NORFOLK — The day finally came for Michael Vick — the day he said he had been thinking constantly about for months. He was stepping into the spotlight for his debut as Norfolk State’s head football coach.

As he ran onto the field confidently, the familiar roar of the crowd washed over him. But this time, something was different. It wasn’t the thunderous applause of an NFL stadium, but the hopeful cheers of the 19,469 Spartans faithful.

Vick’s debut as Norfolk State’s head coach didn’t produce the kind of highlights that once made him a household name. Instead, the Spartans stumbled to a 27-7 loss to Towson on Thursday night at Dick Price Stadium in a game televised by ESPNU.

“There’s a lot of areas we got to get better in,” Vick said. “It’s the first game, and we got to find a way to make the corrections. So we’re back to the drawing board tomorrow. But that’s what it’s all about: We’re gonna keep that championship mindset. We’re not gonna lose sight of what has to happen to moving forward. We’re gonna own it, accept it and keep pushing. I’m proud of the way they battled, but certainly a little disappointed knowing that they could have done a little bit more.”

Even with the result, there was a silver lining for Vick. They can continue to grow after the game, he said, and every other game, because “that’s what football is all about.”

Towson scored on each of its first three possessions, beginning with quarterback Andrew Indorf’s 33-yard strike to Jaceon Doss midway through the first quarter. Kicker Caden Williams added field goals from 24 and 50 yards to give the Tigers a 13-0 cushion early in the second.

Meanwhile, NSU’s offense sputtered with starting quarterback Israel “Izzy” Carter, managing just four total yards across the first three drives.

Graduate quarterback Otto Kuhns finally provided a spark, engineering two drives for 127 yards before halftime, but a holding call wiped out his touchdown pass to Taron Biles-Walker, and a botched snap led to a blocked field goal at the halftime buzzer.

Vick said it was by design to get momentum out of both QBs in Thursday’s game. Even though he subbed Carter, Vick said Carter “will be back in the fold, getting a majority of reps” next week.

“I still think it’s Izzy’s job to lose,” Vick said. “He’ll be back out there next week versus (Virginia) State, but Otto came in and did some great things. And hopefully Izzy was able to vicariously learn from that.”

Norfolk State University receiver Kam’ryn Thomas (13) makes a catch on his fingertips over Towson defenders Jason Shiggs (7) and Myles Brodie (1). Towson defeated Norfolk State University 27-7 at William “Dick” Price stadium in Norfolk, Virginia, on Aug. 28, 2025. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)

Penalties haunted the Spartans throughout, with five flags for 48 yards in the first half alone — many at pivotal moments. They finished with nine penalties for 78 yards. Statistically, the teams were nearly even at the break, but the Spartans’ inefficiency left them scoreless headed into the locker room.

“Certainly we could have done a lot of things better, certainly shot ourselves in the foot in a lot of situations,” Vick said.

Towson also controlled the ground game, finishing with 136 rushing yards. Kemarrion Battles led the way with 81 yards on 16 carries, setting the tone between the tackles. Norfolk State’s rushing attack never found traction, managing just 39 total yards. Top backs Kevon King and X’Zavion Evans combined for just 16 carries and 41 yards.

“We battled, we fought, but obviously you can’t rush for 39 yards and think that you’re going to win a lot of football games,” Vick said.

The Spartans cut into the deficit early in the fourth quarter, when linebacker Terique Miles recovered a fumble to set up Jaylen Laudermilk’s 8-yard touchdown run, his first career score. But Towson responded just three minutes later, covering a long third-and-20 with a wide-open, 36-yard touchdown from Indorf to Zay Perkins. Indorf added a 15-yard TD pass to John Dunmore with just three minutes left.

Indorf, a freshman, finished 14-of-26 passing for 187 yards and three touchdowns.

Kuhns finished 19 of 27 for 219 yards, while Carter went 2 of 4 for 21 yards and didn’t see the field after the first quarter. Receiver Kam’Ryn Thomas had seven catches for 105 yards, and DreSean Kendrick led the Spartans with 11 grabs for 125 yards.

Norfolk State hosts Virginia State on Sept. 6.

“It was good to get that first one out the way,” Vick said. “Now I feel like I can move forward as a head coach. I can teach, I can correct and we’ll be a lot better next week, for sure.”

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/08/28/towson-spoils-michael-vicks-coaching-debut-at-norfolk-state/