September 10th, 2026 5:00am
Conference Carolinas is only a couple of weeks into the season, but the league already has plenty of storylines brewing. Some programs are building early momentum, while others are still searching for their footing as the schedule starts to take shape. Between teams looking to keep fast starts alive and others hoping to turn things around, there's no shortage of intrigue heading into this week's games. Here's what's on tap around the conference.
LAST WEEK (home team in bold)
Emory & Henry 55, Ferrum 16
No. 22 Benedict 24, Shorter 20
Fayetteville State 10, UNC Pembroke 7
Chowan 24, UVA Wise 20
North Greenville 40, Catawba 38
Shaw 23, Barton 13
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
*denotes Conference Carolinas matchup
Friday, Sept. 11
Charleston (0-2) at North Greenville (1-0) | Tigerville, S.C. | 7:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
Charleston (W.Va.) heads into Friday's road trip to North Greenville still hunting its first win, sitting 0-2 after back-to-back losses to Grand Valley State and California (Pa.) that have seen the Golden Eagles surrender 43.5 points per game. The last outing was actually a bright spot offensively — quarterback Matt Frye threw for 283 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-35 passing, connecting repeatedly with Devin Hobbs, who hauled in 10 catches for 173 yards and a score, while Jamal Wallace punched in a rushing touchdown on his way to 71 yards on just nine carries. For the season, the issue has been on the other side of the ball, where linebacker Brian Jones (15 tackles) and Andrew Chamblee (14 tackles, the team's lone sack) haven't been able to slow down opposing offenses that have combined for 87 points through two weeks.
North Greenville is riding high after a wild 40-38 shootout win over Catawba to open the season, a game in which dual-threat quarterback Kam Montgomery was nearly unstoppable — rushing for 85 yards and four touchdowns while also going 12-of-18 through the air for 212 yards and a score. The Trailblazers piled up 390 total yards in that opener, with Jonathan Manley hauling in three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown and Maurice Anderson chipping in a rushing score of his own, giving North Greenville six total touchdowns on the night. Defensively, Jeremiah Lomax set the tone with 10 tackles and Brannon Teamer added eight stops with two tackles for loss, part of a unit that finished with seven tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception from Payton McBroom.
Prediction: North Greenville
Saturday, Sept. 12
*UNC Pembroke (1-1) at Shorter (1-1) | Rome, Ga. | 1:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
UNC Pembroke opens Conference Carolinas play at Shorter, its first league test after a 1-1 start that included a signature nonconference win over then-No. 19 Wingate before a narrow 10-7 setback at Fayetteville State. In that loss, dual-threat quarterback Josh Ehrlich still found ways to produce, rushing for 77 yards on 20 carries and completing 15 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown, with Malik Brown hauling in four catches for 95 yards; for the season, Ehrlich has piled up 146 rushing yards and 318 passing yards with three total touchdowns. On defense, the Braves have been stout early, racking up four sacks and three interceptions through two games, led by Jadin Baptist's 18 stops and a ballhawking secondary that includes Myles Hudson, TaShawn Jeter and Bryan Pulley with one pick apiece.
Shorter enters Saturday's Conference Carolinas opener coming off a heartbreaking 24-20 loss to then-No. 22 Benedict, a game in which quarterback Jeb Walls threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-44 passing despite the setback, with Dennis Sims hauling in seven receptions and David Hill grinding out 88 yards on 19 carries. Through two games this season, the Hawks have been explosive offensively, totaling 785 yards and averaging 42.5 points per game behind Walls' 473 passing yards and seven touchdowns, Silas Hinson's 153 receiving yards, and Hill's 116 rushing yards. Defensively, Marshall Combee has been the anchor with 11 tackles on the season — including eight in the Benedict loss — while Christian Benson has chipped in two sacks as part of a unit that has generated six sacks and an interception through two contests.
Prediction: UNC Pembroke
Virginia Union (1-1) at Chowan (1-1) | Murfreesboro, N.C. | 1:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
Virginia Union bounced back from a lopsided season-opening loss at Lenoir-Rhyne to blow out Livingstone 49-20 in the Willard Bailey Classic, piling up 491 yards of offense behind a rushing attack that saw Tavon McGee go for 88 yards and quarterback RJ Rosales toss two touchdown passes on 10-of-13 passing for 160 yards. For the season, the Panthers have racked up 674 total yards, with Montrell Wright leading the receiving corps with 88 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, linebacker Ahmad Ross has been all over the field with 25 total tackles, including a game-high 13 against Livingstone, as the unit produced five sacks in that win and has notched an interception and a fumble recovery this year.
