It has been six years since North Carolina A&T visited O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium on the campus of North Carolina Central.

That long streak ends Saturday night when the Aggies travel to Durham to face an Eagles team that put in an enthusiastic performance in North Carolina the previous week.

NCCU head coach Trei Oliver says he is excited about the opportunity to host a rivalry game on campus.

“It’s a big rivalry; it means a lot to a lot of people,” Oliver said during the MEAC coaches’ conference on Monday. “I know both sides, so as a coaching staff we’re not going to make it bigger than it is, but at the same time our guys are going to understand the importance of this game.”

The Eagles (1-2) trailed the Tar Heels 17-10 in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game before Carolina, an ACC favorite, scored 28 points to put the game out of reach. That game featured a lot of young players for Central, and Oliver believes the experience will serve them well.

“I’m not afraid to use young players. We have some talented freshmen and they just needed a chance,” he said. “We don’t want to use too many of them too early, but it’s good for these players to get some good experience, especially against non-conference opponents.”

With a key non-league opponent looming this weekend, Oliver is confident his team will be up to the challenge.

“As a participant, that’s exactly what you want. The nice thing about it is that this is the first time we’ve played these guys at O’Kelly-Riddick since 2018,” he said of A&T. “We haven’t had a chance to meet them down here in the Nest, so we’re excited to host them.”