It’s hard to believe but we only have four more weeks of the North Carolina D2 football regular season. Today’s games could go a long way toward shaping which teams from the Old North State get to extend their seasons deeper into November – and which ones will pack it in until 2026.
[UPDATE: All D2 games are complete today. Scroll down to see scores and read our recaps & takeaways].
The marquee match-up today will take place south of the border in Tigerville, SC. No. 19 ranked UNC Pembroke will visit North Greenville in a battle of unbeaten Conference Carolinas teams. Meanwhile, Barton will host Chowan in the first Conference Carolinas’ in-state showdown since the league resumed football after a 50-year hiatus.
In CIAA action, Shaw will try to engineer more upset magic, hosting 5-1 Johnson C. Smith. Winston-Salem State will celebrate homecoming against Livingstone, while Elizabeth City State travels north to Virginia State. Fayetteville State, riding a four-game win streak, has the weekend off.
Catawba takes a breather from South Atlantic play this week. Lenoir-Rhyne is home to UVA Wise. Wingate takes aim at SAC leader Emory & Henry. Mars Hill travels to Newberry.
Follow our Game Day thread for live updates and scores from today’s North Carolina D2 football action. Bookmark and check back throughout the weekend. We’ll add quick hitters and top performers as the day and weekend progresses.
🔗 Jump To: Today’s D2 Games | Live Scoreboard | Wrap-Up
🏆 More Scores: Full North Carolina College Scoreboard
📅 North Carolina D2 Football | Saturday, Oct. 18
🔥CIAA Football Schedule & Scores
Johnson C. Smith 52, Shaw 0
Bowie State 42, Bluefield State 37
Virginia Union 66, Lincoln (PA) 21
Winston Salem State 42, Livingstone 10
Virginia State 24, Elizabeth City State 20
Fayetteville State – idle
💪 Conference Carolinas Schedule & Scores
North Greenville 20, UNC Pembroke 7
Delta State 51, Ferrum 10
Barton 28, Chowan 21
Erskine 23, Shorter 19
🚨 FIRST PLACE ON THE LINE: UNC Pembroke and North Greenville enter Saturday with 3-0 conference records. Read our game preview
⚡South Atlantic Conference Schedule & Scores
Wingate 27, Emory & Henry 20
Carson-Newman 28, Anderson 6
Lenoir-Rhyne 23, UVA Wise 10
Newberry 38, Mars Hill 24
🚨 CHAMPIONSHIP MEMORIES: Lenoir-Rhyne will honor its 1975 South Atlantic Conference championship team today as it plays host to UVA-Wise
📊 Live Scoreboard: North Carolina D2 Football
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | JCSU | 14 | 14 | 24 | 0 | 52 | Final | |
 | Shaw | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | CIAA-SN | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Wingate | 3 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Final | |
 | Emory & Henry | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 | FloCollege | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Livingstone | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | Final | |
 | WSSU | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 | CIAA-SN | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | ECSU | 0 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 20 | Final | |
 | Virginia State | 14 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 24 | CIAA-SN | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | UNCP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | Final | |
 | North Greenville | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 | CCDN | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | UVA Wise | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | Final | |
 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 23 | FloCollege | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Chowan | 6 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 21 | Final | |
 | Barton | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 | CCDN | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Mars Hill | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 | Final | |
 | Newberry | 21 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 38 | FloCollege |
✅ D2 Football Wrap-Up
Come back later in the weekend as we wrap up the day in North Carolina D2 football with the most monumental games and performances:
🏆 Biggest Win of the Day
Xavier Pugh scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 1:50 left, and Wingate knocked off No. 22 Emory & Henry 27-20 in South Atlantic action. The Wasps had been 5-1 in conference play and top of the league standings heading into the contest.
The Bulldogs, winners of last year’s SAC championship, stayed within reach of new leader Newberry (5-1) and helped create a major bunch behind the Wolves. Emory & Henry, Wingate, Catawba and Carson-Newman each have two losses at this point. Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne have three losses each.
This race ain’t over yet, folks.
💪 Standout Performance
Johnson C. Smith posted its first shutout against Shaw since the 1970s (52-0) and now has the best record in North Carolina college football at 6-1. The Golden Bulls are the only team in our state (out of 33) with just one defeat. UNC Pembroke had been 6-1 entering today’s action but lost at North Greenville.
JCSU earned all of its points in the first three quarters and outgained Shaw 417-103. Quarterback Kelvin Durham threw three TD passes. Brian Lane caught four passes for 146 yards and a TD. Deandre Proctor had 106 yards in catches and two scores.
Kevin Haynes Jr. earned 4.0 tackles-for-loss and returned a fumble for a touchdown. All told, the Golden Bulls recorded nine sacks and 17 TFLs. Isaiah Perry returned the second half opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. A complete victory in all phases.
⚡ Biggest Upset
Elizabeth City State didn’t quite get the upset but the Vikings pushed Virginia State to the limit before falling 24-20. The was the Vikes’ third loss this season by a TD or less, including one against an FCS foe.
🔥 Other Highlights & Takeaways
While UNC Pembroke was surely disappointed in today’s results at North Greenville, all is not lost for the Braves. Conference Carolinas will have a championship game featuring the top two teams, and UNCP just needs to take care of business over the next two weeks at Chowan (Oct. 25) and against Barton (Nov. 1) to get a second shot at the Trailblazers. UNCP would have a bye week to get ready for rematch with North Greenville.
Barton running back Jackson Parrish rushed for 221 yards and scored a touchdown in the second, third and fourth quarters in the Bulldogs 28-21 win over Chowan. Parrish’s last TD, on a 5-yard run with 2:14 left, provided the winning points. Chowan had just marched 99 yards for the tying score earlier in the period. Barton is now 2-1 in Conference Carolinas.
Winston-Salem State played its most complete game of the season, thumping usually pesky Livingstone 42-10. The Rams led 28-3 at the half. Coach Robert Massey‘s team rushed for 302 yards and passed for another 202. The defense recorded five sacks.
WSSU enjoyed two 100-yard rushers in the lopsided homecoming win. JaQuan Kelly picked up 139 yards on 18 carries, scoring twice. Timothy Ruff II added 135 yards on 11 totes with one touchdown. All told, Winston-Salem State rushers averaged 7.4 yards per carry and found the end zone four times.
Lenoir-Rhyne improved to 4-1 all-time against UVA Wise, earning a homecoming victory 23-10. The Bears held the ball for more than 36 minutes.
Overheard at the Barton-Chowan game on Chowan quarterback Maurice Smith: “He’s the Cam Newton of Conference Carolinas.” Smith truly is a load to bring down and scored the game’s first touchdown on a 16-yard run. He also threw two TD passes, keeping Chowan in contention until the end.
Wingate’s Elijah Holmes completed 17-of-28 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown – and rushed for another score – in the Bulldogs’ win at Emory & Henry.
