North Carolina Central University (NCCU) achieved victory over Alabama State in the unofficial second MEAC/SWAC Challenge, which took place at the Orange Blossom Classic in Miami Gardens, FL. However, the restored HBCU football event was not free of controversy for NCCU, even amidst their win. Head coach Trei Oliver voiced his anger regarding an incident where he claims an Alabama State player spat in the face of one of his players.
Trei Oliver was seen being restrained from rushing onto the field during the Orange Blossom Classic, and he expressed his feelings about the incident when asked about it by Lut Williams of the Black College Sports Page on Monday.
“The kid spat in my player’s face, and the refs didn’t do anything,” Oliver said, clearly frustrated during the weekly MEAC coaches call. “They were quick to penalize me when one of my players used foul language, but come on. We don’t want our players to talk like that, but it’s frustrating.” He stressed the uneven enforcement during the game: “I mean, really—the kid spat in my player’s face, and the refs didn’t throw a flag… There were many incidents during the game, like when they muffed a kickoff that hit the returner and went out of bounds at the four-yard line, yet they claimed we kicked the ball out. Then I had to have it replayed.”
Despite the officiating problems, Oliver expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance in the HBCU Classic, though he pointed out the need for better tackling and maintaining leads. “Our tackling wasn’t good at all,” Oliver acknowledged. “I believe we could have secured the game much sooner.”
NCCU is getting ready for their upcoming home game against Elon University, which could impact FCS playoff standings.
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