Game Notes | Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter UpdatesNORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk State (2-4, 2-1 MEAC) and Bethune-Cookman (5-2, 3-1) look to remain in the thick of the MEAC football race this Saturday when they meet in Daytona Beach, Fla. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. at Municipal Stadium. Both teams are coming off losses to first-place North Carolina A&T. The game is Homecoming for the Wildcats.
RADIOWGH Star 1310 AM is in its second season as the flagship network for NSU football and basketball games. Ross Gordon will handle the play-by-play duties and
Matt Michalec is the color commentator. The game can also be heard online at www.star1310.com.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANSNorfolk State dropped its first MEAC contest of the year in its last outing, a 27-3 defeat at the hands of North Carolina A&T on Oct. 10 at Dick Price Stadium. The Spartans had an off week last week.
Against A&T, the Spartans were held to a season-low 167 total yards, including just 38 on the ground. Tarik Cohen rushed for 152 yards and a score and also threw a touchdown pass for the Aggies. The N.C. A&T defense, meanwhile, registered seven sacks.
Trailing 10-0 at halftime, NSU got within a touchdown on
Cameron Marouf's 28-yard field goal early in the third quarter. But Tony McRae returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the NSU 33, setting up Cohen's 3-yard TD run. A&T pulled away from there.
Greg Hankerson Jr. passed for 129 yards for NSU.
DeAndre Sangster caught three passes for 83 yards. Defensively, linebacker
Deon King tallied 15 tackles, 1.5 for losses, for the Spartans. He again leads the nation in total tackles, with 85 in six games (14.2 average). Cornerback
D'Metrius Williams intercepted a pass, his second of the season.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATSBethune-Cookman had its five-game winning streak snapped and suffered its first MEAC loss of the season last Saturday in Greensboro, N.C., losing to the Aggies of North Carolina A&T, 24-14. B-CU outgained the Aggies 440-247, but committed a pair of turnovers. A&T's Tarik Cohen rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown, and Denzel Keyes caught two scoring passes for A&T.
Wildcats quarterbacks Larry Brihm Jr. and Quentin Williams combined to complete 26 of 38 passes for 358 yards and a touchdown. Jawill Davis caught six passes for 103 yards, and Jontavious Carter scored on an 82-yard reception for B-CU. The Wildcats have the MEAC's No. 2 passing attack, averaging 245.3 passing yards per game, and lead all MEAC teams with 393.9 yards of total offense per game. Williams has thrown for 1,199 of those yards and nine touchdowns. Jawill Davis has 507 yards and five touchdowns receiving.
THE SERIES• This will be the 26th all-time meeting between NSU and B-CU. The Wildcats lead the series, 17-8.
• NSU is 4-14 against the Wildcats since moving to Division I.
• In the teams' last meeting at Municipal Stadium, the Spartans upset B-CU 27-24. It was NSU's first-ever win in Daytona Beach after nine losses. The win came against a Wildcats' team ranked as high as No. 10 in the polls - the highest-ranked team an NSU squad has ever defeated.
QUICK HITS FROM N.C. A&TA few notes from NSU's loss to North Carolina A&T:
• NSU was held to a season-low 167 yards of total offense.
• The Spartans' defense notched two sacks for the third straight game.
• ILB
Anthony Smith had a career-high 10 tackles, and DL
Walter Brantley IV matched his career high with seven.
• The Spartans were held without a touchdown for the first time since the Liberty game in 2014 (Sept. 6), a 17-0 loss.
• WR
Markice Street had a career-high four receptions.
SUNSHINE SUCCESSThe Spartans have had their struggles over the years against their MEAC opponents from the state of Florida, especially while playing in the Sunshine state. NSU is just 3-14 all-time combined when playing on the road at Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman, but have started to reverse that trend the last two years. The Spartans are 2-0 in their last two games in the state, winning 12-10 at FAMU last year and 27-24 at Bethune-Cookman in 2013.
SUNSHINE HOMECOMINGAside from Virginia, the Spartans have the most players on their roster from the state of Florida, with six.This week affords the opportunity for that group - including QB
Greg Hankerson Jr. (Lauderdale Lakes), LB
Rodney Smith Jr. (Pembroke Pines) and DB
Leroy Parker (Miami) - the chance to play closer to friends and family.
PLAYING THE SPOILERThe Spartan football team has the distinction of serving as the Homecoming opponent for three teams this year. NSU has already spoiled Howard's Homecoming with a 15-12 victory over the Bison on Oct. 3, and now gets the chance to do the same against Bethune-Cookman this week and North Carolina Central next week. The Spartans then get to play their own Homecoming on Nov. 7 against Savannah State.
