Final Stats

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Coming into the season, one question mark for the Norfolk State football team was its inexperienced receiving corps. How would the Spartans replace the departed seniors from last season who accounted for 95 percent of the team's receptions and 96 percent of the receiving yards a year ago?

It appears the Spartans found the answer on Thursday night in a nationally televised game on ESPNU. Casey Hansen (Norco, Calif.) picked apart the North Carolina A&T defense to the tune of a career-high 351 yards, including four touchdowns to a trio of receivers who scored their first career touchdowns, as NSU downed the Aggies 50-20 at Aggie Stadium.

The win gives NSU (3-1, 2-0 MEAC) its first-ever 2-0 start in MEAC play and snaps a six-game road losing streak. The win was NSU's first in Greensboro since 1987.

N.C. A&T (0-5, 0-2), meanwhile, had its nation-long losing streak reach 21 games.

Redshirt freshman Jeremy Wicker (Quantico, Va.) was the biggest beneficiary of Hansen's big night, hauling in five passes for a career-high 172 yards and a pair of first-half scores covering 19 and 69 yards. Joining Wicker in the end zone for the first time as Spartans were Dario Walker (Ettrick, Va.) and Jamar Johnson (Norfolk, Va.), who each caught a scoring strike from Hansen in the second half.

The Spartans rolled up a season-high 532 yards of total offense. Senior Daryl Jones (Richmond, Va.) enjoyed his third 100-yard rushing game of the season and second in a row, tallying 105 yards and one TD on 25 carries. Redshirt senior Timothy Ferrell (Fayetteville, N.C.) also scored his first career TD for the Spartans on an 11-yard run early in the fourth. He ended with a career-high 53 yards on 12 carries.

The two offenses combined for more than 400 yards of offense in a wild first half, which ended with NSU ahead 29-20. The Aggies took the opening kickoff and drove 74 yards in four plays, sparked by Michael Ferguson's 51-yard run. Dion McNair capped the drive with a 1-yard run for a 7-0 A&T lead.

After a 30-yard kickoff return by Rashad Howard (Newport News, Va.), NSU responded with a nine-play drive that covered 52 yards. Jones capped it with a 9-yard TD run. Hansen was 3-for-3 on the drive.

NSU held A&T three-and-out on its next possession, and Justin Castellat (Virginia Beach, Va.) capped a short six-play, 27-yard march with a 20-yard field goal for a 10-7 NSU lead with 5:28 left in the first.

But the Aggies answered back with a nine-play, 66-yard TD march. Herbert Miller finished it with 25-yard touchdown pass to Chaz Dawson. The point-after attempt failed, leaving the Aggies' lead at 13-10.

Things appeared to be going the Aggies' way early in the second quarter as the A&T defense forced NSU to punt. But Aggie return man Quinton Cosby fumbled and the Spartans' Stephen Coffin (Richmond, Va.) recovered at the A&T 15. Three plays later, Hansen found Wicker for a 19-yard TD pass. Hansen's first TD toss of the year and Wicker's first career scoring grab put NSU ahead 16-13 with 13:29 left in the quarter. The extra point was blocked.

A fumble by Jones set up A&T at the Spartans' 28 later in the second. Miller scampered in form 4 yards out to cap the drive and give his team a 20-16 lead.

NSU came back with a 69-yard TD pass from Hansen to Wicker on 3rd-and-15 on the Spartans' next drive, the team's longest play of the season to date.

After a blocked field goal by defensive lineman Brandon Daniels (Converse, Texas), NSU drove 76 yards in eight plays for its next score. Wicker again had the big play in the drive, a 42-yard reception from Hansen. Castellat kicked a 21-yard field goal to give NSU a 26-20 lead with 3:09 left in the half.

Castellat's third and final field goal of the half, a 38-yarder, came with seven seconds left in the half and was set up by the defense. Ray Jennings (Chesapeake, Va.) forced Miller into a fumble, and Sherron Williams (Hollywood, Fla.) recovered at the Aggie 26.

Wicker had four catches for 135 yards in the first half.

The NSU offense picked up in the third quarter where it left off in the second. The Spartans embarked on a 16-play, 76-yard drive that consumed 8:27 off the clock. It was the longest drive of the season for the Spartans in terms of plays and time elapsed, and Hansen capped it with his career-best third scoring strike of the game. Hansen hit Johnson for a 16-yard TD pass. 

Ferrell found the end zone from 11 yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter. Then, defensive back Andre Twine (Chesapeake, Va.) recovered an Aggie fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Hansen completed his night with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Walker (six catches, 93 yards) on the next play.

The Spartans allowed A&T just 78 yards of total offense after the first quarter. The Aggies did not score in the second half and held the ball for just 22:08 on the night.

The Spartans return to action against MEAC preseason favorite South Carolina State on Saturday, Oct. 6 at Dick Price Stadium. Kick-off is at 2 p.m.