Ahead of the Rutgers game, Norfolk State head coach Michael Vick revealed an interesting quarterback shakeup in his weekly press conference. Vick stated that Otto Kuhns will be the starting quarterback for the Spartans in Saturday's game.
“We’ll start the game this week with Otto. We’ll give him a chance to go out there and be out there from start to finish, hopefully. Behind his health, just go out there and try to relax and get a feel for the game,” Vick said.
He added, “I don’t want a quarterback out there that’s somewhat frustrated and questioning certain things or not feeling comfortable. You’ve got to be comfortable playing the quarterback position.”
Over Norfolk State's first two games of the season, Kuhns has emerged as a hero. The Norfolk State offense struggled to move the ball with transfer Israel Carter under center. Carter ultimately finished the game that Thursday night versus Towson with 21 yards on 2 of 4 passing.
Vick eventually put in Kuhns, who jump-started the offense. He finished the game against Towson, throwing for 219 yards on 19 of 27 passing. Though he didn't throw any touchdowns, Norfolk State was able to consistently get the ball down the field and even found themselves within striking distance of a score often.
Kuhns found himself once again tasked with jumpstarting the offense last Saturday after Virginia State took a 23-10 lead late in the third quarter. Otto Kuhns entered the game and led the team on a nine-play, 70-yard scoring drive that ended in a six-yard touchdown throw to J.J. Evans. He threw another touchdown, this time an 18-yard touchdown pass to DreSean Kendrick. That ultimately gave Norfolk State the lead. Kuhns also put Spartan kicker Evan Helfrich in position for a 33-yard field goal to help them further open up the game.
Although Rutgers is an FBS opponent, Kuhns' performance in the game could greatly indicate that he is indeed the quarterback that should lead the Spartans as they enter conference play in October. Norfolk State will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey, to play Rutgers on September 13th. The game will kick off at 3:30 PM and will air on the Big Ten Network.
