DOVER — Kenny Carter feels like he just did this.

Coach Carter and his Delaware State University football team have to play a game against one of the best teams in the MEAC on Saturday in North Carolina.

The Hornets are still searching for their first win and it won’t be easy this week playing first-place North Carolina A&T (6-0 MEAC, 8-1 overall) at 1 p.m. This comes a week after the Hornets lost at North Carolina Central (5-1 MEAC, 6-3 overall).

Carter sees a lot of similarities between A&T and Central.

“It’s like going to North Carolina and playing the exact same team,” Carter said on his weekly teleconference call with media.

DSU (0-6 MEAC, 0-9 overall) is hoping for a difference performance, though.

The Hornets were hurt by turnovers last week. After trailing by just a touchdown at halftime, they fumbled three times in the second half for a 43-10 defeat to North Carolina Central.

And the quarterback situation is still a question mark.

Esayah Obado returned for the first time since getting injured on Oct. 10, but Carter still elected to start Gilbert Rivera. Obado did play at various points against Central as Carter used all three of his quarterbacks, giving freshman Kobie Lain a chance to throw three passes.

Obado rushed for 46 yards to lead the Hornets but only threw one pass for 26 yards. Rivera was 9-of-21 for 104 yards with an interception.

Going into this weekend’s contest, it’s still a battle between Rivera and Obado for the No. 1 quarterback job.

“What I say to them is that we’re not where we need to be at that position yet,” Carter said. “They leave things on the field, they don’t make the decisions that need to be made and we know we need to grow at that position. They’ve gotten better but they’re not where they need to be.”

Still, Carter thinks games like last Saturday will help his team in the long run as the first-year coach tries to rebuild the Hornets. He also figures A&T will give DSU the same type of challenge.

“It was something that our team needed,” Carter said. “They’re a high-energy team and they play with great detail. I needed to see if my team was going to put their toes on the line and fight back. The end result is not what we wanted because you can’t have turnovers and give opportunities to a good team.

“Every week we learn a different lesson and we’re continuing to grow,” Carter added. “We all know close is not good enough. We’re getting better every week and are proud of the fight of our kids but close doesn’t get it done in this league.”