Game Notes | Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Statistics | Twitter Updates

NORFOLK, Va. - The Spartans look to move to 2-0 in MEAC play when they host Savannah State this Saturday for Youth Day. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

All children ages 7-17 will be admitted for just $2, adult chaperones for youth groups will be admitted at the rate of $10 per adult, and children 6 and under get in free. There will be inflatable games, face painting and other activities in the picnic area adjacent to Dick Price Stadium from 9 a.m. to noon prior to the game. Youth groups will also be recognized during halftime.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
NSU (1-3 overall, 1-0 MEAC) snapped a three-game losing streak and won its MEAC opener with a 27-21 victory at Morgan State last Saturday in Baltimore, Md. Trailing 7-0 late in the second quarter, the Spartans scored 20 unanswered points, then held off a late rally from the Bears. Tyler Clark completed 18-of-28 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 52 yards on eight attempts. He tossed a 4-yard second-quarter TD pass to linebacker Lynden Trail, who scored his first career touchdown. Clark also hit Keith Johnson on a 33-yard TD play in the third.

The Spartans also got a pair of field goals, one each from Ryan Lee (21 yards) and Cameron Marouf (34), and a 2-yard TD run by Brendon Riddick, who led the team with 17 carries for 70 yards. Trail intercepted two passes for NSU, which forced four turnovers.

Rolandan Finch leads the Spartans and ranks fourth in the MEAC with 269 rushing yards (67.2 per game). Clark has completed 61 percent of his passes this year. The Spartan defense is third in the conference in total defense (325.0 ypg allowed) and first in pass defense (127.0 ypg). Sophomore linebacker Deon King is third in the MEAC with 7.0 tackles for loss. Trail and cornerback Darrin Marrow both rank in the top 10 with four passes defended.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Savannah State comes into this week's game with a 1-4 overall record and an 0-1 mark in the MEAC. The Tigers dropped a tight 24-22 game to Delaware State last Saturday in Savannah, Ga. The Tigers trailed 24-9, but two Antonio Bostick TD passes helped SSU rally. But the Tigers came up shy on a potential tying two-point conversion following their final touchdown with 1:51 to play, and DSU was then able to run out the clock.

Bostick and teammate Leon Prunty combined to complete 34-of-49 passes for 356 yards, and Prunty also ran for a score. Cantrell Frazier had eight catches for 108 yards. SSU lost three fumbles.

The Tigers have played a difficult early-season schedule which includes losses to FBS foes Miami (Fla.) and Troy and a loss to traditional FCS power Georgia Southern. The Tigers, whose lone win was a 27-20 victory over Fort Valley State, have been outscored 264-68 this year.

Bostick sat out the first two games, but has thrown for 435 yards and three scores in the last three weeks. Simon Heyward (17-258) and Frazier (15-210) have been his favorite receiving targets.

THE SERIES
• NSU leads the all-time series with Savannah State, 7-1. NSU has won four straight in the series.
• Savannah State's only win over NSU was a 41-34, 2-OT victory at Dick Price Stadium in 2004.
• The Spartans are 4-0 against SSU under Pete Adrian.

MEDIA COVERAGE
• Radio: NSU Sports Network, 1490 AM The Game/WNSB Hot 91.1 FM
(Play-by-Play: Ross Gordon; Color: Maguell Davis; Pre-Game: Gordon, Davis and Matt Michalec)
• Live Video: www.nsuspartans.com/showcase (requires subscription)
• Live Statistics: www.sidearmstats.com/nsu/football
• Audio Stream: www.nsuspartans.com (click "Live Audio" link under Inside Athletics tab)
• Twitter Updates: @NSUSpartans

QUICK HITS FROM MORGAN STATE
More news and notes from the win over Morgan State last week:
• QB Tyler Clark had his first career two-TD pass game, accounted for a career-high 177 yards of total offense and ran for a career-best 52 yards.
• OLB Lynden Trail caught his first career TD and also had his first two career interceptions.
• RB Brendon Riddick ran for a season-high 70 yards and had a career-high five receptions.
• DL Kevin Williams made his first career start in place of the injured Noel Clarke Jr.
• SS Keenan Lambert blocked a first-quarter Morgan State field goal. It was NSU's first blocked field goal since Oct. 29, 2011, against North Carolina A&T. It was also the first of Lambert's career.
• Ryan Lee (21 yards) and Cameron Marouf (34) both kicked their first career field goals. NSU did not attempt a field goal in its first three games.

TRAIL NAMED MEAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Outside linebacker Lynden Trail was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week and Boxtorow HBCU National Player of the Week for his performance at Morgan State. Trail had six tackles, including one for loss, and two interceptions in the win. His first INT came on a diving snag of a deflected pass and set up a third-quarter Spartan field goal. His second came on the final play of the game on Morgan State's "Hail Mary" pass toward the NSU goal line.

Trail didn't just impact the game defensively. He also caught a 4-yard TD pass for NSU's first score of the game in the second quarter. It was his first collegiate touchdown.

KING'S COURT
While teammate Lynden Trail has gotten a lot of the preseason attention as one of the defense's top playmakers, sophomore (and fi rst-year starter) Deon King has emerged as a playmaker in the first four games. King starts at the outside linebacker spot opposite Trail and is second on the team with 30 tackles so far. King has a team-high 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, both of which rank in the top three in the MEAC. He is tied for 20th in the nation in sacks. King, from Reston, Va., worked with the second unit last year behind senior starters Terrence Pugh and Jamal Giddens. He made the most of his playing time - of his 19 tackles, five were for a loss, including two sacks. He also returned an interception 15 yards for a TD against Morgan State.

RIDDICK STEPS TO THE FOREFRONT
Sophomore Brendon Riddick came up big in a reserve role last week at Morgan State. Starting running back Deuce Finch was limited to 35 yards on 11 carries and fumbled twice, but Riddick came through with his best game of the year. He notched season highs in carries (17) and yards (70) off the bench. His 2-yard TD run in the fourth quarter helped seal NSU's win. Riddick led NSU with 401 yards rushing and seven TDs a year ago.