Three thoughts after Texas Southern's huge upset over North Carolina Central

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Three thoughts after Texas Southern's huge upset over North Carolina Central

Randall Barnes, ClutchPoints

Sun, Aug 30, 2026 ·

4 min read

Cam'Ron McCoy is the perfect QB1 for Texas Southern

Cam'Ron McCoy has had a very interesting journey in HBCU football over the past couple of seasons, transferring from Eastern Michigan to Jackson State in the 2024 season, then from Jackson State to Southern University, where he was highly regarded by Terrence Graves before Graves's ultimate dismissal from the program midway through the season. Now he's on his third HBCU program, and he was able to showcase his talent in Dishman's dynamic offense.

He finished the game 8 of 19 passing for 185 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, also adding 8 carries for 30 yards, including a 22-yard run, to his stat line. McCoy has a tall task replacing KJ Cooper, who was the starter for the Tigers before transferring to the University of South Florida this offseason. Cooper emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the SWAC last season, and with his consistency, Texas Southern finished the season 6-5 overall and 5-3 in conference.

It's yet to be seen if McCoy can remain as consistent, but his first game under center for Texas Southern went as well as it possibly could.

Can Texas Southern really be a SWAC West contender?

Texas Southern can seriously be a player in the SWAC West after going 5-3 in conference last season. It's clear that Dishman and his vision for the program are finally paying off. A win against one of the best teams in the MEAC and a perennial Celebration Bowl contender should definitely have HBCU football fans paying attention to what's happening in Houston.

Alongside McCoy, running back Athean Renfro Jr. finished the game with 163 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. Receiver Jaquan McGee was on the receiving end of two touchdowns among his four receptions for 115 yards, with Roriyon Richardson netting one touchdown of his own, his lone catch going for a 45-yard touchdown reception.

The defense for Texas Southern also stepped up against North Carolina Central, notching three sacks and eight tackles for loss, and Jaquavius Holman pulled in an interception.

Prairie View A&M, with their performance against Tarleton State, will clearly be a contender in the SWAC West once again. But between Southern under Marshall Faulk, Grambling State under Mickey Joseph, and an improved Texas Southern, it's going to be a fight to the finish to see who ultimately clashes with the Panthers to decide who represents the West in the SWAC championship game.

North Carolina Central will be good again, but how good?

North Carolina Central had a strong start, leading 24-14 at halftime, but they scored only 6 points in the second half and ultimately allowed 28 points after the break. They didn't necessarily look bad. Former Eagles offensive coordinator Matt Leone's absence was certainly felt, as the offense didn't look as inspired as it did with him at the helm, but North Carolina Central looked competitive throughout the game.

North Carolina Central under new OC Chris Barnette looked good, per usual, with a nice offensive attack predicated on a strong running game, where the running back room finished with 190 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nelson Layne also had a respectable performance, throwing for 131 yards, one touchdown, and one interception on 16 of 31 passes. Chance Peterson, shockingly, had a quiet evening; the reigning preseason MEAC Offensive Player of the Year only had 4 receptions for 23 yards.

North Carolina Central in the Trei Oliver era will always be a Celebration Bowl or FCS playoff-caliber team. They're always going to be good, but how good will they be? Will they show improvement on their schedule and win seven to nine games but lose to South Carolina State at the end of the season, or will they break through and ultimately represent the MEAC in the Celebration Bowl the same way they did in 2016 and 2022? Likewise, will they find a way into the FCS playoffs if they don't make the Celebration Bowl, and compete there?

It's never a question whether the Eagles under Oliver will be a solid squad. But the question has to be: how good can they be, and can they break through the same way they did just four seasons ago, when they pulled off a resounding win over Deion Sanders and Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl?