The struggles continue for Michael Vick and Norfolk State as they drop to 1-4 after an 18-13 loss to Wagner College. Heading into the game, Wagner was 0-4 while Norfolk State lost a heartbreaker to Sacred Heart. Prior to the game, Vick emphasized that this game was a “must-win”.
“I definitely think it’s a must-win scenario, a must-win situation,” Vick said in comments obtained by WAVY. “Regardless of what their record shows, we still have to go earn every blade of grass and we can’t take that lightly. We gotta dig deep and find a way to win.”
It seems as if the Spartans took heed to Vick's message as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead heading into the 2nd half. The scoring began early in the first quarter when, with 13:08 left on the clock, X'Zavion Evans broke off a 14-yard run for a touchdown to complete the 3-play, 29-yard drive to start the game,
Less than two minutes later, at 11:36 in the first quarter, the Spartans found the endzone again. This time, Kevon King punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to cap off an even quicker 4-play, 46-yard drive that took just 54 seconds. It appeared as if the Spartans were on the road to a blowout, a statement win that could help right the ship as they inch closer to conference play.
However, after that initial flurry, the Norfolk State offense went cold and did not score again for the rest of the game, allowing Wagner to completely jumpstart their offensive attack in the third and fourth quarters.
Wagner began their comeback in the third quarter with 5:37 remaining when Andre Hines Jr. ran for a 1-yard touchdown. The score stood at 13-6 after N. Romero missed the extra point attempt. Just under three minutes later, at 2:41 in the third quarter, Wagner scored quickly again on a big play. Quarterback Jordan Barton connected with Malik Redd for a long 62-yard touchdown pass. The short 3-play, 73-yard drive took 1:12, but another missed extra point by N. Romero left the score at 13-12.
Wagner finally got over the scoring hump when, with 11:30 left on the clock, Jordan Barton found Johans Bars for a 24-yard touchdown pass. The Seahawks then went up 18-13 and ultimately won their first game of the season.
Norfolk State looks to restabilize as they face off in the Battle of the Bay against rival Hampton University.
