DOVER, Del. (Interstat) — Gino Addison rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, and North Carolina Central used a strong second half to beat Delaware State 31-12 in an NCAA Football Championship Division game Friday at Alumni Stadium. The visiting Eagles improved to 3-5, while the Hornets fell to 4-4 before an announced attendance of 2,503. North Carolina Central scored in every quarter and pulled away with 14 points in the third quarter. Delaware State scored two touchdowns but failed on both conversion attempts, leaving the Hornets short despite an early score. The Eagles controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the afternoon and made enough plays through the air to complement a productive ground game.

Delaware State opened the scoring on K. Benton’s 26-yard run, but Patrick Fisher-Butler’s extra-point attempt failed. North Carolina Central answered with Zion Dobson’s 5-yard touchdown run, and Riley Daniels made the extra point. Daniels later added a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter. Addison scored on runs of 6 and 16 yards, and Cobey Thompkins connected with Luke Bracey for a 21-yard touchdown pass. Delaware State got a late 10-yard touchdown run from M. Adams, but the Hornets could not convert. Fisher-Butler also missed a 47-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter, one of several chances Delaware State could not turn into points. North Carolina Central’s defense tightened after halftime and kept the Hornets from building momentum.

Thompkins completed 15 of 18 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown and ran eight times for 3 yards and another score for North Carolina Central. Addison’s 214 rushing yards led all ball carriers, and Dobson added 57 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and caught one pass for 1 yard. Bracey caught three passes for 28 yards and a touchdown, while Mehki Wall had three receptions for 49 yards and returned three punts for 29 yards. Chance Peterson finished with four receptions for 33 yards, and RJ Lancaster had three catches for 38 yards. Tyree Saunders added one reception for 5 yards. Nelson Layne punted once for 37 yards, and Jake Marcantel punted twice for 104 yards. The Eagles finished with enough balance to keep Delaware State’s defense off balance, especially in the second half.

The North Carolina Central defense kept Delaware State out of the end zone for long stretches and came up with key plays after halftime. Amari Sifford intercepted two passes. Zarion Walters recorded six tackles and one sack, while Elijah Clark added a sack and Isaiah Lawson and Khareem Thompson each contributed a half-sack. Jayden Walker, Camereon Cartlidge and Tevin Tucker each finished with two tackles. Ayden Davis, Jakarri Martin II and Branden Palmer were among the Eagles who recorded four tackles, and Joshua Truesdale added three stops. The Eagles also got one tackle apiece from Taeshawn Alston, Cole Hamilton, Keaton Blanton, Riley Daniels, Patrick Fisher-Butler, Cicero Leak IV, Nasim Cosby, Brandon Sanders and Terence Brown. The defensive front produced pressure in key moments and helped North Carolina Central protect its lead.

Delaware State was led defensively by Jordan Banks, who made 14 tackles and one sack. Phillip Dunnam added 10 tackles, and Kemari Nix and Lamont Payne each made eight stops. Andrew Harris and Leshawn Stuckey each had three tackles. Jaylin Terzado caught two passes for 65 yards, while Nathan Stewart had three receptions for 24 yards and Daniel Smith added two catches for 18 yards. Deontae Williams had one reception for 16 yards and one rush for 6 yards. Kobe Boykin ran five times for 8 yards and caught one pass, and Trey Engram and Sean Weston Jr. combined for seven rushing yards on three attempts. Ghazi Chraibi punted five times for 206 yards. The Hornets moved the ball at times but could not finish drives consistently enough to keep pace.

North Carolina Central entered the game needing a bounce-back performance and got one on the road. The Eagles snapped a four-game losing streak and moved back into the win column after earlier losses to William & Mary, Campbell, East Carolina and Gardner-Webb. Delaware State, meanwhile, saw its hopes for a second consecutive victory end after a win over Franklin Pierce. North Carolina Central is scheduled to host Howard next, while Delaware State is set to visit Norfolk State. The Eagles will look to carry the momentum of the road win into their next matchup, while the Hornets will try to regroup after a difficult afternoon at home.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Delaware State 42, North Carolina Central 38. Interstat’s ELO system had projected North Carolina Central with a 51.7 percent probability to win.