Livingstone will not only be trying to win its second straight game after an 0-7 start, but the home team will be out to beat the school’s former head coach, Rudy Abrams.

Abrams, who coached the Bears to back-to-back CIAA championships in 1997 and 1998, is in his second season at N.C. Central, which has a 3-5 record.

“It’s going to be a very difficult game for us,” said second-year head coach Greg Richardson of the Bears. “They are a program with a lot of tradition. They’re well, well coached by coach Abrams and his staff. It’s a challenge for us to defeat them.”

Richardson was Abrams’ defensive coordinator three years at Livingstone before leaving for the same position at Virginia Union in 1997 and 1998, so he knows what to expect from the Eagles.

“One plus for us is that we’re familiar with their offense and familiar with some of the things they do offensively and defensively. It makes it a little easier for us to prepare during the course of the week for them. ... North Carolina Central is an option team (like Livingstone) and they’re primarily a running team. They’re one of the better running teams in the conference in terms of running the football,” said Richardson.

The Eagles average 179.2 yards per game on the ground as compared to Livingstone’s 158.9.

“That’s something we have to deal with, because this year we have not been a good run-defending team,” said Richardson. “A plus for us is that our kids on defense get to see the option almost every day. We don’t have to worry about looking at anything new this week.”

The Bears have yielded 171.5 yards per game on the ground.

Offensively, Livingstone hopes backs like running back Carlton Jones and quarterbacks Joel Ward and D’Andre Hopper can run against the Eagles, but the Blue Bears plan to put the ball in the air some.

“It’s going to be tough for us to run the ball. Their defensive line is one of the conference’s best at defending the run. We feel like we are going to have to throw the ball in order to loosen them up,” said Richardson.