Norfolk State visits South Carolina State in Orangeburg on Saturday

The Norfolk State Spartans (4-3) travel to Orangeburg, SC, to face the South Carolina State Bulldogs (5-2) on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. ET at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. The game streams on ESPN+. Neither team has a conference game on its record yet this season.

How the Spartans got here

Norfolk State lost 59-3 at Virginia on Friday, Sep. 11. The Spartans then beat Hampton 42-21 at home on Sep. 19 and won 43-20 at Chicago State on Sep. 26.

They lost 33-31 at Robert Morris on Oct. 3, then bounced back with a 62-0 home win over Virginia Lynchburg on Oct. 10.

Spartans to watch

Da'Jean Golmond leads the passing game with 61 completions on 96 attempts for 774 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Jalyn Daniels has 99 carries for 610 yards and four touchdowns. Elyjah Mitchell has 32 catches for 387 yards and three scores. On defense, Brendan Thompson leads with 47 tackles and Quintin Goins has 2.5 sacks.

The Bulldogs

South Carolina State beat Virginia State 66-0 at home on Sep. 12, won 20-17 at Furman on Sep. 19 and won 31-21 at Bethune-Cookman on Sep. 26.

The Bulldogs have since dropped two straight: a 34-31 home loss to The Citadel on Oct. 3 and a 49-39 loss at Charleston Southern on Oct. 10.

Keely Watson has thrown for 1,153 yards on 91-of-140 passing with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. Mason Pickett-Hicks has 741 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 99 carries. DJ Maultsby has 15 catches for 360 yards and three touchdowns. Ka Von Chisolm has seven sacks, and Marquis Lane-Owens leads the team with 26 tackles.