NORFOLK, Va. | The Norfolk State University football team begins its three-game road trip this Saturday as the Spartans play their second rivalry game in as many weeks with a visit to Hampton in the annual Battle of the Bay matchup. Kickoff against the Pirates is set for 6 p.m. from Armstrong Stadium.
Norfolk State (0-1) will be looking for its first win of the season after a heartbreaking Labor Day Classic loss last Saturday against rival Virginia State. The Spartans led 17-7 after one quarter and took a 24-20 lead into the final period. However, NSU turned the ball over on downs with less than a minute remaining. The Spartans burned two times and after sudden turnover on downs, had an opportunity to tie the game with two seconds left. The snap on the field-goal attempt sailed high and was recovered by VSU, as NSU dropped the home opener.
Despite the setback, the Spartans showed positive signs throughout the game. Running back
Lex Henry had 71 yards on 20 carries and scored a touchdown. Wide receivers
Aaron Moore and
Andre Pegues combined for seven catches for 146 yards and one touchdown. Defensively,
AJ Richardson, playing in his first collegiate game, paced the defense with nine total tackles, including five solo stops.
Hampton (1-0) enters the rivalry game off a 35-31 victory in the Prudential Brick City Classic against Grambling State. Pirates quarterback Chris Zellous earned multiple weekly honors after turning in a big performance against the Tigers. He rushed for 114 yards, with two scores and threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Pirates amassed 26 first downs and 434 total yards, with nearly 300 coming on the ground.
Saturday's game will be streamed live on FloSports as Kit McConnico and Steve Foster will have the call. Norfolk State will broadcast the game on Hot 91.1 FM (WNSB) with Ross Gordon and Woube Gebre calling all the action.
Norfolk State head coach
Dawson Odums said the Spartans played better in the second half and missed some opportunities. However, it's a new week and NSU has another great challenge ahead.
"The biggest thing is understanding we're playing against a really good football team that is coming off a big win," Odums said. "They are very talented and return a lot of players from last year, especially on offense. Defensively they get after you by challenging you in the passing game. It should be a great environment. I think our guys will be super inspired to play and that's what our job is, to get them ready.
"We had a let down a week ago, but you've got to go play the next one. That is what life is about. It's always about the next opportunity. You've got to allow 24 hours and then it's on to Hampton. We've got to play better. We missed some opportunities last weekend, but we are going to be excited about going across the bay and playing in this outstanding rivalry game."
ABOUT THE GAME
- Norfolk State and Hampton will meet for the 64th time in the series, which dates back to 1938
- The Spartans are looking to avoid starting the season 0-2
- Hampton is looking to make it two straight to begin the season
- The Pirates won the 2022 game and will look for its first back-to-back pair of victories in the series since 2012-13
- The two teams are nearly equal in points, as NSU has scored 1,214 points, while Hampton has recorded 1,294 points during the series
- The Spartans do have a win streak going for them, as Norfolk State has won three consecutive road games at Armstrong Stadium, dating back to the 2014 season
NORFOLK STATE NEWS & NOTES
- The Spartans are coming into the game off a 33-24 heartbreaking loss in the Labor Day Classic against rival Virginia State
- Norfolk State led 17-7 after one quarter but could not hold off VSU
- The Spartans trailed 27-24 in the final minutes and had two chances to either win the game or kick the tying field goal
- With the loss, NSU has dropped its last four season openers
- Despite the loss, Norfolk State has an opportunity to get into the win column against another rival this week
- The Spartans racked up 17 first downs and 304 total yards of offense
- Norfolk State went 1-for-2 on fourth down
- NSU plays just four home games this season - Virginia State, North Carolina A&T State, Morgan State and South Carolina State
- Norfolk State placed four players on the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason teams
- The Spartans were chosen to finish fifth in the MEAC predicted order of finish
HAMPTON NEWS & NOTES
- The Pirates are coming into the game off a 35-31 season-opening victory over Grambling State last weekend in the Prudential Brick City Classic
- Hampton quarterback Chris Zellous was named the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Offensive Player of the Week
- With the win last Saturday, the Pirates are currently garnering votes in the FCS Coaches Top 25 Poll
- Linebacker Qwashin Townsel was selected to the Black College Football Player of the Year Watch List
- The Pirates chosen to finish 15th in the CAA predicted order of finish
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
- Norfolk State must protect the quarterback
- NSU needs to win the turnover battle
- The Spartans must avoid committing a ton of penalties
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
- This will be the 64th meeting in the series
- Norfolk State leads the all-time series, 31-29-1
- The series dates back to 1938
- Norfolk State has the longest win streak in the series six, twice
- Hampton won the 2022 installment, 17-7, at William "Dick" Price Stadium
- Norfolk State won an overtime thriller in 2021, 47-44
- The Spartans are on a three-game road winning streak over the Pirates, dating back to the 2014 season
- The last road loss in the series for NSU came in 2012, a 28-14 defeat at Armstrong Stadium
LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT'S NEXT
- Norfolk State continues its three-game road swing next Saturday at Temple
- The Owls opened the season with a win over Akron and visit Rutgers this Saturday
- This will be the first-ever series meeting between the Spartans and the Owls
For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @NSUSpartans (Twitter), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.
