As we head into Week 11 of the college football season, Michael Vick desperately needs a win. Sure, he managed to beat in-state rival Virginia State, surviving a missed Trojan game-winning field goal at the end of regulation to ultimately drill their own game-winner in overtime. But Vick has yet to secure a victory against a Division I opponent in his head coaching tenure thus far.
As we head into Week 11 of the college football season, Michael Vick desperately needs a win. Sure, he managed to beat in-state rival Virginia State, surviving a missed Trojan game-winning field goal at the end of regulation to ultimately drill their own game-winner in overtime. But Vick has yet to secure a victory against a Division I opponent in his head coaching tenure thus far.
The initial fanfare of Vick returning home to coach a Virginia-based HBCU has subsided. Fans, both locally and nationally, are looking for him to find some level of success, especially as they watch his former Tagles teammate DeSean Jackson blaze a path toward the Celebration Bowl at Delaware State.
Vick arguably landed in a better situation, inheriting a team that won five games the year prior under former coach Dawson Odums and returning key players like running backs Kevon King and X'Zavion Evans as well as quarterback Otto Khuns. However, he hasn't been able to turn this talented roster into a winning formula, mainly because he refuses to lean into his team's greatest strength: passing the ball.
The Spartans' strength lies in an air raid attack
One of Norfolk State's biggest recruiting wins was securing the wide receiver pair of J.J. Evans and DreSean Kendrick via the transfer portal. Kendrick, who came from William & Mary, and Evans, a highly-touted recruit who played at Northern Alabama, both proved their elite potential in the recent clash against Delaware State. Evans finished that game with five receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns, while Kendrick notched nine receptions for 112 yards and a score.
The key to any level of success for the Spartans is getting the ball into Khuns' hands and letting him find these speedy receivers for huge gains, which could, in turn, open up running lanes. Quarterback efficiency is paramount for this offense to function, which Vick seemed to finally grasp as he finally gave Khuns QB1 after the Israel Carter experiment flamed out early this season.
The statistics starkly illustrate this point: Norfolk State ranks last in the MEAC in rushing offense, averaging only 126.1 yards and nine touchdowns per game. Their fortunes drastically improve when they air it out; they rank third in the MEAC in passing offense, averaging 224 yards and 14 total touchdowns.
Norfolk State is clearly not a physical rushing team
Vick seems content with running the ball, even when it is clearly not working. This is most evident in the decline of Kevon King's production. In 2024, King was one of the best running backs in the MEAC, averaging 85.8 yards per game across 11 contests. This season, through nine games, his production has cratered to only 300 yards and three touchdowns on 57 attempts—an average of just 33.3 yards per game.
The path to success is undeniably through the air, but Vick's reluctance to fully commit to the pass means his team is consistently failing to play to its strengths. Norfolk State still seems to be trying to find its identity, which comes at a horrible time in its schedule. They've just played the top two teams in the MEAC in South Carolina State and Delaware State, and they're playing another MEAC contender in Trei Oliver and North Carolina Central this weekend. When will a Division I win come for Vick with his present schedule?
Norfolk State's season is effectively over, but they can still end things on a strong note to give Vick a much-needed foundation for next season. So a few in-conference victories can give the Spartans a boost headed into the off-season. But beating a determined North Carolina Central team is easier said than done.
NCCU's defense is built to counter the Spartans' potential strengths: they are middle-of-the-pack against the run, meaning Vick's preferred strategy will still be challenging, but they rank third in passing defense. This raises the question: if Norfolk State commits to the pass, can NCCU's elite defense counter the talent of Evans and Kendrick?
Prediction: I believe the Eagles can. North Carolina Central cannot and will not drop this game, as they have every intention of still being in contention for the Celebration Bowl.
Ultimately, I don't believe Michael Vick and his coaching staff will lean into their obvious passing strength appropriately enough to beat one of the titans of the conference, but they must start practicing winning habits now to build a cohesive identity for the future.
