Week four of the college football season brings another round of intriguing match-ups — and the first Saturday of what can be called “football weather” in the Old North State.
As the calendar flips to autumn, fans in the stands can expect highs in the 60s and 70s, with lows for those late games dipping into the 50s. A chill in the air with some rain possible early in the day as a tropical system passes by to the east. Football weather!
Here are some of the notable games on the docket involving North Carolina schools. The full schedule is listed at the bottom.
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Battle of the Unbeatens
Barton (3-0) at Mars Hill (2-0) | 1 p.m.
Two of North Carolina’s six undefeated teams square off in this Division II South Atlantic Conference clash. If you haven’t heard the name Jordan Terrell yet, where have you been? The Barton tailback leads the NCAA (all levels) with 582 rushing yards. He had 256 last week, including a game-winning touchdown run of 63 yards late in the fourth quarter in a win over UVA Wise.
Mars Hill, meanwhile, cites defense as its calling card. The Lions only allow 15 points per game and 317.5 yards of offense. Landon Honeycutt (12 tackles), Tristan Rankin (12 tackles and a fumble return for a game-winning touchdown) and Dexter Fitzpatrick (11 tackles) spearhead the Mars Hill stopping unit tasked with slowing Terrell and the Bulldogs. Something will have to give.
The Lions boast their own emerging star in the running game, Jon Gullette, who has 313 rushing yards and a touchdown in two games.
FCS vs. FBS, Again
Gardner-Webb (1-2) at East Carolina (0-3) | 6 p.m.
Gardner-Webb will play its second in-state FBS foe of the season, and ECU fans have a right to be concerned. The young Pirates have struggled through three weeks, and Gardner-Webb has a top 25 caliber FCS program.
The Bulldogs are 1-21 all-time against the FBS but pushed App State to the wire in early September, led Liberty 20-14 going into the fourth quarter last year and had a 27-24 edge against Coastal Carolina with 10:33 left in a 2022 matchup.
The Armstrong Bowl
NC State (2-1) at Virginia (0-3) | Friday | 7:30 p.m.
Wolfpack quarterback Brennan Armstrong played at Virginia from 2018-22, setting 15 school records. Now he’ll go back to Charlottesville to face his old team in a Friday ACC clash.
“It’s just a game once that whistle blows,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said in his weekly press conference. “Now, when he gets in that stadium for the first time, I’m sure he’s going to have some feelings. He loved that place. He has great friends and memories there, but he’s playing for our team and he knows that, and he’s going in there to win a football game, and to make it about us.”
Saturday also will be a reunion for NC State offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who coached the Cavaliers offense from 2016-21. Wolfpack line coach Garett Tujague served as the OL coach at Virginia from 2016-22. On the flip side, Virginia’s new offensive coordinator, Des Kitchings, served as the running backs coach at NC State from 2012-18.
HBCU showcase in Indy
North Carolina Central (2-1) at Mississippi Valley State (0-2) | 3 p.m.
Fresh off a trip to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA, North Carolina Central will travel to Indianapolis for the annual Circle City Classic. The game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Colts.
The Eagles and Delta Devils met in 2021, with Mississippi Valley State prevailing by a point. NC Central will look to get back into the positive after having a seven-game win streak snapped by the Pac-12 Bruins.
Longest Road Trip
Appalachian State (2-1) at Wyoming (2-1)
The Mountaineers will travel 1,575 miles to face the Cowboys from the Mountain West Conference. It will be the third-ever meeting between the schools. App State beat Wyoming 31-13 in Boone in 2015. The Cowboys took the first meeting 53-7 in Laramie back in 2004.
Wyoming’s MO under coach Craig Bohl has been ball-control offense and mistake-free play on both sides. The Cowboys rank fourth in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game and 13th in time of possession. App State brings in one of the top scoring offenses in the FBS, averaging 40.7 points per game.
Speaking of weather, temperatures could be in the 30s by the time this one wraps up.
Beware The Trap
Duke (3-0) at Connecticut (0-3) | 3:30 p.m.
The Blue Devils have Notre Dame (and possibly ESPN College Game Day) coming to Wallace Wade on Sept. 30. But coach Mike Elko’s team can’t afford to get caught looking ahead.
