Norfolk State University Athletics

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NORFOLK, Va. – Coming off their first MEAC loss of the season, the Spartans hit the road for the first time in nearly a month to face North Carolina Central on Saturday. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Game 7: Norfolk State (2-4, 2-1 MEAC) at No. 25 North Carolina Central (5-1, 3-0)
Saturday, Oct. 21 • 2 p.m. • O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000)
Radio: WGH 1310 AM, WNSB 91.1 FM (Pre-game - 1:30 p.m.) - Play-by-Play: Ross Gordon; Color: Matt Michalec
Twitter Updates (NSU): @NSUSpartans • @NSU_FB
Series History: 15th meeting - NCCU leads 9-5
Last Meeting: NCCU 34-31 (9-24-16)
Series Streak: NCCU has won four straight

1st and 10
1.  Norfolk State plays its lone road game of the month this week, looking to remain in the thick of the MEAC championship hunt when the Spartans face defending conference champ North Carolina Central.

2.  The Spartans suffered their first MEAC loss of the season last week in a disappointing 16-14 setback against Hampton in the Battle of the Bay.

3.  After trailing 14-0 after one quarter, the Spartans rallied to within two points in the fourth quarter on the second of two Juwan Carter-to-Marcus Taylor TD passes. But NSU could not overcome a key HU safety in the third quarter and its own late missed field goal in its first loss to the Pirates since 2013.

4.  Carter completed 16 of 31 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game with 111 yards on seven catches, including the two TD grabs.

5.  NSU outgained Hampton 295-273 in total yardage, but the Spartans were not able to come away with a turnover for the first time this year.

6.  North Carolina Central, which lost its season-opener at Duke, won its fifth straight game overall last Saturday with a 24-17 non-conference home win over Gardner-Webb in Durham. 

7.  Freshman Chauncey Caldwell passed for a season-high 333 yards and two touchdowns to help the Eagles extend their school-record home winning streak to 11 games.

8.  NCCU, the defending MEAC champions, have won 18 straight MEAC games dating to the 2015 season. The Eagles have won at least a share of three straight conference titles.

9.  The Spartans are 0-4 against NCCU since the Eagles moved up to Division I in the 2013 season. All four of those games have been decided by 11 points or less, including NCCU's 34-31 win in Norfolk last September.

10.  NSU is 2-6 all-time against the Eagles in Durham, with the lone wins coming in 1985 and 1995 when both teams competed in the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.