NORFOLK, Va. - Winners of two straight and three of the last four, the Spartans (4-6, 3-3 MEAC) look to continue their winning ways this Saturday in their final road game of 2019, vs. Delaware State. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.
In its last game, NSU earned its second straight win in Durham, North Carolina, in a 38-21 triumph over N.C. Central. Delaware State snapped a seven-game losing streak and scored one of the biggest upsets of the MEAC season last week with a 16-13 win over Bethune-Cookman.
SERIES HISTORY
• Delaware State leads the all-time series with NSU 16-5 (with three NSU wins vacated).
• The Spartans have won the last two in the series, including a 54-28 win in Norfolk last year.
• DSU's last win in the series was a 13-10 overtime win at NSU in 2014, where the Hornets won despite finishing with just 114 offensive yards.
LAST MEETING
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Juwan Carter passed for 318 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in a 54-28 Spartan win on Sept. 29, 2018, at Dick Price Stadium.
• Carter threw touchdowns to three different receivers and also ran for another score for the Spartans.
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Brandon Savage returned an interception 80 yards for a TD and
Nigel Chavis returned a fumble 23 yards for another score as part of a four-takeaway night for the NSU defense.
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Marcus Taylor had 120 receiving yards and a score, and
Isaiah Winstead and
Justin Smith also caught TD passes.
NSU BY THE NUMBERS
8 - Number of sacks by the Spartans last week at NCCU, the program's most in a game since 2012.
11 - Number of NSU scoring drives covering at least 70 yards in the last four games.
166 - Points QB
Juwan Carter is responsible for this year, most by a Spartan in the Division I era. That includes 21 passing touchdowns, six rushing scores and two two-point conversion passes.
34.0 - Number of points per game NSU is averaging in its six MEAC games to date. The Spartans have topped 40 in two of the last four games.
298 - Career tackles for linebacker
Nigel Chavis, who also is tied for the MEAC lead with 90 stops this year.
A WIN OVER DSU WOULD...
A win this week over the Hornets would...
• Assure NSU of no worse than a .500 MEAC record, its first since 2015.
• Give NSU its first three-game winning streak since 2011.
• Give NSU its fifth win of the season, a mark which the program has not hit since 2011.
• Be the Spartans' third straight in the series and second straight in Dover.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Delaware State (2-8, 1-6) snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 16-13 home upset win last Saturday over Bethune-Cookman, which entered the game with just one loss in MEAC play. Thomas Bertrand-Hudon ran 36 times for 133 yards and a touchdown for the Hornets. Bizzet Woodley also caught a TD pass for DSU.
The Hornet defense held B-CU to just 257 yards in the victory. DSU also recovered a fumbled punt to set up its first touchdown in the first quarter and recorded a safety later in the period. The win improved DSU to 1-6 in MEAC play. The Hornets' other win this season was over Division II Lincoln (Pa.), 58-12, on Sept. 14.
DSU is averaging just 19.7 points per game this season, but did score 30 points two weeks ago in a loss at MEAC unbeaten Florida A&M. Bryant Dallas has 428 rushing yards and four TDs to pace the Hornets in 2019. Freshman quarterback Tylik Bethea has passed for 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns.
