Norfolk State’s defensive woes continued in a matchup against South Carolina State, the defending MEAC champion, in the Spartans’ 51-20 homecoming loss Saturday at Dick Price Stadium.
South Carolina State (5-3) spotted NSU a seven-point lead before rattling off 31 unanswered first-half points in the MEAC opener for both teams. The Bulldogs scored on six consecutive first-half possessions — a field goal, followed by five straight touchdowns — and added back-to-back field goals and another TD to start the second half for a 51-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Norfolk State (1-7), coming off a bye, suffered a sixth consecutive loss in its first game after first-year coach Michael Vick shook up his coaching staff with the reported dismissal of multiple defensive coaches.
Norfolk State’s Michael Vick shakes up defensive staff amid team’s struggles
The Spartans have surrendered 27 points or more in six of their seven games this season, and S.C. State’s 51 points Saturday fell short only of Rutgers’ 60 earlier this season.
The Bulldogs rolled up 613 total yards, led by quarterback William Atkins IV’s 428 passing yards and four TDs. Jordan Smith hauled in seven passes for 197 yards and two scores, and Tyler Smith added 113 yards and a TD on the ground.
Meanwhile, the NSU offense mostly sputtered after Otto Kuhns’ 22-yard touchdown pass to JJ Evans for a 7-0 lead with 4:35 left in the first quarter.
NSU, which finished with 291 total yards, was 1 of 10 on third-down conversions with six punts and a missed field goal.
S.C. State used a variety of big plays and methodical drives to take command in the first half. The outburst included Atkins IV’s 36- and 75-yard TD passes to Smith, a 15-yard toss to Johnson and Mason Pickett-Hicks’ 3-yard scamper that capped an eight-play, 73-yard march.
Norfolk State scored on Kuhns’ 66-yard TD pass to X’Zavion Evans to pull within 31-14 with 41 seconds left before halftime. But S.C. State responded by going 63 yards on five plays in just 34 seconds to score another touchdown — an 8-yard toss from Atkins to Pickett-Hicks. That drive was aided by a pass interference call on NSU.
The Bulldogs rolled up 379 total yards by halftime while holding NSU to 209.
