Vick, Norfolk State fall to Towson

Former NFL star Michael Vick made his head coaching debut on Thursday night as his Norfolk State Spartans hosted Towson University. 

However, Vick’s debut did not end the way he hoped as Norfolk State fell to Towson 27-7 at William “Dick” Price Stadium.

Towson scored on its opening drive after quarterback Andrew Indorf connected with Jaceon Doss on a 33-yard touchdown pass. Towson led 13-0 going into the fourth; Norfolk State would get on the board after an eight-yard  Jayden Laudermilk touchdown run to cut the lead to 13-7, but Towson’s Indorf, who finished with three touchdown passes, would throw two touchdown passes in the fourth to put the game away.

Vick, who was one of the most electrifying players in NFL history, said he was a bit nervous coaching his first collegiate game.

“Outside of the beginning of the game, having some jitters at the beginning and not knowing what to expect, once we kicked the ball off, everything settled down,” he said. “I felt like I was able to follow the flow of the game.”

While Norfolk State has areas for improvement, there’s a sense of hope for the future. The team will need to address penalties (9-78), one of which negated an 80-yard kickoff return. The running game also needs a boost, with the Spartans managing only 39 yards on 31 carries. They’ll also need to tighten up their defense against the run, as they allowed Towson to rush for 139 yards.

But with the right adjustments, the team can look forward to a stronger performance in the next game. Despite the team’s loss, there were individual performances that the Norfolk State community can be proud of. Senior quarterback Otto Kuhns led the Spartans’ offense, completing 19-of-27 passes for 219 yards. Wide receivers DreSean Kendrick(11 catches for 125 yards) and Kam’Ryn Thomas(7 catches for 105 yards) both had one hundred receiving yards.

Looking ahead, Norfolk State, who finished 4-8 last season, has a chance to turn things around. They will have an opportunity to secure coach Vick his first victory when they host Virginia State next Saturday.