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JJ Evans
Cece Saunders
20
Norfolk St. NSU 1-8 , 0-2
27
Winner Delaware St. DSU 6-3 , 2-0
Norfolk St. NSU
1-8 , 0-2
20
Final
27
Delaware St. DSU
6-3 , 2-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
NSU Norfolk St. 0 6 0 14 20
DSU Delaware St. 3 7 3 14 27

Game Recap: Football |

Spartans Show Heart in the HBCU Battle of the Legends against Delaware State at Lincoln Financial

=PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Norfolk State football battled hard under the lights of Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night, but came up just short against Delaware State in MEAC action at the HBCU Battle of the Legends.

Quarterback Otto Kuhns led the Spartan offense with 311 passing yards, completing 22 of 34 attempts with three touchdowns. JJ Evans hauled in five catches for 124 yards and two scores, marking his second straight game with multiple touchdown receptions. DreSean Kendrick added nine receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, Norfolk State contained the top-ranked FCS rushing offense to just 41 yards on the ground in the first half and 201 total for the game.

After winning the coin toss and choosing to receive, the Spartans controlled possession for much of the opening quarter but were held scoreless on their first drive. The defense held strong, forcing Delaware State to settle for a field goal to close the quarter.

Norfolk State struck early in the second, capping an efficient drive with a 13-yard touchdown connection from Kuhns to Evans to take a 6-3 lead. The Hornets responded by blocking a Spartan punt and recovering it in the end zone to reclaim the advantage, 10-6, heading into halftime.

The defensive battle continued into the third quarter before Delaware State added a field goal midway through the period to extend its lead to 13-6. A facemask penalty against NSU set up another Hornet score, as Kaiden Bennett found Tahmir Ellis for a 24-yard touchdown that pushed the margin to 19-6.

The Spartans answered with a highlight-reel play, as Evans hauled in a tipped pass and raced 70 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 19-13 with 7:20 remaining. However, Delaware State quickly countered with a 76-yard rushing score from James Jones and a successful two-point conversion to make it 27-13.

NSU continued to fight late, blocking a punt as Khalib Gilmore got a hand on the ball and Jalen Swindell recovered it at the DSU 45-yard line. The Spartans capitalized on the special teams play, with Kuhns finding Kendrick for an 11-yard touchdown to close the gap to 27-20 — the final score of the night.

Up Next
Norfolk State heads to Durham, N.C., on Saturday, Nov. 8, for its third MEAC contest of the season against North Carolina Central. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
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