NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State football team (3-3, 1-2 MEAC) begins a two-game road swing this Saturday when the Spartans travel to Savannah, Georgia, to face the Savannah State Tigers (1-5, 0-3). Kickoff is at 3 p.m. at T.A. Wright Stadium.
 
MEDIA COVERAGE
• Live Video: ESPN3 / Watch ESPN
• Radio: WNSB 91.1 FM (2:30 p.m. pre-game): Play-by-Play: Ross Gordon/Color: Matt Michalec
• Twitter Updates: @NSUSpartans / @NSU_FB
 
THE SERIES
• Record: NSU leads 8-3 (2 wins vacated)
• Last Meeting: 10-28-17 (SSU 27-9)
• First Meeting: 10-6-01 (NSU 27-18)
 
OPENING KICKOFF
• The Spartans look to get back over the .500 mark and snap a two-game losing streak when they play at Savannah State this Saturday.
• NSU dropped to 3-3 overall, 1-2 in the MEAC after a 36-6 loss to North Carolina Central on the Spartans' homecoming last week.
• The Tigers had an off week following their 18-11 home loss to Morgan State on Oct. 13.
• NSU's homecoming tour continues this week as SSU welcomes the Spartans for its own homecoming. NSU is in the midst of playing on four straight homecoming Saturdays - at FAMU (10/6), its own (10/20), at SSU (10/27) and at N.C. A&T (11/3).
 
LAST MEETING
• Jaylen McCloud rushed for 132 yards and D'Vonn Gibbons 89 as Savannah State spoiled NSU's homecoming, 27-9, on Oct. 28, 2017 at Dick Price Stadium.
• The Tigers rushed for 262 yards on the day, and scored twice in the fourth quarter to pull away.
• Juwan Carter passed for 150 yards and rushed for NSU's only touchdown, a 3-yarder in the first period.
• The win for the Tigers gave them their first-ever two-game winning streak over NSU.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• NSU leads the all-time series with SSU, 8-3, with two Spartan wins vacated (2010, '11).
• SSU won 31-14 in 2016 in the teams' last meeting in Georgia in 2016.
• Both of SSU's consecutive wins over the Spartans have come by double digits, but NSU's last three wins over the Tigers have come by a touchdown or less.
 
NSU BY THE NUMBERS
3 - Number of pass breakups last week for safety Bobby Price, a career high for the junior.
4 - Number of Georgia natives for NSU (RB Cameryn Brent, LB Dale Craig, P Taylor Goettie, OL Kyree Jones) who will play in their home state this week.
5 - Number of turnovers for NSU last week vs. N.C. Central, the Spartans' most since also committing five in a game against NCCU in 2014.
10.0 - Season-high number of tackles for loss by the Spartan defense last week.
145 - Career catches for Marcus Taylor, who moved into third place on NSU's all-time receptions list after catching six passes against NCCU.
2,963 - Career passing yards for Juwan Carter, who is 31 away from passing Brandon Brooks for 10th all-time at NSU.
 
A WIN OVER SSU WOULD...
A win this week over SSU would...
• Move the Spartans back over .500 on the year and even their MEAC record.
• Break SSU's two-game winning streak in the series.
• Be the Spartans' first win in Georgia since a 2014 win at Savannah State.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Savannah State had an off week last Saturday following its 18-11 MEAC loss to Morgan State on Oct. 13. In a defensive battle, the Tigers fell by a touchdown to Morgan State, a game which was in doubt until SSU fumbled near midfield with 16 seconds left in the game. Quarterback D'Vonn Gibbons passed for 254 yards and rushed for 57 plus a touchdown. SSU limited the Bears to just 298 yards of offense, but had two turnovers which proved costly.
 
SSU began the year with consecutive FBS loss to UAB and Miami (Fla.). Since, the Tigers dropped MEAC games to Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman and Morgan State, with their lone win being an impressive 23-3 victory over Charleston Southern of the Big South on Oct. 6.
 
The Tigers have struggled offensively this season, averaging a MEAC-low 228.2 yards per game. Gibbons paces the team in rushing (242) and passing (yards (435). SSU does rank fifth in the MEAC in total defense, allowing 369.8 yards per contest. They are second behind only NSU in pass defense (188.2 ypg allowed).