Week 5 in North Carolina Division II football brings a stacked Saturday slate, highlighted by a 2024 conference championship game rematch, more “south-vs.-north” CIAA clashes, a playoff-worthy road trip and a pair of unique visiting opponents.
Wingate (3-0) will aim to stay unbeaten in a home game against Carson-Newman, the same foe it beat to win last year’s South Atlantic Conference title. The Bulldogs enter ranked No. 19 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, while the Eagles will try to spoil the momentum in Saturday’s prime-time clash.
In the CIAA, Fayetteville State looks to build on last week’s Down East Viking Classic victory over Elizabeth City State and could shake up the league race with an upset of No. 23 Virginia State. Meanwhile, Shaw will attempt to slow defending champ Virginia Union.
UNC Pembroke from Conference Carolinas also takes center stage, visiting a still-ranked Valdosta State team that has already faced two North Carolina opponents this month — falling to Johnson C. Smith before beating Chowan.
Two more North Carolina squads host uncommon visitors from out of state: Mars Hill welcomes Mary Hardin-Baylor, a D3 power from Texas (ranked 18th in the nation this week), while Catawba takes on Southern Connecticut State in a rare regional crossover.
🏈 Full Week 5 Schedule
- Chowan (1-2) at Shorter | 12 PM | CCDN
- Mary Hardin-Baylor at Mars Hill (2-1) | 1 PM | FloCollege
- No. 23 Virginia State at Fayetteville State (1-3) | 1 PM | CIAA-SN
- No. 21 Virginia Unio at Shaw (1-2) | 1 PM | CIAA-SN
- Winston-Salem State (2-2) at Bowie State | 1 PM | CIAA-SN
- Bluefield State at Johnson C. Smith (3-1) | 2 PM | CIAA-SN
- Lincoln (PA) at Livingstone (2-1)| 4 PM | CIAA-SN
- Southern Connecticut State at Catawba (3-1) | 4 PM | FloCollege
- UNC Pembroke (3-1) at No. 20 Valdosta State | 4 PM | FloCollege
- Carson-Newman at No. 19 Wingate (3-0) | 6 PM | FloCollege
- Newberry at Lenoir-Rhyne (2-2) | 6 PM | FloCollege
- Idle: Barton, Elizabeth City State
🔑 Key Matchups & Storylines
- SAC Title Implications – Wingate clipped Carson-Newman in last year’s league title game. With no divisions and a round-robin schedule, there will be no championship game this season. Saturday could play a big role in who gets the 2025 trophy
- UNCP’s Challenge – The Braves have earned AFCA Top-25 votes three straight weeks and now visit national power Valdosta State, already a victim once to a North Carolina opponent (Johnson C. Smith).
- CIAA Crossroads – Last week, Virginia Union and Virginia State bested North Carolina competition. This week, Fayetteville State and Shaw host the dynamic duo. Can the Broncos and/or Bears earn some get-back for our state?
- Golden Bulls Reset – Johnson C. Smith is 3-1 but smarting from its 28-10 defeat at VUU a week ago. Bluefield State arrives as this year’s homecoming guest. It could get ugly if JCSU wants to vent some frustrations.
- Blue Bears Battling – Gritty Livingstone is 2-1 after edging Bowie State 17-16 last week. A home win over Lincoln could cement their status as an early-season surprise.
- Catawba, Mars Hill Rising: Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne get many of the main headlines in the SAC from a North Carolina perspective. But Catawba and Mars Hill both have been impressive, too. Both take one last break from league play.
📈 In the Rankings
- Wingate – The Bulldogs remain in the Top 25, ranked No. 19 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the D2Football.com poll.
- Others Receiving Votes (AFCA Coaches Poll) – Four other North Carolina teams are in the mix: Lenoir-Rhyne (15 votes), Johnson C. Smith (13), UNC Pembroke (6), and Catawba (1).
- Dropped Out – Lenoir-Rhyne (previously No. 19) and Johnson C. Smith (No. 21) both slipped from the AFCA Top 25 this week.
- Ranked Opponents on the Schedule – Virginia Union (No. 21 in both polls and defending CIAA champs), Virginia State (No. 23 in the D2Football.com poll), and Valdosta State (No. 20 in the AFCA Coaches Poll).
⭐ Players to Watch
- Rivers Teeter (Wingate P) – Named D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 44.3 yards per punt and pinning three inside the 5-yard line in the win over UVA-Wise.
- Bennett Galloway & Kevin Lalin (Catawba RBs) – Potent 1-2 punch in the backfield has Indians at 3-1.
- Daylin Lee (Winston-Salem State QB): CIAA’s top passer has twice as many TD throws (10) as next closest QB.
- Chris Brown (WSSU DL): Living in opponents’ backfields with CIAA-best 14.0 TFLs.
- Songa Yates (Lenoir-Rhyne): Leads SAC in receiving yards-per-game (100.7) with three TDs.
- Fayetteville State Defense: Piled up the TFLs against ECSU last week, will face the CIAA’s most prolific offense this week.
📊 Records at a Glance
- Unbeaten: Wingate (3-0)
- Winning Records: Catawba (3-1), JCSU (3-1), UNCP (3-1), Livingstone (2-1), Mars Hill (2-1)
- At .500: WSSU (2-2), Lenoir-Rhyne (2-2)
- Looking to Ascend: Shaw (1-2), Chowan (1-2), Fayetteville State (1-3)
- Still Searching: Barton (0-4), Elizabeth City State (0-4)
🔗 Follow the Action
Keep up with live scores all day Saturday on our North Carolina College Football Scoreboard Hub.
