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NORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk State (4-6, 4-2 MEAC) plays its 2014 home finale this Saturday and celebrates both Military Appreciation Day and Senior Day as the Spartans host North Carolina Central (5-5, 4-2) this Saturday. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium.

Nineteen Spartan senior players will be honored before playing in their final home game this weekend. In addition, the largest American flag ever to be displayed at Dick Price Stadium will be featured during pre-game festivities.                  
 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
NSU (4-6 overall, 4-2 MEAC) dropped out of a five-way tie for first place in the MEAC standings after a hard-fought 13-7 defensive slugfest on ESPNU last Thursday night. NSU led 7-6 entering the fourth quarter on the strength of a 16-yard Terrance Ervin-to-Chris Lee TD pass and an inspired defensive effort, but the Wildcats scored all seven points in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Lee's first career TD catch, which came in the first quarter, was set up by a Deon King interception. King was one of four Spartans to register double figures in tackles against the Wildcats, finishing with a career-high 19 stops, four for a loss. The Wildcats' defense was just as stout, allowing NSU to gain just 67 total yards. B-CU recorded two fourth-quarter safeties – aided by poor field position for the Spartans – to pull away.

Lamar Neal and Marcell Coke added 12 tackles apiece and Lynden Trail had 11 (1.5 for loss) for the Spartans. King now leads the Spartans and ranks third in the conference with 90 stops on the year. NSU, which allowed just 217 yards against the Wildcats, moved up one spot to No. 2 in the national rankings in total defense.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
North Carolina Central (5-5 overall, 4-2 MEAC) bounced back from their own loss to Bethune-Cookman with an emphatic 47-13 homecoming win over Hampton last Saturday in Durham, N.C. The Eagles scored on offense, defense and special teams and forced five Pirate turnovers in the win.

Mykael Martin returned a blocked punt 20 yards for an Eagle touchdown in the second quarter, and 40 seconds later, Cameron Hughes returned an interception 40 yards for another score. NCCU scored 23 points in the final five and a half minutes of the half to break away from the Pirates.

Quarterback Malcolm Bell, a Richmond, Va. native, passed for 150 yards and two touchdowns and Andre Clarke ran for 73 yards and a TD for the Eagles.

NCCU, in its first year under new head coach Jerry Mack, ranks second in the MEAC in scoring (29.2 ppg) and third in total offense (368 ypg). Bell, who was the Eagles' No. 2 quarterback at the start of the season, is second in the MEAC with 1,852 passing yards. His 14 TD passes are tied for the most by any MEAC player. Clarke has a MEAC-leading 13 rushing touchdowns. Wideout Adrian Wilkins leads the conference in both receptions per game (5.2) and receiving yards per game (59.0).

THE SERIES
• This will be the 12th meeting all-time between NSU and NCCU. The Eagles led the series, 6-5. 
• Last season's 24-13 NCCU win in Durham, N.C., was the first matchup between the teams since 1995, when both schools played in the Division II CIAA. 
• This week's matchup is the first-ever between the teams at Dick Price Stadium. NSU holds a 4-1 all-time edge against the Eagles in games played in Norfolk (at Foreman Field). 

QUICK HITS FROM BCU
• Chris Lee caught his first career TD pass, a 16-yarder from Terrance Ervin in the first quarter.
• A season-high four Spartans reached double figures in tackles, with Deon King (19) and Lamar Neal (12) registering career highs. Marcell Coke (12) and Lynden Trail also had at least 10.
• NSU's 67 total yards are a program low for the Division I era.

STANDINGS WATCH
With two losses on their ledger now, the Spartans are more than likely out of the running for a share of the MEAC football title this year. NSU would need all of the three teams tied for first (N.C. A&T, Bethune-Cookman and S.C. State) to lose once in their final two games and NSU would need to win its remaining two games. The Spartans are now in a three-way tie for fourth in the muddled MEAC standings with N.C. Central and Morgan State.

KING'S COURT
Junior linebacker Deon King is in the midst of perhaps the best stretch of his Spartan career. Here's a look at King's accomplishments, notably his last three games:
• King has 42 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss in the last three games (Hampton, FAMU, B-CU).
• He had a team and then-career high 15 in the win at Hampton on Oct. 18.
• King had eight tackles, half a sack, and forced and recovered a fumble that led to the go-ahead touchdown at FAMU on Nov. 1.
• King posted a new career high with 19 tackles and also had a career-high 4.0 TFL in the loss to B-CU on Nov. 6. He added an interception and also forced a fumble that led to a second B-CU turnover.
• The 19 tackles are the most since Maguell Davis had 22 against B-CU on Sept. 24, 2005.
• King is now leading the team and third in the MEAC with 90 tackles. He is tied for third among MEAC players with three fumble recoveries and tied for ninth in both sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (12.0).

DEFENSE STRONG ONCE AGAIN
NSU's defense, expected to be a strength coming into the year, has been as good as advertised. 
• NSU is currently second in the MEAC and second in the nation in total defense (250.3 ypg allowed).  Only MEAC foe Bethune-Cookman (226.0) is ranked ahead of NSU.
• NSU is also top 15 in the nation in pass defense (second, 140.0 ypg allowed), red-zone defense (third, 59.3 percent), scoring defense (sixth, 16.2) and rushing defense (14th, 110.3 ypg allowed).
• NSU allowed just 114 yards to Delaware State on Oct. 11, the fewest by an NSU opponent since Virginia State's 107 on Sept. 1, 2012, and fewest by a D-I opponent since Savannah State's 45 on Nov. 5, 2011. 
• Only Buffalo (five) has scored more than two TDs against NSU this year. 
• In MEAC-only games, NSU is surrendering just 11.7 points per game and 228.5 yards per contest. The Spartans have allowed just six offensive touchdowns in six MEAC games this season.
• NSU's scoring (16.2) and total defense (250.3 ypg) marks are currently ahead of the pace of the program's best-ever seasons in the Division I era (1997). The 2011 team allowed 17.1 ppg and the 2009 team yielded 265.5 ypg.