Football | 8/23/2024 9:00:00 AM
A pair of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) football programs kick off their 2024 season this week as two of only seven college football games slated for Week 0. The Spartans are predicted to finish fifth in preseason polls and enter the matchup coming off a loss to South Carolina State at the end of the 2023 season. Delaware State is traveling five time-zones away from home to take on FBS opponent Hawai’i in the season opening matchup. The Hornets enter year two under leadership of head coach Lee Hull and look to improve on their sixth-place predicted order of finish ranking.
Here is a look at this week’s match ups.
Norfolk State Spartans (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs. Florida A&M Rattlers (0-0, 0-0 SWAC)
Saturday, Aug. 24 | Center Parc Stadium | Atlanta, Ga. | 7:30 p.m.
TV: ABC | Live Stats
The Spartans are coming off a 2023 season that saw them go 1-4 in MEAC play and 3-8 overall. Norfolk State has not won a season opener since 2018 and looks to change that narrative this weekend in their first appearance at the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge. The Spartans return the largest group of players from the 2023 season with over 80 players coming back to don the Green and Gold under fourth year head coach Dawson Odums. Highlighting the 2024 roster are 13 pre-season All-MEAC honorees including 2023 all-conference defensive players Keshawn Lynch (DL), AJ Richardson (LB), Daylan Long (LB) and Devon Allen (DB). The Rattlers finished 12-1 last season and defeated Howard 30-26 in the Celebration Bowl to earn the title of HBCU National Champions. FAMU enters the 2024 season under the new leadership of head coach James Colzie III, who served as an assistant coach for the team last season. The Rattlers were picked to finish second in the SWAC East Division. Florida A&M is 15-3 all-time against Norfolk State, with the most recent match-up coming in 2019 when the Rattlers narrowly pulled out a 30-28 win.
Delaware State Hornets (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs. Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West)
Saturday, Aug. 24 | Clarence T.C. Ching Complex | Honolulu, HI | 6:00 p.m. HST / 12:00 a.m. EST (8/25)
TV: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Delaware State kicks off the 2024 campaign also on Saturday evening at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, in Honolulu, HI. The Hornets travel across the country to face the University of Hawai’i out of the Big West. Saturday's meeting will be the first all-time matchup between the Hornets and Rainbow Warriors. Coach Hull enters his second season at the helm and is looking to build off a 2023 season that saw the Hornets go 1-10, 0-5. Their sole win of the season came against Virginia University of Lynchburg (48-10). The Hornets are 3-2 in season openers, dating back the last five seasons. The Hornets return 59 players from the 2023 lineup with Jordan Hull (WR), Edward Core (TE), Marquis Gillis (RB) and Marqui Adams (QB) highlighting the offense, while Charles Brown, Jr. (LB) and Darren Cook (DL) look to hold down the defense. The Rainbow Warriors, under the direction of third-year head coach Timmy Chang, have been picked to finish ninth in the Mountain West this season, a year after going 5-8 overall and 3-5 in league play. The Warriors return nine starters on offense, six on defense, and one specialist. The offense is led by quarterback Brayden Schager who has made 22 consecutive starts dating back to the 2022 season.
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 54th year of intercollegiate competition with the 2024-25 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University. For more information about the MEAC, visit www.MEACSports.com.