DURHAM, N.C. – No. 18 Campbell turned North Carolina Central over on downs on its final three possessions and
Kamden Sixkiller found
Jyron Waiters for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, leading the Camels over the Eagles 38-31 on Saturday at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
The Camels (5-1) remained unbeaten against FCS competition (5-0), matching their best start through six games in program history, rounding out their nonconference slate for the 2026 season. The Eagles, meanwhile, dropped to 2-4 overall.
Campbell built a 31-14 lead on
De'Von Thomas' second touchdown of the night with 10:22 on the clock in the second quarter, scoring on five of six possessions.
The Campbell defense limited NCCU to just 68 yards of total offense on its first five possessions.
NCCU, however, stormed back to knot the game at 31-all, with Tristan Stitt's 23-yard TD pass from Cobey Thompkins before the half, plus Riley Daniels' 47-yard field goal that bounced off the crossbar and through in the third.
The Camels then drove into NCCU territory, but were stopped at the 38-yard line on a 4
th-and-1 before Zion Dobson broke through for a 62-yard touchdown run, tying the game at 31-31 with 6:31 remaining in the third.
The Eagles drove into Campbell territory on each of its next three drives, but the CU defense turned NCCU over on downs each time, and the Camels found the end zone on Sixkiller's nine-yard pass over the middle to Waiters, making it 38-31 with 7:28 to play.
The 11-play, 56-yard go-ahead drive went for 5:09 of game clock and included a 3
rd-and-25 conversion with Sixkiller finding
JJ Cowan to move the chains before the Waiters TD five plays later.
Sixkiller completed 18-of-35 passes for 226 yards with a passing and a rushing score and one interception, while Cowan rushed for 139 yards, his fourth career 100-yard rushing game, adding a touchdown. Thomas also ran for 89 yards on 10 carries, including his two touchdowns.
Christian Campbell also gathered five catches for 72 yards, while
Aaryn Tate made four catches for 69 yards.
Charles Battaglia tallied a game-high 12 tackles with 2.0 stops for loss, including a sack, while
Kalen Villanueva and
AJ Benton combined for 12 tackles.
Dobson paced NCCU with 80 yards rushing and a TD, while Chance Peterson made 10 catches for 84 yards. Nelson Layne completed 17-of-28 passes for 129 yard, also rushing for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
Zarion Walters led NCCU defensively with eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and a pass breakup.
The Camels ran for a season-high 262 yards on the ground, while posting 488 yards of total offense, a season-low against FCS opponents.
Campbell will return to Barker-Lane Stadium following the bye week, taking on Towson on October 17 for Homecoming.
Visit
GoCamels.com/Tickets for more information and to secure your seats.
