GAME: North Carolina A&T Aggies (0-3, 0-0 CAA) at Norfolk State (2-2, 0-0 MEAC)
DATE: September 30, 2023
TIME: 2 p.m.
LOCATION: William "Dick" Price Stadium (Norfolk, Va.)
ESPN+: Ian Unsworth (play-by-play); Gene Clemmons (analyst); Cayla Sweazie (sideline reporter)
RADIO ANNOUNCERS: Donal Ware (play-by-play); Al Swann (analyst); Billy Covington
RADIO STATIONS: 1400 AM, 103.5 FM, XM Radio 387
GREENSBORO – A&T football is back. The Aggies had the week off to fix what needed fixing, tweak what needed tweaking, and listen to what needed to be said and not listen to what did not need to be heard. Now, the Aggies will travel north to play former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponent Norfolk State in a significant non-conference game.
For starters, A&T does not want to go 0-4 for the first time since 2010. Norfolk is a fellow HBCU that always adds historical and cultural significance. In addition, the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football Conference would like to get a win over Norfolk after the Spartans defeated Hampton and Towson earlier this season.
Norfolk is looking for its first win over A&T since 2011, when the Spartans defeated the Aggies 14-10 at Price Stadium. The Aggies have won seven straight since, including last season's 49-24 win at Truist Stadium. Former A&T defensive coordinator Dawson Odums leads the Spartans. Odums coached at A&T from 2008-10 before moving on to Southern as an assistant before eventually becoming the head coach in 2012, winning four SWAC West Divisional titles and one SWAC title in nine seasons before taking the head coaching job at Norfolk in 2021.
STORYLINES:
- The Aggies have had okay success against HBCUs since leaving an HBCU conference following the 2019 season. The Aggies head into today's game 3-3 against HBCU opponents since 2020. After facing the Spartans on Saturday, the Aggies will travel to Hampton, Va., on Oct. 28 to face the Hampton Pirates at Armstrong Stadium for the Pirates homecoming game.
- The Aggies have yet to name a starting quarterback ahead of a game this season, and they did not name one prior to Saturday's game at Norfolk State. Redshirt sophomore Zach Yeager has taken the last 89 snaps, but true freshman Kevin White and redshirt freshman Eli Brickhandler remain as options.
- Behind an effective offensive line, the Aggies running game has been solid with the help of running backs Wesley Graves and Kenji Christian. Christian has had runs of 37, 27, 25 and 15. Meanwhile, Graves' runs include a 47-yarder, 34 yards and 24 yards.
- Graves' 47-yard run went for a touchdown and stands as the Aggies' only offensive touchdown of the season.
- Christian leads the Aggies in receptions (6) and receiving yards (43) while ranking second on the team in rushing (158). He is 12th in the conference in all-purpose yards per game (90.33).
- Graduate linebacker and Charlotte transfer BJ Turner is having a tremendous start to his A&T career. Turner has compiled 35 tackles in three games, including 27 unassisted tackles. Turner's 9.0 solo tackles per game lead the nation and the CAA.
- Turner also ranks second in the CAA and fifth in the country in tackles per game (11.7). He is also top-50 in the nation in tackles for loss per game (1.2) and forced fumbles (0.33).
- The Aggies are one of the most disciplined teams in the nation. A&T has been penalized only 17 times, which ranks second in the conference and 21st nationally in fewest penalties.
- Only three of A&T's penalties have been unsportsmanlike conduct calls, with all three penalties coming in the Aggies fierce rivalry game against North Carolina Central.
- As a result of the minuscule number of penalties called against the Aggies, A&T ranks 24th nationally and second in the CAA in fewest penalty yards (154).
- However, A&T's passing game has been hampered by players out of the lineup. Ger-Cari Caldwell played his first game of the season two weeks ago. Veteran receiver Jamison Warren has not played this season, and Amonte Jones did play two weeks ago at Elon.
- Norfolk is the first team on the schedule thus far that had a losing record last season. They started with a Division I-FBS before moving on to play the defending HBCU national champions and last week, they played a 2022 NCAA Division I-FCS playoff team in Elon.
- The Spartans were picked to finish fifth in the six-team MEAC. The season started rough after losing to their Division II archrival, Virginia State. But the Spartans bounced back to beat two CAA teams in between, losing to Division I-FBS Temple.
- NSU used the rain in Towson, Md., last week to its advantage. The Spartans rushed for 350 yards on 54 carries, with eight players getting five or more carries.
- Preseason all-conference defensive back Joseph White leads the team in tackles with 23. He also has three pass breakups, one interception and four pass defenses. He has also forced and recovered a fumble.
- Linebacker Daylan Long has 20 tackles, including a team-leading 4.5 for loss. NSU is last in rushing defense in the MEAC.
Coach Brown's View
Coach Brown on the passing game: "There's a combination of things. There is a lack of execution from the quarterbacks and a lack of execution from the receiver position. One of the things that we've made a tremendous focus on during the bye week is making sure that the quarterbacks and receivers are all on the same page in understanding what defenses are trying to do to us. In the last couple of games, people have loaded the box and dared us to throw the football, and I think offensively, we have to make sure that we have a plan in place to counter that. That will allow us to open up or down the field in our passing game."
Coach Brown on the positives he saw in terms of improvement: "I think the energy, the excitement, and the enthusiasm of our guys is still there. We're seeing progress with the offense being able to move the ball down the field. We lean on our running game that is still there, and then defensively, the guys try to focus on eliminating the things that cause you to lose games. That includes getting the ball thrown over your head and not setting the edge."
Coach Brown on the keys to victory at Norfolk State: "It will be our ability to stop their running game, and our ability to get our running game going and then to be able to be efficient with our passing game. It's always that way to be able to run the football and to be able to run plays that challenge the force on the perimeter. Then, when they start creeping people up, have the ability to throw the ball deep down the field."
The Opposing Point of View:
"They're coming off a bye week. They will have a new wrinkle, something we have yet to see, so we will have to adjust and adapt. We have to continue to get better with our discipline. As our discipline improves, so will our football team. I say all the time when you're trying to win football games, the key is don't beat yourself. When you look at our number of penalties, you look at we are taking care of the ball with our ball security, and we are winning the turnover battle to give ourselves a chance to win."
Dawson Odums
Norfolk State Head Football Coach
