NORFOLK, Va. — Marco Peery's 37-yard field goal attempt with four seconds left sailed wide, and Norfolk State lost 29-28 to North Carolina Central on Saturday at William "Dick" Price Stadium after leading by 11 points in the fourth quarter.

It was the second field goal the Spartans missed in the final 2:24. Jake Walker's 25-yard attempt was no good with 2:24 to play, ending a 14-play, 67-yard drive that had consumed 8:50.

Norfolk State outgained the Eagles 391-377 and held the ball for 35 minutes, 59 seconds to 24:01. The Spartans fall to 4-6 overall and 0-3 in MEAC play. North Carolina Central improves to 5-5 and 3-0.

A 21-7 halftime lead

Deljay Bailey, making his first start since September, completed his first scoring drive in seven plays. His 2-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Stevens put Norfolk State ahead 7-0 at 12:07 of the first quarter.

After Tyree Saunders' 15-yard touchdown catch tied it, Bailey answered with a five-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 43-yard strike to Jason Wonodi with 3:38 left in the opening quarter.

Bailey added a 6-yard touchdown run with 1:47 remaining in the second quarter for a 21-7 halftime lead. The drive was kept alive when a North Carolina Central illegal substitution penalty offset a Norfolk State illegal formation at the goal line.

The Eagles come back

North Carolina Central scored on the opening possession of the second half, going 49 yards in four plays after Mehki Wall's 36-yard kickoff return. Joshua Jones found Luke Bracey from eight yards out.

Riley Daniels' 25-yard field goal with 2:29 left in the third cut it to 21-17.

Norfolk State answered immediately. Jalyn Daniels scored from 13 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter, finishing a five-play, 75-yard drive that had started late in the third, and the Spartans led 28-17.

Twelve unanswered

Jones ran in a 7-yard touchdown with 11:20 to play to make it 28-23. The extra point failed.

Norfolk State then put together the drive of the afternoon — 14 plays, 67 yards, 8 minutes and 50 seconds, reaching the North Carolina Central 7. Walker's 25-yard attempt missed with 2:24 remaining.

The Spartans got it back. Brenden Thompson forced a fumble by Gino Addison and Josiah Davis recovered at the Norfolk State 45 with 1:36 left. Two plays later, Bailey was dropped for a 13-yard loss and fumbled, and John Clifford Jr. recovered at the Norfolk State 37.

Five plays after that, Jones hit Wall for a 26-yard touchdown with 27 seconds on the clock. The two-point pass failed, leaving North Carolina Central ahead 29-28.

Norfolk State moved from its own 38 to the North Carolina Central 19 in 18 seconds, aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and completions of 18 yards to Elyjah Mitchell and 15 to Wonodi. Peery's attempt from 37 was the last play.

Bailey's day

Bailey completed 22 of 26 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns without an interception — an 84.6 percent completion rate. He added a rushing touchdown and was sacked three times.

Kam'Ryn Thomas caught six passes for 104 yards, including a 36-yarder on the drive that set up Norfolk State's fourth-quarter touchdown. It was the fourth 100-yard receiving game of his career and his first of the season, after three in 2025. Wonodi caught three for 78 and a score. Mitchell added five for 58.

Jalyn Daniels ran 17 times for 74 yards and a touchdown. Ravon Moore Jr. carried 12 times for 42.

The Spartans finished 3-for-5 in the red zone. Both failures were the missed field goals.

Addison runs for 174

North Carolina Central rushed for 221 yards at 6.5 per carry, with Gino Addison accounting for 174 on 18 attempts — a 9.7-yard average with runs of 31, 29, 26 and 20 yards.

Jones completed 16 of 30 for 156 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions, both by Jordan Saunders.

Norfolk State sacked Jones four times. Thompson, Quintin Goins, Jeremiah Henry and Princeton Toxey each contributed. The Spartans were flagged eight times for 80 yards, including three face mask penalties that gave the Eagles first downs.

POSTGAME QUOTES - Head Coach Michael Vick

On the loss: "It's always tough when you put yourself in a position to win it and it doesn't happen. I feel really bad for the players right now."

On accountability: "We clearly had that game won. We were supposed to win that game. You can't always put it on the players. Sometimes we have to take accountability as coaches for the things that happen, and live with it."

On Deljay Bailey: "I was happy with DelJay. I thought he did a great job of managing the game and doing what he needed to do."

On the effort: "Good effort. We scored 28 points. The defense did what they needed to do at the end. That football team was thriving, playing good football."

On his players: "Those guys have a lot of respect for me and they'll do anything I ask them to do. I asked them today to go out and play hard for four quarters. I asked them to finish strong. I asked them to be competitive. They did it. They do it every week. That team does everything I ask them to do."

On keeping them up: "I've got to keep them encouraged, keep them enthused, make sure it's fun, make sure it's an amazing environment for them to thrive in."

On the final two weeks: "We know how good we are. We just have to find ways to finish. There are two more weeks left in the season. We've got to fight hard to finish .500."

GAME NOTES

• Norfolk State led 28-17 with 14:54 left in the fourth quarter and was outscored 12-0 the rest of the way
• The Spartans missed two field goals in the final 2:24 — a 25-yarder by Jake Walker and a 37-yarder by Marco Peery on the last play
• Norfolk State outgained North Carolina Central 391-377 and held the ball 11 minutes, 58 seconds longer
• Deljay Bailey completed 22 of 26 passes, an 84.6 percent rate, for 278 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, plus a rushing score
• Kam'Ryn Thomas caught six passes for 104 yards, the fourth 100-yard receiving game of his career and his first of 2026 after three last season
• Jordan Saunders intercepted Joshua Jones twice
• Norfolk State's fourth-quarter field goal drive covered 14 plays and 67 yards over 8:50 and produced no points
• North Carolina Central missed an extra point and failed a two-point conversion and still won by one
• Gino Addison ran for 174 yards on 18 carries, a 9.7-yard average
• Norfolk State had a punt blocked, its third of the season
• The Spartans are 4-6 overall and 0-3 in MEAC play, and 3-1 at home
• Second consecutive one-score loss, after a 36-33 defeat at Delaware State on Oct. 31

UP NEXT
Norfolk State travels to Morgan State on Saturday, Nov. 14, at noon on ESPN+, before closing the season at home against Howard on Nov. 21.