NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State returned two interceptions and two punts for touchdowns, scored 34 points in the second quarter alone and shut out Virginia-Lynchburg 62-0 on Saturday afternoon before a Homecoming crowd of 48,357 at William "Dick" Price Stadium.

The 62 points are the Spartans' most in a game this season and tie for the sixth-highest single-game total in program history. Norfolk State improves to 4-3 overall and 3-0 at home.

It is the Spartans' second shutout of the season, following a 56-0 win over Winston-Salem State in the opener.

Twenty-eight points without the offense

Four of Norfolk State's nine touchdowns came from the defense and special teams.

Nasir Bashir stepped in front of a Christian Banks throw at the Virginia-Lynchburg 12 and returned it for a score with 13:12 left in the second quarter. Kaleb Broadbent did the same from 39 yards out at 6:05, his second interception of the afternoon.

In between, Christian James fielded a punt at the Norfolk State 37 and went 63 yards untouched. He added a second return touchdown in the third quarter after Quintin Goins blocked a Banks punt at the Virginia-Lynchburg 49 — James scooped it at the 9 and carried it in.

The four scores accounted for 28 of the Spartans' 62 points.

The second quarter

Norfolk State scored 34 points in the second quarter. The sequence:

• 13:44 — Kam'Ryn Thomas 24-yard run, capping an eight-play, 79-yard drive that began in the first quarter
• 13:12 — Bashir's 12-yard interception return
• 11:34 — James' 63-yard punt return
• 6:05 — Broadbent's 39-yard interception return
• 0:02 — Jalyn Daniels caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from DaJean Golmond to close the half

Three of those five scores required no offensive snap at all. The half ended 48-0.

Six takeaways

Norfolk State intercepted four passes and recovered two fumbles. Virginia-Lynchburg used four quarterbacks and none of them threw a touchdown.

Michael Jones forced and recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, giving the Spartans the ball at the Virginia-Lynchburg 36 before the game was a minute old. Goins recovered a second fumble at the 18 in the first quarter, and Daniels scored on the next snap.

Broadbent finished with two interceptions for 41 yards and a touchdown. Bashir and Isaiah Hackett had the others.

Brenden Thompson led the defense with six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. BJ Blake added five tackles. Norfolk State held Virginia-Lynchburg to 48 rushing yards on 23 carries and 224 total.

The ground game

The Spartans ran for 299 yards on 35 carries, an 8.5-yard average, and rotated eight ball carriers.

Jalyn Daniels led with 87 yards on nine attempts and scored on an 18-yard run in the first quarter. Ravon Moore Jr. added 57 on eight carries. Shamar Vick ran five times for 50 yards and a 29-yard touchdown in the third quarter. S. Vick also opened the second-quarter scoring drive with runs of nine and 12 yards. Kam'Ryn Thomas needed one carry for his 24-yard score. Golmond broke a 32-yard run, and Zachary Manning and Tyrone Jackson combined for 55 yards in the fourth quarter.

Three quarterbacks

Deljay Bailey started and completed 5 of 12 for 67 yards with a touchdown to Elyjah Mitchell and an interception. Golmond went 8-for-9 for 91 yards and a touchdown. Tyrone Jackson completed his only attempt, a 14-yarder to Khamren Little.

"I'm confident in both of those guys," Vick said. "They both understand the offense. DelJay might be a little further along than DaJean, having more time and experience in the offense. But either one of those guys, I've got confidence and they know what to do. They're going to protect the football, first and foremost."

Mitchell caught three passes for 32 yards and the score. Brevin Caldwell had two for 35.

Up next

Norfolk State is off next week before its bye on Oct. 17, then opens MEAC play on the road at two-time league champion South Carolina State on Oct. 24 in Orangeburg, S.C. It will be the Bulldogs' Homecoming — and the third Homecoming game the Spartans will have played in this month.

POSTGAME QUOTES - Head Coach Michael Vick

On the win: "We came out and got off to a slow start. I felt like Deljay was a little rusty, but he found his rhythm as time went on. The defense played with a lot of enthusiasm. Once we got going, we started to score points in all three phases — offense, defense and special teams. A lot of the things we work on, a lot of the things we practice, they all came to fruition. It was good to see."

On situational football: "Over the last couple of weeks, situational football has been happening in real time. When things happen the way we practice them, that's a good sign. I think it gives them confidence."

On scoring 62 points: "Two times this year — the first game of the season we score 56, and then we come back and score 62. There's nothing wrong with being a scoring machine. I love points. That's how the game is played. I love to dominate."

