NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State and Delaware State meet Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, in the centerpiece of One Philly HBCU Week.
It is the second straight year the two programs have met at Lincoln Financial Field. Delaware State won a close one here last season.
The two head coaches know the building better than most. Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson were teammates in Philadelphia, sharing an Eagles locker room for five seasons. Saturday they stand on opposite sidelines on the same field, each leading a MEAC program.
Both teams arrive 4-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play. Both lost their MEAC openers. In a league that decides its champion by regular-season record with no title game, Saturday is close to a must-win for both.
About the Spartans
Norfolk State (4-4, 0-1 MEAC) opened conference play with a 22-7 loss at South Carolina State on Oct. 24.
The Spartans were held to 279 total yards — 162 passing, 117 rushing — and turned the ball over three times against the nation's top-ranked total defense. South Carolina State converted those miscues into nine points and built a 19-0 halftime lead before Norfolk State scored its only touchdown in the third quarter. The Bulldogs finished with seven tackles for loss, two sacks and 10 quarterback hurries.
It was a different night from the four that preceded it. Norfolk State won three of four in the stretch before conference play, including a 43-20 victory at Chicago State for the first road win of the Vick era and a 62-0 Homecoming shutout of Virginia-Lynchburg in front of a school-record 48,357 at William "Dick" Price Stadium.
Takeaways remain the identity. Norfolk State's 11 interceptions are tied for the most in the FCS. The Spartans rank second nationally in punt returns, second in defensive touchdowns and third in turnovers gained, and they sit second in the MEAC in total defense, rushing defense, rushing offense, scoring offense and scoring defense.
Jason Wonodi ranks second nationally in punt return average and punt return touchdowns. Josiah Davis leads the MEAC in interceptions per game. Jalyn Daniels is 21st in the FCS in rushing yards and second in the conference, and owns the longest run in program history after his 95-yarder at Chicago State.
Up front. Fifth-year center Tyler Leinberger has graded out as the top offensive lineman in the MEAC this season according to Pro Football Focus, ranking sixth among all FCS offensive linemen and second among FCS centers. He earned midseason All-America recognition from Phil Steele.
At quarterback. Vick indicated this week that both Da'Jean Golmond and Deljay Bailey are likely to play Saturday, describing one as a gunslinger and the other as a game manager and saying he believes the Spartans can win with either.
What Coach Vick Is Saying
On returning to Lincoln Financial Field: "It's special. Philadelphia can seem a little rough around the edges, and that's kind of how DeSean and I were at times — we like that, we appreciate that. To be able to bring our teams back into Lincoln Financial, to go in there on the fresh grass and look around, and for my players to experience this for a second year, I think it'll be something they'll never forget. It's certainly something I'll cherish for the rest of my life."
On coaching against DeSean Jackson: "I want to win every game. I definitely want to win this one — I want it for the team, and I want bragging rights for the next 365, for sure. Don't get it misconstrued. But it's really nothing personal. I knew when he got the job that this is what it was going to be. I won't throw it in his face. I won't get on the platform afterward and say this meant everything to me. It'll be on to the next game."
On what the game means beyond the scoreboard: "It's awesome for HBCU coaches. It's awesome for Norfolk State, for Delaware State, for the city of Philadelphia. Thanks to them and congratulations to them for another year of excellence, and for making sure both teams are well taken care of and that the trip is worth it. But at the end of the day, we've got to go out there, conduct ourselves the right way, enjoy the moment and come out with a win."
On the South Carolina State loss: "It's never easy coming off a loss, especially when you had an opportunity to be in the game. You turn the ball over three times, you're not going to beat anybody like that. A lot of issues got exposed. We've got to refocus, regroup and find a way to get back on a winning track."
On what the loss showed him: "We definitely closed the gap. I think we showed that we're very competitive, and that we're as good as advertised when we come out and play our game. Every time we took a couple of steps forward, we'd take a couple of steps back with a turnover."
On the quarterbacks: "It's a fun process to have two quarterbacks I can interchange. I believe in both of them. One's a gunslinger, one's more of a game manager — kind of take your pick. I was both at different times in my career. You'll probably see both of those guys this week."
On protecting Da'Jean Golmond: "I didn't want him to feel like he had to carry the load. We didn't protect him, and he tried to make some plays he'd probably want back — that can happen to any quarterback. We tried to take out the defending champs with a freshman quarterback, and that's a lot of responsibility. I respect his learning curve. Most importantly, we've got to be better in the run game and we've got to protect the quarterback, because no matter who's out there, if we don't protect him he's running for his life."
