NORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk State (1-5, 0-2 MEAC) begins a two-game road swing with a matchup in the nation's capital this week at Howard University (1-5, 1-1). Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Saturday at Greene Stadium.

The Spartans have dropped four in a row after a 58-19 loss to North Carolina A&T in Norfolk last week. The Bison have lost two in a row coming into this week, including a 62-17 loss at non-conference foe Harvard last Saturday in Massachusetts.

SERIES HISTORY
• Howard leads the all-time series with NSU, 18-7 (with three NSU wins vacated). 
• In a series that dates to 1981, this will be the 29th meeting all-time between the teams.

LAST MEETING
• In the last series meeting, Juwan Carter passed for 256 yards and three scores, and Josh Nardone kicked three field goals to give the Spartans a 29-17 win over Howard on Nov. 10, 2018 in Norfolk. 
• NSU held MEAC total offense leader Caylin Newton to just 129 passing yards and intercepted the Bison quarterback twice. 
• After trailing 17-16 late in the third quarter, NSU scored the game's final 13 points on a pair of Nardone field goals and a 37-yard TD pass from Carter to Marcus Taylor. 

NSU BY THE NUMBERS
3 - Justin Smith's acrobatic one-handed catch against N.C. A&T was deemed the No. 3 play of the week from all of the Division I FCS last week.
4 - Number of different players the Spartans have had led them in rushing this year: QB Juwan Carter and RBs Aaron Savage, Kevin Johnson and Rayquan Smith.
11.0 - Yards per play North Carolina A&T averaged on 54 offensive plays last Saturday.
94.1% - The Spartans finally came up empty in the red zone last week after 13 straight successful trips scoring inside the opponents' 20-yard line this year. NSU still ranks 12th in the nation with a 94.1 percent red-zone success rate this year (16-of-17).

A WIN OVER HOWARD WOULD...
A win this week over the Bison would...
• Give the Spartans their first win MEAC win of the season.
• Be NSU's second straight over the Bison.
• Be NSU's third in its last four trips to D.C.

SCOUTING THE BISON
Howard is off to a 1-5 start under first-year head coach Ron Prince. The Bison have lost two straight after a 62-17 loss at Harvard last week. Harvard, which led 7-3 after one quarter, scored 48 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. The Crimson took advantage of two Howard turnovers, a blocked punt that was recovered for a touchdown, and also ran for 288 yards. In the loss, Howard quarterback Quinton Williams passed for 224 yards and a touchdown.

The Bison are giving up a MEAC-high 47 points per game this year and allowing 248.5 yards per game on the ground. Williams has been a bright spot for Howard, which lost preseason MEAC Offensive Player of the Year Caylin Newton after four games. Williams has thrown five touchdown passes and just one interception this year.

Howard also returns key skill position players in preseason All-MEAC running back Dedrick Parson (334 rushing yards) and receiver Kyle Anthony (540 receiving yards, three TDs).

FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS
Two NSU assistant coaches will feel quite at home this weekend as both assistant defensive backs coach Ron Bolton and offensive line coach Brandon Torrey are former Bison assistants. Bolton coached the Howard DBs from 2002-06 and again from 2011-16. Torrey coached the HU linemen from 2015-16, and was an All-American lineman for the Bison as a player.