Howard football shut out 34-0 by North Carolina Central

Howard's offense never got going Saturday at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, and the Bison lost 34-0 to North Carolina Central in a game that was scoreless until the second quarter.

Howard (4-5, 1-1 in conference) finished with 114 total yards, 4 first downs and 2-of-15 on third down. The Eagles (4-5, 2-0 in conference) piled up 472 yards and 19 first downs.

How it unfolded

The first quarter ended 0-0. North Carolina Central's Riley Daniels kicked a 21-yard field goal with 14:18 left in the second quarter, then added a 29-yarder at 2:53. Nelson Layne found Tyree Saunders on a 20-yard touchdown pass at 1:53 to make it 13-0 at the half.

In the third quarter, Joshua Jones hit Mehki Wall for an 88-yard touchdown with 9:27 left, and the Eagles led 20-0. Wall finished with four catches for 145 yards.

In the fourth quarter, Howard turned the ball over on downs at its own 40 on a fourth-and-1 with 12:23 left. On the next play, Jones hit Wall for 37 yards to the Howard 3, and RJ Lancaster caught a 3-yard touchdown pass at 11:30. Jones added a 22-yard touchdown run with 5:52 left for the final margin.

Howard's offense

Isaiah Freeman was 10-of-24 for 39 yards with two interceptions, and Terrell Russell Jr. went 2-of-5 for 5 yards. The Bison passed for 44 yards total on 12-of-29, or 1.5 yards per attempt. Both interceptions came in the first half, and Camereon Cartlidge and Amari Sifford each had one for North Carolina Central.

Billy Roberson II led the Bison on the ground with 42 yards on seven carries, including a long of 31. Howard rushed for 70 yards on 26 carries. Nathanial Clark had three catches for 15 yards to lead the receivers.

Howard's best drive was a 12-play, 71-yard march that ate 8:53 in the second quarter but ended on downs. The Bison were penalized seven times for 43 yards and held the ball for 23:07.

Howard's defense

Ishaun Abdul-Ali led the Bison with seven tackles, and Rodney Roane had one sack. Ben Chandler IV had a half-sack and two pass breakups, and Faisal Mass had two tackles for loss. Matt Conord punted eight times for a 45.3-yard average and a long of 57, with two inside the 20.

North Carolina Central gained 195 yards rushing and 277 passing. Jones was 9-of-12 for 189 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score. Gino Addison led the Eagles with 80 yards on 17 carries. TrayVaughn Swanigan had two sacks.

Next up

Howard returns home to face South Carolina State on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. ET.