N.C. Central beats the odds in MEAC-SWAC Challenge
Photo courtesy MEAC athletics
By Calvin Sykes
Special to the Outlook
In the end, North Carolina Central proved the experts wrong.
The Eagles consistently pressured Alcorn State quarterback Felix Harper on the way to taking a 23-14 win in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge. The game was the second-highest rated contest that kicked off the college football season in late August.
The Eagles were the underdog going into the annual MEAC-SWAC made-for-television matchup, against the Braves who were heavily favored by multiple media outlets. The Eagles had not played in 644 days and finished 4-8 in 2019.
“We watched ESPN this morning and watched the United States of America pick Alcorn to win,” said North Central coach Trei Oliver. “But it didn’t matter. As long as everyone in that locker room believed, it was all good.”
Central is one of six teams in a conference that has seen three participating members leave for other leagues.
Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University went to the SWAC. North Carolina, winner of four of last five Celebration Bowls, moved to the Big South along with Hampton University.
With the newly added programs, the SWAC is being considered the “super” conference of HBCU football because of its 12 participating members. Also the addition of Deion Sanders as coach at Jackson State University was the driver for many of the spring games to be televised nationally.
Moving forward, ESPN has decided to televise at least 44 games, including 28 conference regular-season games, 12 non-conference and the Celebration Bowl.
Alcorn State was heavily favored to win over North Carolina Central, although the Eagles represented the conference that holds the series lead in the matchup with the SWAC.
“Yeah, we have a chip on our shoulder. Why is there is so much talk about the SWAC, and we have owned Atlanta for the last 14 years,” said Oliver. “I don’t get it. We play good ball in the MEAC. And not to take anything away from the SWAC, I was down there. I played and coached there for several years. But we play good ball in the MEAC.
“I know we lost A&T, FAMU, and Bethune, but we have won championships since those last two have won. We play good football and will continue to play good football in the MEAC.”
Central held Felix Harper, the 2019 SWAC offensive player of the year, to just 154 passing yards, as much of his night was spent evading the Central’s defense.
The Eagles were selected to finish third in the MEAC. That now raises the question whether the SWAC is indeed a “super” conference. Additionally, the MEAC has dominated the SWAC in the significant bowls or classic matchups.
The leagues improved to 11-4 all-time in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. Since the Celebration Bowl started in 2015, the MEAC is 4-1 in the bowl.
