North Carolina Central kept their winning ways going following a 38-24 win over Norfolk State on Saturday.
The Eagles remain unbeaten against FCS opponents, improving to 8-1 overall and 3-0 against the MEAC.
Norfolk State, on the other hand, has now dropped five straight contests, bringing its record to 2-7 overall and 0-3 in MEAC play.
While Davius Richard had just 151 passing yards on 9-of-16 attempts, he did score three touchdowns through the air and added 50 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Devin Smith accounted for 56 receiving yards on three receptions and two touchdowns. Latrell Collier led the Eagles on the ground, producing 68 rushing yards on 18 attempts and a touchdown.
On defense, junior defensive back Kole Jones led the Eagles with a forced fumble and an interception.
Meanwhile, after regular starter Otto Kuhns went down with an injury, Norfolk State quarterback Cameron Sapp came off the bench to do all he could to give the Spartans a chance to win.
He finished with 192 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with a team-leading 79 rushing yards on 16 attempts.
North Carolina Central got off to a hot start in the first half, building a 28-3 lead in the game’s first 20 minutes. This included three touchdowns by Richard, two of which were passing touchdowns.
Norfolk State began to make a comeback, with Sapp coming into the game as the third quarterback off the bench behind Ruben Lee.
He contributed two of the team’s next three touchdowns between the second and third quarters to make the score 28-24 going into the fourth.
After scoring a touchdown earlier in the fourth, the Spartans bit themselves with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a sack upending a sustained drive turning over on downs to end the possession.
The Eagles connected on a field goal on the ensuing drive and officially put the game away with an interception.