UConn under coach Jim Mora can muck up a game and turn things into a grind for opponents (just ask NC State, which traveled to Storrs in week one and slogged to a 24-14 win). Take care of business on the road and defeat a lesser opponent this week, Blue Devils, and then we can speculate about the possibility of Lee Corso donning Duke headgear during College Game Day.
New Conference Rivalry, Part II
Elon (1-2, 1-0 CAA) at Campbell (2-1, 1-1 CAA) | 6 p.m.
Elon gave new CAA member NC A&T a rude welcome to the conference last week, shutting the Aggies down in a 27-3 victory. This week, the Phoenix play the other CAA newbie from the Old North State.
Campbell has been lighting up the scoreboard and offensive stat sheets the past few weeks. Elon’s defense can bog you down. Saturday’s winner will have two conference victories in the bank, important assets at this early juncture of the season.
Rivalry Renewed – After 61 years
Bluefield State (1-2, 0-1) at Winston-Salem State (1-2, 1-0)
This is a crossover week for CIAA teams, with all the Southern Division schools playing Northern foes. One intriguing match-up features Winston-Salem State renewing old acquaintances with Bluefield State, which played in the CIAA from 1932-55. The school rejoined the league this summer after a 68-year absence.
Winston-Salem State faced Bluefield State every year from 1945-62, but the schools have not played since. The all-time series is tied 8-8-2, with Winston-Salem State winning the last two meetings before most of us were born, in 1961 (13-8) and 1962 (20-14).
Best of the Rest
Charlotte (1-2) continues its grueling September schedule, traveling to Florida two weeks after visiting Maryland from the Big Ten. Coach Biff Poggi’s 49ers aim to be Bad Company in SEC country.
North Carolina (3-0) leaves the Old North State for the first time in 2023, playing former Coastal Division rival Pittsburgh. The Tar Heels will try to get to 4-0 for the first time since 1997, the final year of Mack Brown’s first tenure with the Tar Heels. Pittsburgh is looking to avoid starting 1-3 for the first time since 2017.
Every South Atlantic Conference Piedmont Division team from North Carolina will be on the road this week. In addition to Barton heading to Mars Hill, Wingate (1-2) goes to Emory & Henry (2-1), Catawba (2-1) travels to Tusculum (1-2) and Lenoir-Rhyne (3-0) visits Carson-Newman (1-2). Emory & Henry lost an EIGHT (!) overtime game against Newberry last week, 25-23 … The Johnson C. Smith-Lincoln (Pa.) game time has changed to 1 p.m. The contest originally was scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Complete Week 4 Schedule
| Saturday, September 23 | ||
| Barton at Mars Hill | 1 p.m. | |
| Benedict at Chowan | 1 p.m. | |
| Greensboro at Belhaven | 1 p.m. | |
| Jireh Prep at Louisburg | 1 p.m. | |
| Johnson C. Smith at Lincoln (Pa.) | 1 p.m. | |
| Lenoir-Rhyne at Carson-Newman | 1 p.m. | |
| Shaw at Elizabeth City State | 1 p.m. | |
| Southern Virginia at Methodist | 1 p.m. | |
| St. Augustine’s at Bowie State | 1 p.m. | |
| UNC Pembroke at West Liberty | 1 p.m. | |
| Wingate at Emory & Henry | 1 p.m. | |
| Charleston Southern at Western Carolina | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| NC Central vs. Mississippi Valley State# | 3 p.m. | |
| Duke at Connecticut | 3:30 p.m. | CBS-SN |
| Catawba at Tusculum | 4 p.m. | |
| Maryville (TN) at Brevard | 5 p.m. | |
| Bluefield State at Winston-Salem State | 6 p.m. | |
| Elon at Campbell | 6 p.m. | FloFootball |
| Fayetteville State at Virginia Union | 6 p.m. | |
| Gardner-Webb at East Carolina | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Livingstone at Virginia State | 6 p.m. | |
| Georgia Tech at Wake Forest | 6:30 p.m. | The CW |
| Appalachian State at Wyoming | 7 p.m. | CBS-SN |
| Charlotte at Florida | 7 p.m. | SECN |
| St. Andrews at Davidson | 7 p.m. | |
| North Carolina at Pittsburgh | 8 p.m. | ACCN |
| # Circle City Classic, Indianapolis, IN |
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