NSU Spartans Celebrate Homecoming, Host NCCU Saturday

NORFOLK, Virginia  – Two teams coming off bye weeks meet in another key MEAC football clash this Saturday when Norfolk State (3-2, 1-1 MEAC) and North Carolina Central (2-3, 1-1) meet up at William "Dick" Price Stadium. The Spartans' Homecoming game, sponsored by The Virginia Lottery, kicks off at 2 p.m.

MEDIA COVERAGE
• Live Video: ESPN 3 / Watch ESPN App
• Radio: WNSB 91.1 FM (1:30 p.m. pre-game): Play-by-Play – Ross Gordon/Color – Glen Mason
• Twitter Updates: @NSUSpartans / @NSU_FB

SERIES INFORMATION
• Record: NCCU leads 9-6
• Last Meeting: 10-21-17 (NSU 28-21)
• First Meeting: 11-14-81 (NCCU 27-21)

OPENING KICKOFF
• The Spartans had an off week after a 17-0 road loss at Florida A&M on Oct. 6.
• The Eagles also had last week off, following their 40-35 win over Howard in Durham on Oct. 6.
• Both teams are 1-1 in the MEAC and are looking to stay in the MEAC title hunt.
• NSU and NCCU are two of six teams who have just one MEAC loss, and all six of those teams face each other this weekend. FAMU (4-0) is the lone team remaining without a conference loss.

LAST MEETING
• Juwan Carter threw a career-high four touchdown passes, including two long hookups with Marcus Taylor, in a 28-21 NSU win over No. 25 NCCU on Oct. 21, 2017 at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
• Carter threw three TD passes in the first half to stake the Spartans to a 21-0 halftime lead.
• NCCU rallied within 21-14 in the fourth quarter before Carter hit Taylor on a 58-yard TD pass.
• NSU linebackers Anthony Smith (18 tackles) and Kyle Archie (10) both had INTs in the final two minutes to help seal the win.
• Taylor had eight catches for a career-high 132 yards. Carter passed for 230 yards.
• The win was NSU's first over a ranked team since beating No. 10/12 Bethune-Cookman in 2013.

INSIDE THE SERIES
• Last year's Spartan victory broke NCCU's four-game win streak in the series and was also the Spartans' first win over the Eagles since the two teams moved to the Division I level.
• The last four meetings have all been decided by a touchdown or less.

NSU BY THE NUMBERS
3 - Number of interceptions thrown by NSU in the game at Florida A&M, the team's most since also throwing three against Delaware State in 2014.
20 - Number of catches the last three games by Isaiah Winstead (7 at SCSU, 8 vs. DSU, 5 at FAMU).
24.7 - Yards per catch this season for sophomore Justin Smith (7-173), who had a 51-yard grab in the FAMU game two weeks ago.
79 - Rushing yards for the Spartans at FAMU, their fewest this year in a completed game.
996 - Passing yards through four games played this year for Juwan Carter, who ranks second in the MEAC in passing (249.0 ypg).
2005 - The last time the Spartans scored at least 54 points in a game prior to the Delaware State game.

A WIN OVER NCCU WOULD...
A win this week over NCCU would...
• Help the Spartans earn their first-ever win over NCCU at Dick Price Stadium (NSU is 0-2).
• Give the Spartans their first-ever two-game win streak over NCCU since the teams joined the Division I ranks.
• Keep the Spartans in the thick of the MEAC race.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
NCCU snapped a two-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 40-35 win over Howard on Oct. 6. Chauncey Caldwell scored on a 3-yard run with 24 seconds left to lift the Eagles to the win.

Caldwell, one of three Eagle quarterbacks to play this season, ran for 153 yards and a score while also throwing for 311 yards and two TDs. Marcus Martin intercepted a Howard pass in the NCCU end zone with six seconds left to clinch the win.

Caldwell is averaging 185.8 total yards per game this season and leads the Eagles in both rushing (240) and passing yards (689) this season.

NCCU, which has posted four consecutive winning seasons, was picked to finish third in the MEAC.

 By: Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS