The 2025 SWAC-MEAC Challenge gave fans one of the most electric first halves in the history of this rivalry — but it was the North Carolina Central Eagles’ slow, steady, and methodical style that ultimately carried the day.
First Half: Explosives on Both Sides
North Carolina Central struck first with a clinical nine-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up over six minutes of clock. But Southern’s response was instant fireworks. Junior transfer quarterback Cam’ron McCoy, who came over from Jackson State, broke loose for a 69-yard rushing touchdown on just the third play of the drive, showing speed rarely seen at the HBCU level since Grambling’s Maurice Washington flashed his elite burst.
The Eagles pushed back into the red zone but coughed up the ball at the two-yard line, giving Southern a reprieve. McCoy followed with more jaw-dropping moments — shaking defenders with his legs and nearly connecting on a deep bomb downfield.
Still, NCCU’s balance shone through. Running back Christian Mosley sparked the offense with a 35-yard run, setting up a 31-yard field goal by Kaleb Robison. As Mosley later explained, “My big emphasis going into this game was start fast, be disciplined, execute, and just be us — be who we are.”
The Jaguars’ other star, LSU transfer Trey Holly, soon made his mark with an 80-yard touchdown sprint. His coach, Terrance Graves, was emotional afterward: “After Holly’s touchdown, I just told him: go out and be who you are. Let the game come to you. I’m proud of his perseverance and attitude.”
But the Eagles answered immediately. Mosley delivered a one-play, 49-yard touchdown drive that gave Central a 17–14 lead at the half. As he put it, “My main focus in the running back room was being electric, giving those guys energy, showing them we came to play.”
Second Half: The Tortoise Takes Over
The second half opened with Southern going three-and-out, and NCCU wasted no time seizing control. Behind Mosley, who consistently broke tackles and ran through defenders, the Eagles marched to the red zone. Quarterback Walker Harris capped the drive with a touchdown strike to tight end Kyle Morgan, stretching the lead to 24–14.
Coach Trei Oliver praised the tone set by his offensive front: “Our offensive line made a statement early. They had a chip on their shoulder, and I think they showed tonight that they’re very good.” He doubled down later, noting, “They had a chip on their shoulder because y’all were preaching and praising, preaching and praising that we couldn’t block the dude — and our guys blocked him.”
The next drive was more of the same. Central put together a six-play, 55-yard march, capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Aleni Mageo. Suddenly, the Eagles were in firm control, 31–14, by the close of the third quarter.
Southern’s offense tried to rally early in the fourth, aided by penalties, but McCoy was sacked and fumbled, the ball recovered by nose tackle Thomas Johnson. That moment effectively sealed the Jaguars’ fate.
Postgame Voices
For Coach Graves, the loss was a wake-up call: “Unfortunately, we came up on the short end. I’m disappointed — we didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing. The guys played hard in spots, but the things we could not do, we did, and we wound up paying the price for it.”
He was especially blunt about his defense: “Some of them got a little too caught up in reading the newspaper clippings and watching the videos about how great we are defensively. And as I tell them all the time, you have to play this game. You can’t talk it. All the pats on the back mean nothing if you don’t go out and execute.”
Trey Holly, meanwhile, carried himself like a star, though he admitted the team may have been too wound up. “We came in too hype. We thought we had the game, but unfortunately we fell short.” He also spoke about the personal meaning behind his now-famous entrance prop: “I’ve been having Chucky since high school. He’s little, I’m little — but he goes out and kills. That’s my motivation.” And he made sure to give credit where it was due: “I want to shout out Coach Graves for allowing me to be a part of this football team when he didn’t even have to.”
On the other side, Mosley reflected on the breakout performance that earned him game MVP honors: “It’s a blessing. I want to thank my coaching staff for trusting me and my O-line — they make my job easier. All I have to do is make one or two miss, and the rest is history.”
Coach Oliver closed the night by praising his quarterback’s efficiency: “Walker has always done a really good job of managing the game. He has a strong arm, he can place the ball, and he took what the defense gave him tonight.”
My Take
The rest of the SWAC better take notice of the Southern Jaguars. This game ended with two big trophies being handed out, and it definitely felt like a championship matchup. If this game had been the Celebration Bowl, I would have walked away completely satisfied with the season. Instead, I leave incredibly excited for what this season will be.
Coach Graves did not reveal whether we’ll be seeing McCoy going forward. The electric quarterback — the HBCU’s Joe Milton — is one of the most exciting QBs I have seen in the SWAC in a long time. However, he did not finish the game, which leads me to believe we may see Jalen Woods at some point. To me, that would be a huge mistake. If McCoy can grow this season and polish his game, he will be a STAR. Too often in the HBCU space, stars never get to fully shine — we saw it with Grambling’s Maurice Washington, who had all the talent in the world but couldn’t stay on the field.
When reporters asked why Coach Graves went with McCoy over Woods, he didn’t answer directly, which makes me believe it was a last-second decision. If the Jaguars aren’t committed to McCoy, we may not see him again until Woods falters — and that would be a shame.
Southern does have a star at running back in Trey Holly, but as they learned last night, having a star at RB, DL, and QB is not enough against the strategic minds of the MEAC. If I’m in the MEAC, I would be fearful of this NCCU team. The whole world is watching Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson — and that’s cool — but if you’re a true HBCU fan, you know the best coaches in the MEAC are Chennis Berry and Trei Oliver.
Oliver has overcome some of the most challenging opponents and come out on top. His coaching style leans toward victory. This year, he doesn’t have a dual-threat QB (though he joked that he did), but he has a game manager with great accuracy. That formula worked for Florida A&M with Jeremy Moussa a few years ago, and under Oliver it can work again.
I still need to see what Jackson State brings to the table, but in terms of favorites to reach the Celebration Bowl, I believe we just got a taste of who might be there in the end.
Final Score: NCCU 31, Southern 14
