turning both into scores. Fred Giles recorded two sacks and a forced fumble.
Division III Games
LaGrange 21, Brevard 10
The defending USA South champions handed Brevard its first loss of the season. Michael Hays scored touchdowns on runs of 2 and 62 yards for LaGrange. Brevard’s points came from a 22-yard Christian Conley to Shy Grant touchdown pass and a 29-yard Spencer Crum field goal. The result left both teams 5-1 overall. LaGrange is now 3-0 in conference, while Brevard drops to 2-1.
Huntingdon 17, North Carolina Wesleyan 3
Braxton Green got the Battling Bishops on the board early in the first quarter with a 28-yard field goal, and North Carolina Wesleyan led 3-2 at the half. Huntingdon turned the tide with a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown by Noah Abrams early in the third quarter. Kenyon Watkins tacked on another touchdown with a six-yard run in the fourth. Jimmie West III had 116 receiving yards for the Bishops.
Belhaven 19, Greensboro 10
The Pride couldn’t make an early 10-0 lead hold up, falling at home in USA South Conference action. Greensboro’s points came on a 33-yard Jacob Cook field goal and a 36-yard touchdown run from Cameron Turner. Matthew Dial threw a pair of touchdown passes to lead the Belhaven comeback. Jadon Barnes earned two sacks for Greensboro.
Hampden-Sydney 64, Guilford 3
The Quakers struggled against one of the top teams in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, giving up 387 rushing yards and another 262 through the air. Terry Hicks, Xavier Howard-Morris and Will Foley each rushed for two scores for Hampden-Sydney. Colby Tucker scored Guilford’s points with a 30-yard field goal.
Southern Virginia at Methodist
Southern Virginia spoiled Methodist’s homecoming, keeping the Monarchs off the scoreboard. Methodist managed just nine rushing yards and 132 through the air. Devin Watson threw for 340 yards and tossed 3 touchdown passes – all to Jalen Lackey, who finished with 13 grabs for 201 yards. Kendrick Worthington rushed for 119 yards and two scores. Methodist quarterbacks were sacked six times.
NJCAA Game (Junior College)
Louisburg 74, Myrtle Beach Collegiate
Louisburg College improved to 7-0 on the season and, with Brevard’s loss, is the last remaining unbeaten collegiate team in North Carolina. The Hurricanes overwhelmed the Marauders for the third year in a row, this time on homecoming.
🔗 More North Carolina College Football Coverage
- Statewide Standings: Updated weekly on Sundays after games are complete
- 2026 week-by-week schedule
- North Carolina college football scores
