WEEKLY NOTES   |   COACHES CONFERENCE

Norfolk State Spartans (1-7, 0-1 MEAC) at Delaware State Hornets (5-3, 1-0 MEAC)
Thursday, October 30| Lincoln Financial Field| Philadelphia, PA| 7:00 P.M.
TV:  ESPNU | Live Stats

The Norfolk State Spartans will travel to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for their first road test in MEAC play, taking on the Delaware State Hornets. The matchup marks a homecoming for both coaches, NSU’s Michael Vick, and DSU’s DeSean Jackson, who were former teammates and standouts for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.  In the Spartans' most recent outing against South Carolina State, the NSU leaned heavily on their passing attack, recording 230 yards through the air behind quarterback Otto Kuhns, while managing 87 yards on the ground. Defensively, Norfolk State allowed 428 passing yards and 198 rushing yards in the contest as they suffered a homecoming loss to 20-51.  Delaware State enters the matchup following a 35-26 victory over North Carolina Central, capturing their first conference victory since 2022. The Hornets controlled the ground game against N.C. Central with 257 rushing yards compared to the Eagles’ 130, while graduate student quarterback Kaiden Bennett added 212 passing yards to balance the offense.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., with Norfolk State holding a narrow 8-7 advantage in the all-time series, including a 38-19 victory in last year’s meeting. The game will air live on ESPNU as a part of the conference’s broadcast partnership with ESPN.

North Carolina Central Eagles (5-3, 0-1 MEAC) at Howard Bison (4-4, 1-0 MEAC)
Saturday, November 1| Greene Stadium | Washington, DC| 3:30 P.M.
TV:  ESPN +| Live Stats

North Carolina Central will travel to Washington, D.C., to face the Howard Bison, looking to rebound from a 36-25 homecoming loss to Delaware State. NCCU quarterback Walker Harris continues to lead the MEAC in passing, averaging 286.0 yards per game, and threw for 354 yards in his last outing. The Eagles, however, struggled to contain Delaware State’s ground game, surrendering nearly 260 rushing yards. Howard enters the matchup 1-0 in conference play after an exciting 33-27 overtime victory over Morgan State. Quarterback Tyriq Starks powered the Bison offense, completing 26 of 36 passes for 242 yards to lead a late comeback. Saturday’s game will feature a battle of strengths as North Carolina Central’s high-powered offense, ranked second in the MEAC with 6.5 yards per play, against Howard’s top-ranked defense, which has limited opponents to just 5.4 yards per play this season.
 

Morgan State Bears (3-5, 0-1 MEAC) at South Carolina State Bulldogs (5-3, 1-0 MEAC)
Saturday, November 1| Oliver C. Dawson Stadium | Orangeburg, SC| 2:00 P.M.
TV:  ESPN +| Live Stats
 

The Morgan State Bears will travel south to Orangeburg, S.C., to take on the South Carolina State Bulldogs. The Bears enter the contest having split their last four games (2-2) but are coming off a 33-27 overtime loss at Howard last weekend. The Bears’ offense totaled 380 yards against Howard, including 171 passing and 209 rushing, led by dual-threat redshirt freshman quarterback Raymond Moore III, who threw for 171 yards and added 121 yards on the ground.  South Carolina State comes into the game riding a three-game winning streak. In their most recent outing, a 51-20 victory over Norfolk State, quarterback William Atkins IV completed 24 of 36 passes for 428 yards, while the Bulldogs’ rushing attack contributed 198 yards on the ground.  This will mark the 10th all-time meeting between the programs, with South Carolina State holding an 8-2 advantage in the series. Head coach Chennis Berry, who guided the Bulldogs to a 5-0 conference mark last year, continues to be undefeated in conference play with the win over Norfolk State. The Bulldogs won last year’s matchup in dominant fashion, 54-7, over Morgan State.