On what has changed: "We didn't see anything like this last year. I sat in this same seat and talked about things we could have done. Now I'm thankful to be in this position, talking about the things we can do — and that actually happened."

On trusting the team: "I felt like my team was going to come out and dominate. But at the end of the day, it's still the trust factor, the trust level, and that was still being learned amongst one another. I can honestly say I trust them now to go out and be the team I know they can be."

On being 3-0 at home: "Protecting the house is important. Anytime we step in front of our hometown crowd, we've got to put on a show. That's a team with a lot of pride and a lot of character, and they really care. When you have those feelings about the game, it tends to show."

On the best start since 2021: "That's what I was brought here for. To change the dynamic of the program, to change the trajectory of the program. That doesn't happen overnight, as we all see. It's still a work in progress. We've got a long way to go."

On bouncing back from Robert Morris: "It was a tough loss last week, and obviously I wanted to see how the guys were going to bounce back from that. I thought we had a great week of practice. We talked about the reasons we didn't win the game and things we could have done better, and we found a way to correct."

On the trip home from Pittsburgh: "When you lose in that fashion, it's a long bus ride home. A lot to think about. You can't change those circumstances, and the only thing that makes you feel better is going out and winning again."

On Homecoming: "We lost our Homecoming last year. We just wanted to get a win, and we wanted to do it in good fashion. We don't get style points, but we wanted to make every possession count — offense, defense or special teams. I think we did."

On special teams: "One of my favorite parts of the game is special teams. Every aspect of it — kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return, field goal, field goal block. Those aspects of the game are where games are won and lost. So I pay really close attention to detail there, and we try to coach that really, really hard. I'm always looking for the things that we don't do well, so that by the time they hear the play call, it's second nature."

On DaJean Golmond: "He picked up where he left off last week. Phenomenal talent. Real smooth and poised, understands the position, understands what it takes. He's giving defenses problems — extremely accurate, can stretch the ball anywhere down the field."

On the quarterback room: "I'm confident in both of those guys. They both understand the offense. DelJay might be a little further along than DaJean, having more time and experience in the offense. But either one of those guys, I've got confidence and they know what to do. They're going to protect the football, first and foremost."

On the running backs: "We've got very solid running backs. We've got guys that are emerging. Shamar is emerging as one of our shiftier, speedier backs — his versatility and elusiveness is second to none. Obviously JD and Ravon are carrying the load. They work extremely hard, but we push them harder in practice, and we push the offensive line to get better every day."

On the defense: "I tell that team defense wins championships, and I'm smiling because they always say I spend more time with the offense than I do with the defense. But they don't know. I'm monitoring everything. I watch them more than they think I do. It always makes me proud to see those guys just balling out of control and having fun. That's the way they are in practice, and I like when they go out and play the way I see them practice. When they play with that energy, it's infectious."

On the bye week and conference play: "This is when the real season starts, and I'm super excited about that. Excited for our guys. The players get to go chase the championship."

On earning it: "Regardless of who you play, you still have to work for it. You've got to work for every point and every blade of grass, and we were able to do that today. We can feel good about it going into the bye."

On the non-conference schedule: "We played some teams that really built our football character — ODU, UVA. It made it stronger, made it tougher. Now we've been through every situation. We can go back and look at it and say, here's what we could potentially see, here's how good we can potentially be, and what it's going to take to get to the next level. At this point, you're either getting better or you're getting worse."

THE RECORD BOOK

GAME NOTES

• 62 points are Norfolk State's most in a game this season and tie for the sixth-highest single-game total in program history
• Announced attendance of 48,357 for Homecoming
• The Spartans' 299 rushing yards rank 10th in a single game in program history
• Norfolk State is 4-3 overall and 3-0 at William "Dick" Price Stadium
• Second shutout of the season for the Spartans
• Four non-offensive touchdowns — two interception returns, one punt return, one blocked punt return — accounting for 28 points
• 34 points in the second quarter
• Six takeaways: four interceptions and two fumble recoveries
• Christian James: two punt returns for touchdowns, 79 return yards on two attempts
• Kaleb Broadbent: two interceptions, 41 return yards, one touchdown
• Norfolk State rushed for 299 yards on 35 carries, an 8.5-yard average, using eight ball carriers
• Virginia-Lynchburg used four quarterbacks and threw four interceptions
• The Spartans scored on their first play from scrimmage after each of their first two fumble recoveries