MEAC Football Media Center | Weekly Coaches Video Conference 

NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 20, 2021 – Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play gets into full swing this Saturday, with all six teams squaring off in three games that will set the tone for the remainder of the 2021 season as the calendar flips from October to November in the next two weeks.
 
Of the three games, two of them – Norfolk State at Howard and South Carolina State at Delaware State – will be broadcast live on ESPN3, and the Norfolk State-Howard game will be rebroadcast on ESPNU at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Saturday will also mark Homecoming for Delaware State, Howard and Morgan State.
 
Here’s a glimpse of the two games on tap for MEAC teams on Saturday, Oct. 23:
   
Both Norfolk State and Howard are riding win streaks heading into this week’s contest; the Spartans have won four in a row after Saturday’s 42-14 win over Virginia University of Lynchburg, while the Bison have won two straight after a 27-0 win over Morgan State on Oct. 8. This will be the MEAC opener for the Spartans, who were picked to finish second in the MEAC’s preseason poll.
 
“We’re getting ready to face a very, very talented and athletic Howard team,” Spartans head coach Dawson Odums said. “We’ve gotta bring the right energy and the right juice and the right mindset. You’ve got two teams that are playing pretty well right now; [Howard is] coming off a bye week, which is always tough – it’s tough to get ready for a team that’s got fresh legs, recharged themselves mentally, getting ready to play football after that bye week.”
 
Added Bison coach Larry Scott: “Every [game] is big. Each and every week from this point on … if you can continue to have success and win, the bigger they get. So at the end of the day, it’s about the process around here, it’s not necessarily about who we’re playing. Obviously, we know our opponent, we know how much experience they have, we know how good a football team they are … we know those things, but at the end of the day, it’s still about us.”
   
The Eagles were idle last week, while the Bears suffered their second MEAC loss of the season in falling 37-14 at South Carolina State. North Carolina Central, picked in the preseason to finish third in the MEAC, will look to spoil Morgan State’s Homecoming in the Eagles’ conference opener.
 
“They cause people problems on defense,” NCCU head coach Trei Oliver said of the Bears. “Schematically, they’re sound, they bring a lot of pressure and they cause you problems. Hopefully, we can create some turnovers like South Carolina State did (in the Bulldogs’ 37-14 win over Morgan State this past Saturday) and that will give us a chance to win this football game.”
 
Added Bears coach Tyrone Wheatley: “Teams are looking at us as a down entity, and they’re gonna come in and they’re gonna try and do what they can to get [the win]. [NCCU has] had their ups and downs, and everybody right now, with the exception of maybe one or two teams in our conference, is trying to right the ship, but … in conference play, it’s tough. Everyone’s trying to find their stride.”
   
The Bulldogs defeated Morgan State 37-14 this past Saturday to open conference play with a win, thanks to three touchdown passes from Corey Fields, Jr. and turning the Bears over seven times. Delaware State, meanwhile, was idle this past week and has won two straight after a 56-6 win over Virginia University of Lynchburg back on Oct. 9. These two teams met twice this past spring, with South Carolina State winning both match-ups.
 
“It’s gonna be a tight one,” Bulldogs coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough said. “A tough one. [The Hornets] think the third time’s the charm, I’m sure … this is a tough game for us, going into Delaware State, playing them on their Homecoming. You can imagine how keyed up and excited they’ll be about playing in front of a big crowd.”
 
Added Hornets head coach Rod Milstead: “Each week is its own special entity. We don’t look at the conference any differently; the next game is always the most important game. We wanted to win all six that we’ve played [so far], but unfortunately, we’re only able to win three, but it shows us we have a lot of work to do. Every conference game we play, the way the conference is set up now, every game has a special meaning and it’s do-or-die each and every week for the next five weeks.”