NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State head football coach Latrell Scott announced the Spartans’ 2020 schedule Monday, an 11-game slate which includes five home dates and a fan-friendly set of non-conference games.
NSU opens the year with the 54th meeting against Virginia State in the popular Labor Day Classic on Saturday, Sept. 5. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. at William “Dick” Price Stadium.
That will be the lone NSU home game in the month of September, as the Spartans play four straight road games following their season-opener. The stretch begins with a pair of road games at Division I Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, at Charlotte on Sept. 12 and East Carolina on Sept. 19.
This marks NSU’s second straight season playing two FBS teams. NSU matched up against Old Dominion and Coastal Carolina in 2019.
“We put together another difficult non-conference schedule,” Scott said. “Virginia State has a very successful program in the CIAA and plays us tough every year. Our games at Charlotte and ECU will test our team and let us compare ourselves against teams from the top level in Division I, and both games are within driving distance for many of our fans.”
NSU’s four-game road swing continues with a pair of MEAC road contests, at Florida A&M on Sept. 26 and North Carolina A&T on Oct. 3.
The Spartans play four of their final six games at home. NSU hosts Howard on Oct. 10 and Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 17. The Spartans’ bye week is on Oct. 24, which precedes a road game at Morgan State on Oct. 31 to cap October’s schedule.
The Spartans host North Carolina Central (Nov. 7, Homecoming) and Delaware State (Nov. 14, Senior Day) before concluding the regular season at South Carolina State on Nov. 21.
“We expect the MEAC to be challenging again in 2020,” Scott said. “Last year showed how much parity there is in the league, and we’re looking forward to seeing how we measure up after a strong second half of the season.”
NSU went 5-7 in 2019, 4-4 in the MEAC, and won four of its final six games.
| 2020 Norfolk State Football Schedule | ||
| Date | Opponent | Location |
| Sep. 5 | Virginia State | Norfolk, Va. |
| Sep. 12 | Charlotte | Charlotte, N.C. |
| Sep. 19 | East Carolina | Greenville, N.C. |
| Sep. 26 | Florida A&M | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Oct. 3 | North Carolina A&T | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Oct. 10 | Howard | Norfolk, Va. |
| Oct. 17 | Bethune-Cookman | Norfolk, Va. |
| Oct. 31 | Morgan State | Baltimore, Md. |
| Nov. 7 | North Carolina Central – (HC) | Norfolk, Va. |
| Nov. 14 | Delaware State | Norfolk, Va. |
| Nov. 21 | South Carolina State | Orangeburg, S.C. |
Courtesy: NSU Athletics
