A pair of Top 25 match-ups involving North Carolina schools headline the FCS college football schedule this Saturday.
Elon, which jumped into the Stats Perform rankings at No. 25 this week (unranked in the coaches poll), will host No. 11/14 North Carolina Central in a non-conference showdown. Meanwhile, No. 11/17 Western Carolina will visit No. 20/24 Chattanooga with first place on the line in the Southern Conference.
Here are five things to know about each game, plus tidbits on other FCS games involving North Carolina schools this weekend:
NC Central (4-1) at Elon (3-2) | 2 p.m.
1. Elon has been tough to beat at home of late, winning eight straight games in Rhodes Stadium (in front of near-record crowds in some cases). The streak dates back to 2021.
2. The Phoenix have not allowed a touchdown at home in the last 15 quarters, holding NC A&T to a field goal and William & Mary to two field goals in recent action. North Carolina Central, meanwhile, has scored at least 45 points in three different games this year, including 49 points in a comeback win over Campbell last weekend. The Eagles average 35.6 points per game.
3. Elon leads the overall series 9-3, but the teams have not played since the Phoenix won 34-14 at Rhodes Stadium in September 2012. Central’s last victory in the series came in 1996.
4. Central quarterback Davius Richard broke the school record for career rushing touchdowns in the Campbell win, finding the end zone four times on the ground. He now has 33 career rushing scores. Richard, it was announced late last month, has been selected for the 2024 All-State HBCU Legacy Bowl.
5. NC Central has been chasing history on a number of fronts this season. The Eagles moved up to No. 11 in the latest American Football Coaches Association FCS Top 25, their best showing ever in that poll (they are 17th in the Stats Perform poll). As a program, NC Central needs just one more win to reach 500 victories all-time. Coach Trei Oliver’s program is the reigning HBCU national champion.
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Western Carolina (4-1, 3-0) at Chattanooga (4-1, 3-0) | 4 p.m.
1. The Catamounts are one of two schools currently in the Southern Conference who have never won the league title in football (Mercer is the other). A win Saturday would be a huge step toward breaking that streak. WCU has won seven straight games against FCS competition, dating back to last season, and five straight against SoCon foes. Western hasn’t started a season 4-1 since 2017 and will seek to go to 5-1 for the first time since 1974. But they’ve lost the last two played at Chattanooga.
2. WCU running back Desmond Reid earned the SoCon’s Offensive Player of the Month designation. Reid leads the FCS in touchdowns (10) and ranks fourth in rushing yards (636). Reid has been named the conference’s offensive player of the week twice already.
3. The Catamounts have been well-balanced on offense. Quarterback Cole Gonzales ranks fifth in the FCS in touchdown passes with 11. As a team, WCU leads the FCS in total offense (528 yards per game) and first downs (144 total). Coach Kerwin Bell’s team has averaged 39.2 points per game.
“We can’t let them run it and throw it; we’re going to have to pick our poison,” Mocs coach Rusty Wright said earlier this week. “We’ve got to figure out how to defend it. I’m not sure you can take it all away, but you’ve got to figure out how to slow one part of it down so you can do a little bit better in the other. Offensively for us, it’s going to be about being consistent and figuring out a way to move the football, keep them off the field and convert third downs.”
4. Chattanooga lost to North Alabama 41-27 to start the season but has reeled off fourth straight victories, beating Kennesaw State (27-20), The Citadel (48-3), Samford (47-24) and Wofford (23-13). Western also has comfortable wins over The Citadel and Samford this season.
Quarterback Chase Artopoeus leads the Mocs offense. He is seventh nationally in passing yards (1,307), ninth in pass yards-per-attempt (8.95) and 16th in yards per completion (14.05). Saturday’s game could be a shootout.
5. The Mocs don’t beat themselves and have been stingy in the red zone. They rank third in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game and third in red zone defense. Edge Jay Person and defensive end Ben Brewton both have been sack machines for Chattanooga; both are close to recording 20 career sacks.
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Villanova (3-2, 1-1) at NC A&T (1-3, 0-1) | 4 p.m.
The Aggies look to build on the momentum of their first win last week over Norfolk State. True freshman Kevin White sparked the offense in his first start. BJ Turner had 19 tackles. Villanova had been ranked in the top 25 until losing to Albany 31-10 last weekend.
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Campbell (2-3, 1-2) at Hampton (3-1, 1-0) | 2 p.m.
This could be a high-scoring affair. Campbell averages nearly 40 points per game, and Hampton rolled up 497 yards of offense in a 31-14 win over Richmond last week. This will be the third meeting between the schools as conference rivals, though the first as CAA conference mates. The two played each other in the Big South from 2019-21. Campbell joined the CAA this season.
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Robert Morris (2-3, 0-0) at Gardner-Webb (1-3, 0-1) | 6 p.m.
The Bulldogs, which lost at East Carolina 44-0 two weeks ago, come off a bye and will play at home for the first time since beating Elon on Sept. 9. Robert Morris features talented quarterback Anthony Chiccitt, who leads the Big South/OVC Football Association in passing touchdowns (11) and completion percentage (68.9).
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Davidson (3-2, 2-0) bye
Next game: Oct. 14 at Butler