Chowan picked up its first win of the season with a 24-20 victory at UVA Wise, leaning heavily on quarterback Tyler Adkins, who went 23-of-35 for 296 yards and three touchdowns while connecting repeatedly with Amir Alexander, who caught 11 passes for 149 yards and a score. Through two games, Adkins has already thrown for 529 yards and four touchdowns, and Alexander has emerged as his go-to target with 16 receptions for 279 yards, giving the Hawks a passing attack that has outproduced the ground game by a wide margin — Treshawn Blair leads all rushers with just 44 yards on 23 carries. Defensively, Darian Whitaker has been the standout, totaling 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks, while Jimmy Lacy and Makai Dorn have each hauled in an interception for a unit still working to shore things up after allowing 38 points per game to opponents.
Prediction: Virginia Union
Ferrum (0-2) at Shaw (1-1) | Raleigh, N.C. | 2:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
Ferrum will try to snap a two-game skid when it visits Shaw this weekend, but the Panthers have shown some fight through the air even in defeat. Quarterback Eli Foutz threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 55-16 loss to Emory & Henry, going 20-for-34 with Tay Carter hauling in six catches for 65 yards. On the year, Foutz has put up 474 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Jycen Anciso has been a do-it-all threat, leading the ground game with 74 yards on 27 carries and also chipping in nine receptions and a receiving score. The Panthers' defense, however, has struggled to find its footing, allowing 34 points per game and 617 total yards through two contests, despite James Blacker and Ernest Amoyaw each pitching in nine tackles and a secondary that has forced three interceptions between Jamarion Montford, Zavion Wilson and Elias Hines..
Shaw put a tally in the win column last week after grinding out a 23-13 win at Barton behind a ground attack that piled up 180 yards and three touchdowns, with Trey Thorpe pacing the way at 114 yards and a score on 19 carries while quarterback Alexander Marsh added 199 yards through the air. That rushing punch has been the story of Shaw's season — Thorpe has 167 yards and two touchdowns on the year, Fabian Diggs has chipped in 97 more, and Landon Melton has found the end zone twice himself, helping the Bears total 315 rushing yards and six touchdowns through two games. Defensively, Quadir McEachin leads the way with 11 tackles, and the unit has forced an interception while limiting opponents enough to even out a rocky season-opening loss to Fayetteville State.
Prediction: Shaw
Bluefield (NAIA) (0-2) at Barton (0-2) | Wilson, N.C. | 2:00 PM | AUDIO | STATS | VIDEO
Bluefield heads to Barton looking to avoid an 0-3 start after dropping a 50-27 shootout to the University of the Cumberlands, a game in which running back Kyree Edwards broke off 134 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries while Jordan Edwards hauled in two touchdown catches, including a 55-yard score. Edwards has been the workhorse through two games, piling up 219 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the season, while quarterback Zack Paulk has thrown for 283 yards and two scores. The bigger concern for the Rams has been on defense, where they've surrendered 43.5 points and over 500 yards per game despite Elijah Padgett's team-leading 16 tackles and a lone interception from Ezekiel Taylor.
Barton will try to snap a two-game skid at home against Bluefield after falling 23-13 to Shaw, a game in which Jayden Brown ran for 91 yards on just 12 carries and Tyler Davis caught a touchdown among his five grabs for 66 yards. Brown has been the offensive bright spot through two games, rushing for 153 yards on the season, while Davis leads all receivers with 11 catches, 132 yards and two touchdowns despite the Bulldogs managing just 15 points. Defensively, Alex Evans has been a difference-maker with a team-high 19 tackles and an interception, and the unit has forced two picks overall, but Barton has still allowed 33.5 points per game and 379 yards in the loss to Shaw alone.
Prediction: Barton
Erskine (1-0) at Thomas (NAIA) (0-1) | Thomasville, Ga. | 4:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
Erskine’s early-season bye week allowed the team to savor its season-opening statement, a 37-20 rout of Bluefield in which quarterback Ryan Killmer was nearly unstoppable — accounting for four touchdowns while throwing for 327 yards and adding a rushing score of his own, with Jo Burson turning three catches into two touchdowns and Siah Mack piling up 147 receiving yards. The Flying Fleet's 471 total yards in that opener came with plenty of defensive punch to match, as the unit forced three fumble recoveries and racked up nine tackles for loss, with Jon Scott leading the way at eight tackles and a forced fumble while Gary Maddox III and Skyler Vega each chipped in a sack.
Thomas University enters its home opener against Erskine still looking for its first sign of life after a rough 44-0 shutout at Carson-Newman, a game in which the Night Hawks managed just 111 total yards and turned the ball over three times, including five interceptions thrown between Connor Langford and backup Gray Jennings. Roshaun Dudley led a sputtering ground game with only 26 yards on eight carries, while Everett Byrd's three catches for 26 yards topped a passing attack that finished with just 62 yards through the air. The lone bright spot came on defense, where AJ Traylor piled up 14 tackles and Wilbert Olivera-Munoz notched two sacks, though the unit still surrendered 397 rushing yards in the loss. Winless and searching for answers on offense,
Prediction: Erskine
Columnist Picks
Last week: 4-2
2026 season: 10-2