NORFOLK STATE (2-6, 0-5 MEAC) AT NORTH CAROLINA A&T (3-4, 1-3 MEAC)
THE GREATEST HOMECOMING ON EARTH

Date: October 27, 2012
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Stadium: Aggie Stadium
Series: A&T leads, 27-11
Radio: WNAA 90.1 FM; Campus Radio Station: Spencer Gwynn (play-by-play), Al Swann (color); Billy Covington (color), Mel Swann (halftime host).
Webstream: www.ncataggies.com (front page); Walter T. Johnson (play-by-play); Alan Hooker (color).

CHIT CHAT:  North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State are two teams looking for something positive to happen. The Aggies coming off of a disappointing 24-0 loss to Delaware State last week, while the Spartans are hoping to end a six-game losing  streak. There will be nothing that will make Aggie fans get over a loss like winning homecoming. The Aggies after consecutive homecoming wins for the first time since the Aggies won two straight homecomings in 2000 and 2001.

From the coaches:  

Norfolk State head coach Pete Adrian on North Carolina A&T
"I'm sure they'll be pretty excited. I'm sure it will be a crowd of 20,000-plus, and I'm sure it will be loud and boisterous. It's what college football is supposed to be about. We're going to go down there and have some fun and get after. They are a sound football team. They have a good offense and a balanced defense. I think we match up against them fairly well, so it should be a good football game.

North Carolina A&T head coach Rod Broadway
"We've got to get our guys motivated for what I think is a pretty good team coming in here. Their record doesn't indicate it, but they play 11 redshirt seniors and six redshirt juniors, so they are an experienced team. Athletically, I think they're pretty good; they just haven't been able to piece it together. Just like with us, something's missing. But we've just got to concentrate on ourselves because we can't have the type of performance we had last week."

It's A "Lock": A&T redshirt junior quarterback Lewis Kindle has waited until homecoming to throw a touchdown pass. Kindle has not thrown a touchdown pass in his last two games. In fact, he has gone without a touchdown pass in his last 74 pass attempts. Over those same 74 throws, he has thrown four interceptions, so he is hoping to reserve the trend in time for playing in front of the biggest crowd of the season. Kindle is fourth in the MEAC in passing and eighth in passing efficiency. He is averaging 162.3 yards per game, and he is looking for his first 200-yard passing game since throwing for 217 against Virginia University of Lynchburg on Sept. 15.

Potential Gameday Star power: North Carolina A&T: Norfolk State is 10th in the MEAC in turnover margin. A&T safety Travis Crosby makes a habit of always being around the football. He has 7.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery this season. Norfolk State: Norfolk State running back Brendon Riddick averages 5.2 yards per carry. He is also good at getting into the end zone with six touchdowns on the season. In the Aggies last two home games, Morgan State running back Travis Davidson rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown and Terrence Lefall ran for 110 yards. .

The Magic Number For A&T: 5: A&T freshman receiver Marquis Gorham needs five receptions to break the Aggies freshman receptions record. Gorham is after a record that was established in 1968 by N.C. A&T Sports Hall of Famer Willie Wright. Wright made 32 receptions as a freshman. Gorham has made six receptions twice this season.

FROM THE NOTES

Red Zone Territory
North Carolina A&T has had mixed results inside the red zone this season. The Aggies have entered the red zone 27 times and have come away with a score 17 times. The concern is what they haven't done inside the red zone this season. On six occasions, the Aggies have missed field goals after being in the red zone. On three different occurrences, the Aggies have thrown an interception. On one occasion, they turned the ball over on downs. Four of those missed field goals have come against conference opponents as well as two of the interceptions.

The Freshmen
The Aggies are relying on numerous freshmen this season, more noticeably on the offensive side of the ball. Freshman receiver Marquis Gorham has led the Aggies in receiving in all five games in 2012. Fellow freshman receiver Darren Bullock has also been instrumental in the Aggies offense. He has played in all five games and has caught a pass in all but one of those games. Even quarterback Kwashaun Quick has seen action this season as he was the Aggies Game 1 starter. Freshman kicker Zach Cimaglia has aided the Aggies in the kicking game by punting, and converting on eight field goals this season. Redshirt freshman tight end Kevin Francis has also played a significant role. Freshman defensive back Tony McRae has played several roles for the Aggies including, cornerback, safety and kick returner.

Getting It Done In The Classroom Last Spring
The North Carolina A&T saw significant improvement in the classroom during the 2012 spring semester. The Aggies had 22 players record a 3.0 grade point average or better during the 2012 spring semester. The two highest were graduating seniors James Weaks' 3.75 GPA and Julian Alford's 3.77. Among the standouts on this season's team was left tackle William Robison who posted a 3.40 GPA during the spring and defensive back Mark Newton who had a 3.75. Kicker Jose Garcia-Camacho posted a 3.44 GPA over the spring.