Last Thursday, Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson made history in Philadelphia. The two former NFL stars, now HBCU coaches, faced off for the first time at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
From the moment that Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson started their coaching careers at their respective HBCUs, we all were thinking, “When are they gonna face off? When's the first matchup?” The matchup was initially confirmed for November 1st, ironically enough, by Jackson in a podcast appearance.
On his podcast, the 25/10 Show, which he co-hosted with LeSean “Shady” McCoy, Jackson revealed the date of the matchup and made it clear he wanted the game played at Lincoln Financial Field.
“But it's crazy 'cause we played him November 1st. I'm trying to get that game at the link. That's November 1st. We’re playing him November 1st. Norfolk State,” Jackson said on the podcast in January.
The game was moved from November 1st, which was the first Saturday of November to Thursday, October 30th. While the reason isn't fully known, it is implied that this was the optimal time to play the game at The Linc as well as get a national television window on ESPNU. And, during the summer, the game was officially annoucned to be played at Lincoln Financial Field, assuring that it would be a sellout and a destination for Eagles fans who wanted to support both DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick.
Before the football season started in August, Vick and Jackson held a press conference at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, previewing their October matchup. Both talked about how they became HBCU coaches and the parallels and ties in their coaching journeys.
For example, Michael Vick reached out to DeSean Jackson and asked him if he would be interested in joining his coaching staff at either Norfolk State or Sacramento State. Jackson was coaching at Woodrow Wilson High School in California, and Michael Vick wanted to know if his former teammate would join his coaching staff at whatever institution he was gonna be coaching at.
So, according to Jackson at the press conference, he received a call from Delaware State about possibly becoming the Hornets' head coach, around the same time Michael Vick took the Norfolk State job. But DeSean Jackson didn't tell Michael Vick. He kept it to himself.
“When Mike Vick knew he was gonna be up for head coach job, you know, he reached out to me,” Jackson said in the August press conference in Philadelphia. “The relationship we have is a real and we talked not every day, but we talked quite, quite frankly, right? So when he was there for a job, it was a few, it was a few jobs that his name is thrown in the hat, right? And he reached out and he was like, ‘I know you coaching. What you doing?’ He said, ‘Man, if I get one of these jobs, you'll be one of my first hires.; So at the same time, I'm like, man, yeah, I would love to. Then, within a week I get a call from Delaware State, and this is right when he took the, Norfolk State job.
He continued, “So I was trying to limbo it 'cause I didn't know if I was gonna get the job or not. So I didn't really wanna tell him because we in the same division right. Or the same conference. So it was crazy 'cause a few weeks, like literally a week after he got his, then, you know, me and Delaware State, we locked in our contract.”
Both Vick and Jackson also talked about the intensity of facing off against each other.
“You got two legends. I mean, it's gonna be hype man. I think it's gonna be a lot of conversations before the game, but during the game we ain't gonna talk. It's gonna be heated because I know how he is, and I know how I am. So it's gonna be a lot of energy,” Jackson said.
Vick added, “Yeah, we're both competitors. We're gonna push our guys to the edge. And in this moment, [we] definitely don't wanna overlook the opponents that we have coming up. Uh, we both got a game in two weeks on the 28th, so you know, gotta be respectful to that. But when we, you know, when we cross that bridge on the 30th of October, it's gonna be very competitive.”
So that was the pretext going into the October 30th matchup at Lincoln Financial Field. But, after their press conference in mid-August, both Vick and Jackson went on two different journeys. In Vick’s first year in the MEAC thus far, Norfolk State has struggled mightily. They only beat Virginia State back in week two of the season. They nearly lost that game, as Virginia State had the opportunity to steal the game but miossed the game winning field goal adn the game went to overtime.
Meanwhile, DeSean Jackson had Delaware State rolling into Philadelphia. They entered last Thursday 5-3, announcing their presence with a surprising showing against new FBS rival University of Delaware. Delaware State's run game moved well against an FBS defense. Although the offense wasn't totally clicking, they had some glimpses of greatness and how it would run throughout the season once they started to click.
So Delaware State took that, and DeSean Jackson got his first victory in a long football game against the University of Albany. They then pick up victories over Bowie State University and St. Francis, but they lose to Sacred Heart in an odd game that saw Kaiden Bennett ejected early. They tested Monmouth in a high-scoring affair that, although they lost, they looked like an amazingly formidable team that could compete with the best in the FCS.
Then, when it came to homecoming, Delaware State beat down Southern Connecticut State 70 to 23. Even if you’re not a sports fan, you know that’s a demonstrative margin of victory. So that showed that Deshaun Jackson, and Delaware State were putting together a winner, a team that rivaled their best teams in 2007 and 2011. So, after their bye week, they headed to North Carolina Central, the home of the 2022 Celebration Bowl Champion Eagles.
Delaware State emerged victorious, crashing their homecoming with a 35-26 victory. They stuck to their rough and tough style, dominating the run game and ultimately making the right defensive stops to beat a perennial contender. Michael Vick didn't fare well in Norfolk State's first MEAC matchup, as they lost to Chennis Berry's South Carolina State Bulldogs 50-21 during Spartan homecoming.
Questions indeed started to emerge. Could Vick and Norfolk State recalibrate against Delaware State? Were Jackson's Hornet's legit? Will the bright lights blind either of the teams? It was quite of that Delaware State was indeed ready to play, winning 27-20 and pushing their win total to six. But, perhaps the biggest win for Delaware State was off the field with the exposure that the in institution got leading into the game.
On last Wednesday, ESPN's First Take was live from Delaware State and the University community came out in full force to celebrate the success of the football program. Speaking with students on the ground, the energy around campus has shifted due to the success of Jackson and their Hornets.
The 69th Miss Delaware State University Joyce Kasiama noticed an increase in student participation and engagement around the Norfolk State vs. Delaware State game.
“Honestly, it's truly been a lot of buzz on campus,” she said. “The line just to get the tickets and the bus tickets to the game has been really, really long. Really, really crowded. So a lot of students are excited, and I'm excited that students want to get involved in show support for the Delaware State University football.”
So the energy on campus leading up to the NSU vs. DSU game has been everything, right? Our homecoming game was the first one we've won in a very long time. Shout out to our coach, Deshaun Jackson, and I think it's very important that we keep that trajectory for tomorrow at the Eagle State. It's a must,” said senior mass communications major Ranyah Bullock.
“Honestly, it's truly been a lot of buzz on campus. The line just to get the tickets of, and the bus tickets to the game has been really, really long. Really, really crowded. So a lot of students are excited, and I'm excited that students want to get involved in show support for the Delaware State University football,” said Taylor Weston, junior Biological Science major.
As the season comes to a close, Jackson has the opportunity to bring a level of prosperity to the Delaware state football program that they've never seen before. But both on and off the field, the energy around both the Hornets' football program and HBCU athletics is at an all-time high.
