NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State looks to improve to 2-0 on the young season when the Spartans welcome No. 2 ranked FCS power James Madison to Dick Price Stadium Saturday. Kickoff on Youth Day is 6 p.m.
 
MEDIA COVERAGE
• Live Video: ESPN 3
• Radio: WNSB 91.1 FM (5:30 p.m. pre-game): Play-by-Play – Ross Gordon/Color – Glen Mason 
• Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/nsu/football
 • Twitter Updates: @NSUSpartans / @NSU_FB

SERIES INFORMATION
• Record: JMU leads 1-0
• Last Meeting: 9-16-17 (JMU 75, NSU 14)
• First Meeting: Same
 
OPENING KICKOFF
• The Spartans continue their non-conference slate with a matchup against FCS No. 2-ranked James Madison.
• This marks the second meeting between the teams and the end of their current home-and-home scheduling arrangement.
• This is just the second meeting between the teams and their first time playing in Norfolk.
• NSU head coach Latrell Scott served as tight ends coach at JMU in 2012.
 
LAST MEETING
• In the first-ever meeting between the teams, host and No. 1 ranked JMU amassed 728 yards of total offense to top NSU 75-14 on Sept. 16, 2017.
• Trai Sharp ran for 130 yards and quarterback Bryan Schor tossed two touchdowns for the Dukes, whose defense limited NSU to 91 yards.
• The Spartans scored their points on 33-yard fumble return for a score by safety Nhyre' Quinerly in the second quarter and a school-record 100-yard kickoff return touchdown by Marcus Taylor in the fourth.
 
NSU VS. THE CAA
This week marks the 18th game the Spartans have ever played against teams currently in the Colonial Athletic Association. NSU has a 1-15-1 mark in the previous 17, including a 1-2-1 mark against Elon. The Spartans are 0-7 against William & Mary, 0-2 against Maine, and 0-1 against JMU, Richmond, Towson and Villanova.
 
NSU VS. RANKED TEAMS
NSU is 4-29 all-time against teams ranked in the STATS FCS (formerly Sports Network) top 25 poll. Last season, the Spartans went 1-2 in such games, with a win at No. 25 N.C. Central and losses to No. 1 JMU and No. 9 N.C. A&T. The JMU game in 2017 marked NSU's first-ever meeting against a No. 1 ranked FCS opponent.
 
NSU BY THE NUMBERS
7 - Number of non-offensive touchdowns the Spartans scored last year, including six defensive touchdowns, which tied for the most in the FCS.
8 - Number of All-MEAC preseason selections for NSU, including Marcus Taylor, who was picked to the first team at kick returner and second team at receiver.
17 - Number of fourth-quarter points for NSU last week against Virginia State. That's more than the Spartans had in any quarter last season.
55 - Number of freshmen and sophomores (including redshirts) who played for NSU in 2017.
80 - NSU is in its 80th season of intercollegiate football competition.
112 - Rushing yards by Aaron Savage in last week's opener against Virginia State, which tied a career high.
300 - The number of rushing yards for Savage in his last three games, including two 100+ yard outings.
 
A WIN OVER JMU WOULD...
 A win by the Spartans this week over the Dukes would...
• Be just the Spartans' second-ever over a CAA team and fifth against a ranked FCS opponent.
• Give NSU its first 2-0 start since 2012.
 
SCOUTING THE DUKES
James Madison, ranked No. 2 in the Division I FCS top 25 poll, opened the season with a hard-fought 24-13 loss at North Carolina State last Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. The Wolf Pack scored 17 points in the second quarter and held off the Dukes.
 
JMU finishing with 365 yards to N.C. State's 392. JMU quarterback Ben DiNucci, who transferred from Pittsburgh, completed 23 of 27 passes for 197 yards. DiNucci threw a touchdown pass to Riley Stapleton and also led the Dukes with 79 yards rushing.
 
JMU won the FCS national championship in 2016 before finishing as runner-up last season.