← Matchups

North Carolina Central

· 2-1 · power -11.9 · #318
Our numberDSU -6.9 no book has priced this game

Delaware State

· 2-1 · power -8.5 · #279
Our side
MoneylineDSU to win ours 67%
Projected score 24–31 NCCU – DSU
2026-10-23 · 5:00 PM Alumni Stadium (DE) · Dover, DE Conference game Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series North Carolina Central lead 12–3 · 15 meetings since 2003
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge Delaware State Hornets 65 ranks
North Carolina Central Eagles #189 rush offense Delaware State Hornets #124 run defense
Pass game edge North Carolina Central Eagles 83 ranks
North Carolina Central Eagles #43 pass offense Delaware State Hornets #126 pass defense
Run game edge Delaware State Hornets 139 ranks
Delaware State Hornets #6 rush offense North Carolina Central Eagles #145 run defense
Pass game edge North Carolina Central Eagles 64 ranks
Delaware State Hornets #167 pass offense North Carolina Central Eagles #103 pass defense
North Carolina Central Eagles Balanced · 53% run Ball-control Delaware State Hornets Run-heavy · 67% run Avg pace Dual-threat QB · 47 rush ypg

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
North Carolina Central Eagles
DL Zarion Walters 17 tkl · 3.0 sacks · 6.0 TFL #12 DL
DB Joshua Truesdale 19 tkl · 2 PD · 2 INT #88 DB
RB Plez Lawrence 264 rush yds · 3 TD · 1 rec #92 RB
DB Jakarri Martin II 9 tkl · 3 PD · 1 INT #231 DB
Delaware State Hornets
DB Kemari Nix 17 tkl · 1 PD #64 DB
DL Quoy Rainey 13 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL #173 DL
DL Gensley Auguste 11 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL #235 DL
WR Jaylin Terzado 10 rec · 185 yds · 1 TD #158 WR

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
North Carolina Central Eagles -11.9 -5.0 -6.9 #318
Delaware State Hornets -8.5 -6.5 -2.0 #279

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
North Carolina Central offense vs Delaware State defense-3.0 pts
Delaware State offense vs North Carolina Central defense+0.4 pts
Efficiency adjustment · EPA, success rate, explosiveness+0.6 pts
Power projection before adjustment+6.3

The projection carries an efficiency adjustment — a residual from season-to-date EPA, success rate and explosiveness, which earned its place by walk-forward test (margin error 12.90 → 12.72 across seven held-out seasons).