MEAC football’s not SWAC, and NCCU coach is OK with it
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Posted By: S. Moore on December 21, 2022 The road to the Black college football national title still goes through the Carolinas. North Carolina Central’s 41-34 win against Jackson State in last week’s Celebration Bowl gave the MEAC its sixth victory against the SWAC’s top team in the classic’s seven years. In addition to NCCU’s first Celebration Bowl win, North Carolina A&T has four and South Carolina State one. The last two Celebration Bowl winners – NCCU and South Carolina State – were heavy underdogs to Jackson State (12-1), ranked fifth in Division I FCS and coached by Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Deion Sanders. But the Bulldogs and Eagles’ physical dominance proved an advantage against Jackson State’s flashy collection of four- and five-star recruits. No. 21 NCCU (10-2) imposed its will by running for 276 yards while holding the Tigers to 68 yards on the ground. “I have the upmost respect for them, but we play a different brand of ball here in the MEAC,” said fourth-year NCCU coach Trei Oliver, whose resume includes stops at SWAC schools Southern and Grambling and former MEAC rival A&T before taking the Eagles job. “This is a more physical conference. Sexy is cool, but sexy is not winning you games. Sexy is when you throw the ball for 300-and-some yards. That’s sexy all right, but we’re a blue-collar conference. You come in here and you can take any of the bottom three schools in this league and you better bring your ‘A’ game because one thing about it is it’s going to be physical.” The MEAC’s Celebration Bowl dominance also shifts the narrative on HBCU football in the Carolinas. In addition to NCCU’s win on a national stage, a pair of Division II programs – Fayetteville State from the CIAA and Benedict from the SIAC – earned postseason playoff berths in 2022. The depth of high school talent in the region means every college can recruit talent to build and sustain a program across divisions. “The Carolinas, I think, have a lot of talent,” he said. “I think South Carolina probably has a better hold on [offensive and defensive] line play as far as some of the recruiting process. We just got, as a matter of fact, two commitments that we’re going to sign on Wednesday [who are] offensive linemen from South Carolina. They have some really good big guys in South Carolina and then the skill positions here in-state are outstanding, so we don’t think that we need to go all the way to Florida or Texas to get players. “We don’t have to go to California to get players. We have a gas tank philosophy – we can find usually what we want within a five-hour radius.” Oliver, an All-CIAA cornerback and punter at NCCU from 1994-97, has been on the coaching staff of three of the Eagles’ four HBCU national title seasons – 2005 and 2006 were the others. Those are also the school’s only double-digit win campaigns. After witnessing so much success over the years, Oliver won’t be drawn into declaring the 2022 Eagles as best ever. “You’ll get me in trouble,” he said. “All these former players cheering and rooting us on down there (at the Celebration Bowl), they have a lot to say about that. This team was different. It’s not the most talented team because we’re still young. We’re so young right now that they haven’t even scratched the surface yet. “But the team chemistry, the continuity, the love that these guys have for each other, it’s so genuine and it’s different as far as that standpoint, this is probably the best team that I’ve been around.” SOURCE The Charlotte Post If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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