The much-anticipated coaching debut of Michael Vick was met with great excitement, following months of fanfare about the team he was building. He even made an appearance on First Take, which was broadcast live from Norfolk State's campus. However, the Spartans' 27-7 loss to Towson University showed that the hype comes secondary to the work and preparation needed as Vick looks to build Norfolk State into a perennial contender.
At times, the offense appeared stalled with Israel Carter under center. He ultimately finished the game with 21 yards on 2/4 passing. Before long, returning Spartan Otto Kuhns came into the game in the second quarter.
Kuhns finished the game 19-for-27 with 219 yards, though he didn't throw a touchdown. Kuhns often found himself having to be a playmaker, evading defensive pressure and dancing in the backfield as he looked to find an open receiver in hopes of jumpstarting Norfolk State's offense.
Norfolk State's running game, which was one of the biggest strengths of the team last year led by Kevon King, was largely nonexistent. Towson University was able to forcefully contain the run game, which seemed to stall the momentum of Vick's new team. The Spartans were incredibly inefficient on third down, going three-for-13 for the game and finishing with only 279 total yards. They also earned nine penalties that set them back 78 yards.
Towson was by no means perfect. They only scored 13 points in the first half and three points between the second and third quarters, but they were able to put up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The first was an Andrew Indorf pass to Zay Perkins early in the fourth. The second was a 15-yard garbage-time touchdown pass from Indorf to John Dunmore.
Although it isn't time to panic for the Spartans as they start their new era under Vick, there will be a lot of decisions that have to be made if they want to ensure their competitiveness as they enter MEAC play in October. One of those decisions will be who ultimately starts at quarterback.
Vick proclaimed on his coaches' show last week that Carter was being named the starter in their opening game and that Kuhns was serviceable and still in the running.
“Otto's a guy that's gonna be very serviceable. He's got a lot of experience and at the same time's gonna push Izzy, they're gonna push one another. The whole group is gonna push each other. That's why Israel was brought here. He was brought here with a goal in mind, and that's to go out and try to be the best player that he can be.”
It appears, however, that Kuhns is way more than just serviceable; it appears as if he should be the starter moving forward. It's clear that Norfolk State needs a competent field general who can command the offense and help them move down the field, giving them a multi-dimensional attack to open up lanes for King and his playmaking ability with his legs.
Norfolk State is set to play a pivotal matchup against rival and Division II power Virginia State on September 6th at 6 PM EST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
