WASHINGTON (October 22, 2021) – There will be a lot on the line Saturday (Oct. 23) when the Howard University football team hosts Norfolk State University (NSU) for homecoming in an early season Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchup at William H. Greene Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
You can catch all the action on
www.whbc963hd3 with veteran
Trevin Jones handling the play-by-play and
Nathaniel Henry providing commentary.
Fans can also watch on
ESPN3 with HBCU alums
Tiffany Greene from Florida A&M doing the play-by-play and Howard's own
Jay Walker providing the color commentary.
Bison Nation can also follow via
live stats.
TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased at the box office gameday, starting at 11 a.m. inside Burr Gymnasium, or online visit www.bisontickets.com. No cash transaction, credit card only.
MATCHUP PREVIEW
The Spartans enter the game with a four-game win streak, the longest since 2011. Their most recent win was an impressive 42-14 win over Virginia-Lynchburg Saturday (Oct. 16) at their homecoming.
The Bison (2-4, 1-0 in the MEAC) had a week off to prepare after posting a 27-0 home victory over Morgan State on October 8. It was Howard's first shutout since 2006.
Howard, who was picked to finish last in the MEAC Preseason poll, has parlayed the play of junior quarterback
Quinton Williams (Upper Marlboro, Md.), along with some stingy defense during its current surge.
Williams, who hails from Wise H.S. in Md., has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the conference, having thrown for over 1100 yards and 10 TDs in the past four games, including a school record 97 yarder in the win over Morgan State. He spreads the ball around as he has three receivers who rank in the Top 10 in the MEAC, including senior wideout
Antoine Murray (Miramar, Fla.), who teamed with Williams on a school-record 97-yard TD against the Bears.
The scrappy, bend-but-don't-break defense is spearheaded by senior defensive back
Aaron Walker (Washington/32 tackles) and sophomore
Kenny Gallop (Portsmouth, Va./46 tackles), who leads all MEAC players in tackles. The rapidly improving unit has allowed only a field goal in the last six quarters of play.
Both Williams and Walker have been named MEAC Player of the Week, respectively.
Yet, perhaps the biggest boost during the two-game home stand, has been from the 12
th man, student body, composed largely of a freshmen class, being touted as the largest in school history.
"The fan base has brought excitement and lots of energy to the game," said Howard head coach
Larry Scott, in his second season. "It all starts with our pregame, which includes engagement between the team and students. It then carries over to the game and it has been a great motivator to the team."
But Scott admits that those factors aside, it is going to be a large task, facing the Spartans of Norfolk State. NSU (4-2, 0-0 in the MEAC) is one of the preseason favorites, along with South Carolina State, to win the title. It features a veteran team, with the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year in senior quarterback Juwan Carter, who leads the conference in total offense. As a team, Norfolk State leads the MEAC in several statistical categories, including scoring (34 points per game) and rushing (255 yards per game).
"They have an outstanding veteran quarterback and they are very seasoned with a number of sixth year veterans," says Scott. "They key is that we have to defend the home turf. This is a conference home game."
FINAL THOUGHTS
It should make for an exciting game and electric atmosphere. Norfolk State travels as well as any school in the MEAC and they always show up in big numbers when they play Howard.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
