NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State football team seeks its first win over Howard since 2021 this weekend, in front of a packed crowd at William “Dick” Price Stadium for Homecoming.
The Spartans (2-6, 0-1 MEAC) and Bison (3-4, 0-0) will square off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26 in Norfolk State’s second conference matchup of the season.
After playing eight consecutive weeks of football to open the season, Norfolk State finally received a chance to rest last week during its first bye opportunity. The Spartans have regrouped from a 28-23 loss to Towson on Oct. 12, while Howard enters Saturday’s game coming off a 27-14 home loss to Tennessee State for the Bison’s Homecoming.
“We got rested,” Norfolk State head coach Dawson Odums said. “That was the main thing. Just try to get guys as rested as possible and recovered. Get them ready for this stretch run.
Norfolk State linebacker AJ Richardson dominated the defensive side of the ball against the Tigers, racking up 18 tackles, seven solo stops, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and one interception. The performance earned the sophomore both MEAC Defensive Player of the Week and Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Saturday’s game will air live on ESPN+ with Ross Gordon on the call. The game will also be broadcast on WNSB 91.1 FM, voiced by Woube Gebre and Ahmad Garnett.
ABOUT THE GAME
- Saturday’s matchup marks the 30th meeting between the two schools and marks Homecoming at William “Dick” Price Stadium
- Howard won last year’s meeting 27-23 in Washington D.C.
- Norfolk State head coach Dawson Odums is in his fourth season
- Howard head coach Larry Scott is in his fifth season
ABOUT NORFOLK STATE
- Norfolk State fell to 2-6 on Oct. 12, following a 28-23 loss to Towson
- AJ Richardson earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Week honors and Stats Preform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honors, after racking up a career-high 18 tackles (seven solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception against Towson
- Quarterback Vinson Berry earned MEAC Rookie of the Week honors after making his first collegiate start. Berry threw for 221 yards on 16-of-31 passes, including a 43-yard touchdown toss
- The Spartans lead the MEAC and are fifth in FCS with 10 interceptions
- NSU has intercepted three passes in a single game three times this season (at ECU 8/31, at VMI 9/21, vs. Towson 10/12)
- Defensively, AJ Richardson leads the MEAC with 70 total tackles, including 22 solo tackles
- Graduate wideout Jacquez Jones is tied for second in the MEAC in receiving touchdowns (3). Jones also ranks third in the MEAC in receiving yards (356)
ABOUT HOWARD
- Howard fell to 3-4 last week, following a 27-14 loss to Tennessee State
- Graduate student running back Hunter Jarrett totaled 102 yards on 15 attempts. Jarrett also averaged 6.8 yards per carry
- The Bison lead the MEAC in sacks, totaling 21 sacks for a loss of 137 yards
- Defensively, Howard ranks first in the MEAC in red zone defense with teams scoring only 73.9 percent of the time
- Graduate defensive back Kenny Gallop Jr. leads the MEAC in solo tackles (42)
Source: NSU Athletics
