NORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk State opens the 79th season of collegiate football in school history with an intra-city matchup against crosstown foe Old Dominion University on Saturday at S.B. Ballard Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN3 and the ESPN app.
The Spartans are coming off a 4-7 season in 2018 and welcome back 17 starters and 39 letterwinners from last year.
Click here for a full season preview.
NSU will be meeting ODU for the fourth time in the teams' history. It is the first of two games NSU plays against Division I FBS teams this season, including a Sept. 14 date at Coastal Carolina.
SERIES HISTORY
• ODU holds a 3-0 series edge over NSU. All three meetings have been decided by 17 points or less.
• The teams first met as FCS schools in the first round of the 2011 FCS playoff s at Foreman Field. ODU QB Taylor Heinicke, now of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, threw five touchdown passes in a 35-18 ODU win.
• In the teams' second-ever meeting and only one to date at NSU's Dick Price Stadium, Jarod Brown kicked a 24-yard field goal on the game's final play to give ODU a 27-24 win on Oct. 26, 2013. ODU scored 10 points in the final 7:10 to rally.
• In the teams' last meeting, ODU earned a 24-10 win over NSU on Sept. 12, 2015 at Foreman Field.
LAST MEETING
• In their last meeting, Ray Lawry rushed for 215 yards and two scores to lead Old Dominion to a 24-10 win over Norfolk State on Sept. 12, 2015.
• ODU led 14-10 at halftime, but held the Spartans scoreless in the second half to pull away.
• Defensive lineman Hadji Gaylord blocked a punt and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to give NSU a 10-7 lead.
• Lawry gave ODU a 14-10 lead going into the half with a 1-yard run with 2:44 left in the second quarter.
• ODU held a 450-266 edge in total offense.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The Spartans were picked to finish seventh in the MEAC this season in the preseason poll of league head coaches and sports information directors. Spartan linebacker
Nigel Chavis, defensive backs
Bobby Price and
Nhyre' Quinerly, and offensive lineman
Kenneth Kirby were voted to the preseason All-MEAC second team. Tight end
Anthony Williams and running back
Aaron Savage were voted to the third team. More information can be found on page 4.
NSU BY THE NUMBERS
6 - Number of offensive linemen on NSU's roster with 10+ career starts.
136 - Number of rushing yards senior
Aaron Savage needs to reach 1,000 for his career.
28.0 - Career tackles for loss by senior linebacker
Nigel Chavis, a first-team All-MEAC pick in 2018.
2,302 - Number of 2018 passing yards by
Juwan Carter, the fourth-most in school history.
A WIN OVER ODU WOULD...
A win this week over ODU would...
• Be NSU's first in the series and first-ever over a Division I FBS team in 12 tries.
• Give the Spartans their first-ever road win over a Division I team in a season-opener.
SCOUTING THE MONARCHS
ODU, which was 4-8 overall and 2-6 in Conference USA last season, was picked to finish sixth in the C-USA East Division in the preseason media poll. The Monarchs will have a number of new faces this year,as quarterback Blake LaRussa (3,015 passing yards), leading receivers Jonathan Duhart and Travis Fulgham and NFL draftee DL Oshane Ximines are all gone from last year's squad. Among the team's top returners are the Monarchs' leading rusher last year, Kesean Strong (499 yards, 9 TD), and top tackler, linebacker Lawrence Garner (100 tackles, 9.0 TFL).
