Norfolk State struggled immensely against FBS opponent Rutgers University, and head coach Michael Vick is not happy with the outcome. Typically, in “money games” like this, FCS teams are simply happy to be in contention. Some even pull off hard-fought victories that become staple achievements in their program's history.
But a money game is what it is: a game where an FCS team travels to face an FBS team for a large sum of money, with the added benefit of giving their players reps against higher competition in hopes of increasing their draft stock. But Vick saw the game as something more.
He did not expect his team to lose in the fashion that they did, viewing the game as a crucial litmus test for his program. Although Rutgers entered the game with winning momentum and a recent history of success against HBCU opponents, Vick wanted to measure his team's proficiency against them.
“We definitely didn’t expect to lose by that wide of a margin,” he said in post-game comments on Saturday. “We started out slow. Gave them a 13-point deficit right off the break, two blocked kicks, and from there, the game plan just changed.”
The topic of money games has been a huge point of conversation in recent years, particularly for coaches like Shawn Gibbs, the head coach of North Carolina A&T, who lost three quarterbacks in a blowout loss to UCF. Despite these risks, Vick still believes FBS games are important.
“These games are important. Every game is important. It’s an opportunity to go out and compete hard… Every experience matters.” He stated his message: “Go into the game knowing that we’re going to win, not hoping.”
One potential positive from this week's matchup is that Vick elected to start quarterback Otto Kuhns. There had been speculation about whether Vick would bench Israel Carter, who struggled to start the season, and Kuhns has had more success with the Spartan offense. Prior to the game, Vick made the decision to start Kuhns, who threw for 90 yards on 8 of 20 passing with an interception.
As the team prepares to play a Sacred Heart team that is 2-1 after a 24-21 victory over LIU, there is an opportunity for Kuhns and the Norfolk State offense to earn a key out-of-conference victory. This win would mean a lot as the team heads into their conference games in October.
Norfolk State will host Sacred Heart on Saturday at 4 p.m., with the game being broadcast on ESPN+.