On year two as a head coach: "I never want to be in a position as a coach where I feel like I know it all — as I did when I played quarterback once upon a time, only to understand years later that you never know it all as a quarterback. You've always got to be open to learning and growing. I'm thankful I get a chance to do that 2.0, in the same leadership role."
On Jason Wonodi and special teams: "Shout out to Jason. He works hard to correct his flaws and I trust him in the moment. They stopped kicking to him after a while, which we didn't expect — but it created good field position, and if that's the case this week, I expect us to take full advantage. Special teams has been phenomenal for us. Now we need everybody else to bring that same energy."
About the Hornets
Delaware State (4-4, 0-1 MEAC) is in its second season under DeSean Jackson, who engineered the largest turnaround in Division I football a year ago.
Jackson inherited a program that had won two games in each of the previous two seasons and had not posted a winning record since 2012. The Hornets went 8-4 in 2025 and 4-1 in MEAC play — their best marks since 2007 — and took the conference race to the final week before South Carolina State won the title with a 28-17 decision in Dover. Jackson is 12-8 as a college head coach.
The 2026 season has been uneven. Delaware State opened with a 41-34 win over Stony Brook, then lost 22-15 at No. 17 William & Mary, beat Bowie State 21-6, fell at South Florida, and edged Towson 33-28. The Hornets were shut out of the end zone for the first time under Jackson in a 28-3 loss at Albany on Oct. 3, beat Franklin Pierce on Oct. 10, and opened MEAC play with a 31-12 home loss to North Carolina Central on Oct. 23.
In that conference opener, North Carolina Central outgained Delaware State 427-257, ran 71 plays to the Hornets' 46 and held the ball for 37:18. Delaware State's only score came on a 26-yard Kyree Benton run after an NC Central interception was fumbled back to the Hornets.
Jackson was blunt after the Albany loss, saying his team had not shown up and calling the road record at the time the worst of his tenure.
Series History
Delaware State leads the all-time series 19-8. The programs first met in 1953 and have played 30 times, with three Norfolk State wins from 2009 to 2011 later vacated under NCAA sanctions.
The recent history is far closer than the overall record. The teams have split the last 10 meetings 5-5, and Norfolk State won three straight from 2017 to 2019 — the Spartans' longest run in the series — before taking two of three from 2023 to 2024.
Margins have been the story. Of the 30 meetings, 14 have been decided by seven points or fewer, and Norfolk State is 2-12 in those games. Six have come down to three points or fewer, including overtime losses in 2007 and 2014.
Delaware State won last year's meeting 27-20 on Oct. 30, 2025.
Recent meetings
| Year |
Result |
| 2025 |
DSU 27, NSU 20 |
| 2024 |
NSU 38, DSU 19 |
| 2023 |
NSU 44, DSU 21 |
| 2022 |
DSU 28, NSU 7 |
| 2021 |
DSU 28, NSU 26 |
Norfolk State's largest win in the series came in 2018, 54-28. Delaware State's was a 43-13 result in 2001. Across all 30 meetings the Hornets hold a 662-572 scoring edge.
Familiar Faces
Teammates at the Linc. Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson spent five seasons together with the Philadelphia Eagles, from Vick's arrival in 2009 through 2013. Vick threw to Jackson; Jackson returned punts behind him. Both were part of some of the most memorable games in recent Eagles history at this stadium. Saturday they coach against each other on that same field, roughly a decade and a half later, leading HBCU programs in the same conference.
The city. The game is the centerpiece of One Philly HBCU Week, launched at an August press conference at the Eagles' training facility that brought together the Philadelphia mayor and the head coaches of Norfolk State, Delaware State and Lincoln University (Pa.) around HBCU visibility.
The Spartans travel Thursday and are scheduled to attend an event with the mayor that evening. Lincoln University hosts Virginia Union on Friday as part of the same week.
How to Follow
- Video: ESPN+
- Radio: WNSB Hot 91.1 FM
- Live Stats: nsuspartans.com
- Social: Follow Norfolk State Athletics for in-game updates and postgame reaction
Buy Tickets Now!
Saturday's game is at a neutral site, so tickets are sold through TicketMaster rather than the NSU Ticket Office.
Fans making the trip should review Lincoln Financial Field's bag policy, parking and entry procedures in advance, and plan for an NFL-stadium gameday operation.
Up Next
Norfolk State returns home to William "Dick" Price Stadium to host the North Carolina Central Eagles on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kickoff is set for noon on ESPN+.
