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NORFOLK, Va. – After two tough games on the road, the Norfolk State football team (1-2) returns home for two straight games, beginning with its MEAC opener this Saturday against North Carolina Central (1-2) at 2 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium.
 
Game 4: North Carolina Central (1-2) at Norfolk State (1-2)
Saturday, Sept. 24 • 2 p.m. • Dick Price Stadium (30,000)
Radio: WGH Star 1310 AM, WNSB 91.1 FM (Pre-game - 1:30 p.m.); Play-by-Play: Ross Gordon; Color: Maguell Davis
Series History: 14th meeting - NCCU leads 8-5
First Meeting: NCCU 27-21 (Nov. 14, 1981)
Last Meeting: NCCU 24-16 (Oct. 31, 2015)
 
1st and 10
1. The Spartans will try to snap a two-game losing streak - both at the hands of top-15 ranked FCS teams - when they open MEAC play this week against North Carolina Central.
2. NSU was outgained 456-237 in total offense in last Saturday's 35-10 loss to No. 13 William & Mary. The Tribe also amassed 277 rushing yards.
3. The Spartans scored their points on quarterback Greg Hankerson's 26-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and Cameron Marouf's 36-yard field goal in the second quarter. Hankerson passed for 125 yards and rushed for 43 to lead the Spartans.
4. The Spartans intercepted two William & Mary passes, NSU's second straight week with two picks. Sandy Chapman and Bobby Price notched the interceptions at W&M.
5. NSU is looking to win its MEAC opener for the fourth straight season. The Spartans have started MEAC play at 2-0 each of the last three years.
6. North Carolina Central enters this week at 1-2 overall after winning its first game of the season last week, 65-7 over Division II St. Augustine's in Durham, N.C. That victory came after a pair of Eagle losses to begin the year, at FBS opponents Duke and Western Michigan.
7. The Eagles rolled up 676 yards of total offense last week, the second-most in a single game in NCCU history. Quarterback Malcolm Bell accounted for 317 total yards (270 passing) and four total touchdowns.
8. NCCU welcomes back 15 starters from last season's team that went 7-1 and finished in a three-way tie for first place in the MEAC. The Eagles have tied for first each of the last two seasons, compiling 15 total wins in the process.
9. The Eagles had 10 preseason All-MEAC selections, including Bell at quarterback (first team) and last year's MEAC Rookie of the Year in running back Dorrel McClain, who was a second-team selection.
10. This week will give NSU defensive back Hakiem Swann a chance to play against his former team. Swann played two seasons at cornerback for the Eagles (2013-14). He started eight times and made two interceptions as a true freshman at NCCU in 2013. Swann, a Portsmouth, Va. native, transferred to NSU prior to the 2015 season. Swann has 14 tackles, a pass breakup and a forced fumble so far this year for the Spartans.

Quick Hits from William & Mary
Some news and notes from the loss to William & Mary last Saturday:
• NSU dropped to 0-11 all-time against the CAA and 3-27 all-time against ranked teams as a result of the loss.
• QB Greg Hankerson scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and his fourth in 14 games as Spartan quarterback on a 26-yard run in the first quarter. He later added a 31-yard scamper in the fourth quarter, which stand as NSU's two longest runs of the year to date.
• TE Demetreus Ferebee, who had five career catches coming into the game, had a career-high four receptions for 32 yards against the Tribe. He caught three passes alone on NSU's second-quarter drive that ended in Cameron Marouf's 36-yard field goal.
• NSU had two interceptions for the second week in a row, with FS Bobby Price snatching his first career pick in the second quarter and CB Sandy Chapman picking off a pass in the third quarter, his second interception in as many weeks.
• William and Mary ran for 277 yards, most by a Spartan opponent since Old Dominion's 338 on Sept. 12, 2015.
• DB Donte' Haynesworth (eight) and LB Damiyan Caldwell (career-high eight) tied for the team-lead in tackles.