NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State scored on its first two drives, its first three drives, and eventually on eight consecutive possessions Saturday night, rolling past Winston-Salem State 56-0 in front of 15,572 at William "Dick" Price Stadium.
It was the Spartans' first season-opening win since 2018, their first shutout since 2019 and their first 50-point game since 2021 — all three streaks snapped in a single night.
Norfolk State (1-0) never trailed and never punted with the ball inside the Winston-Salem half. The Spartans piled up 457 yards of total offense, ran for 306 on 43 carries and scored on all eight of their red-zone trips. They converted 7-of-9 third downs and held the ball for 37:10.
"It feels good to come out and be able to get a victory in a big way," second-year head coach
Michael Vick said. "We worked really hard for this. We've talked about it ever since January, when we first came back — just going 1-0 each and every day and going 1-0 each and every week. To come out here and put it all together in all three phases, man, I'm just so proud of our guys."
Deljay Bailey set the tone on the opening series. Facing 3rd-and-10 from the 13, the quarterback found
Elyjah Mitchell across the goal line to cap a seven-play, 69-yard march and put NSU up 7-0 with 8:52 left in the first. Four minutes of game clock later, Bailey did it himself — a 20-yard keeper up the middle for a 14-0 lead with 1:10 to play in the quarter.
Bailey finished 13-of-20 for 119 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, and added 56 yards and a score on five carries in his Norfolk State debut.
"Throughout summer camp, he showed that he has total control of the offense," Vick said. "The coaches and everybody else have confidence in him. He has confidence in the players around him, and he just goes out and gets it done each and every day. He's one of the hardest-working guys I've ever met."
The defense delivered the game's turning point on the next possession. Winston-Salem's lone real threat of the half reached the Norfolk State 28 before
Jordan Saunders stepped in front of a Kendall McKoy throw at the 15 and returned it 15 yards. The Spartans took the takeaway 70 yards on 10 plays, finishing with a 10-yard Bailey-to-Mitchell strike for a 21-0 halftime edge.
"For them to show that type of resolve was important, because there will be many situations throughout the season where we put ourselves in a bad position or experience a setback," Vick said of his defense. "I think they grew up a lot tonight. It was good for them to experience this type of success so they know it can be done at any level and against any opponent."
Winston-Salem opened the third quarter with an onside kick. Norfolk State recovered at midfield and answered with a 10-play, 50-yard drive that
Jalyn Daniels punched in from a yard out. Daniels led all rushers with 104 yards on 15 carries, including a 28-yard burst on the game's first snap from scrimmage.
The Spartans then put together the drive of the night — 12 plays, 85 yards, 6:40 off the clock, starting at their own 15 and ending on a five-yard touchdown catch by
Brevin Caldwell with 52 seconds left in the third. Caldwell caught four passes for 41 yards.
From there the defense simply took the ball away.
BJ Blake sacked McKoy and knocked it loose, and Eugene Allen scooped it up and returned it 24 yards to the Winston-Salem 21. Three plays later,
Kiron Benjamin scored from seven yards out. On the very next Rams snap, McKoy fumbled again and
Princeton Toxey recovered at the 26. Two plays after that, backup quarterback DaJean Golmond kept it 18 yards for the score. The two touchdowns came 1:54 apart.
Shamar Vick capped the night with a 34-yard run and a one-yard touchdown with 2:07 remaining, giving Norfolk State five different rushing touchdown scorers — the most in a game since 2021. Nine Spartans carried the ball.
"The running backs took a lot of pressure off us," Vick said. "Those guys work extremely hard. It's not just about running the football; it's also about protecting. When it's time to run, they do a hell of a job."
Vick said the final margin was not the plan. "I didn't envision us putting up 56 points," he said. "We tried to run the ball late, but my guys felt a certain type of way. They wanted it, and you can't call them off when they're playing like that."
Winston-Salem State (0-1) managed 106 total yards, 18 on the ground on 22 attempts, and never reached the red zone. The Rams were 1-of-11 on third down and lost two of three fumbles.
"I thought they ran the ball well and came out with a good game plan," Woodbury said. "The quarterback played well, and they executed for Week 1. Coach Vick, his players and his coaching staff put together a great game plan. They executed it and came out on top."
Rontravious Perry led Norfolk State with five tackles.
Marco Peery was a perfect 8-for-8 on extra points and dropped three of his nine kickoffs for touchbacks, while
Jason Wonodi returned three punts for 68 yards, including a 49-yarder.
Bailey credited the offense's early cohesion to a roster that has been assembled largely from scratch.
"Everybody believed in one another," he said. "That's what it takes, especially for a team that brought in a good number of guys who weren't here last year. It was about believing in each other and believing in what we needed to do together."
Vick said the staff went into the night with no film on a Winston-Salem team playing under first-year head coach Tory Woodbury, a former Norfolk State assistant head coach and special teams coordinator.
"We sat in here as a staff and tried to guesstimate what they were going to do," Vick said. "If they came out and played one way, how were we going to counter it? If they played another way, what would we do? We went through all these scenarios to the point where we were tired. Eventually, we said, 'We're just going to go out, react, let them play and let them have fun.'"
Asked about ending the shutout and scoring droughts in one night, Vick pointed at the locker room. "It's a credit to the coaches and a credit to the players," he said. "We knew this wasn't going to be easy by any stretch, but we knew we had to work hard, keep our heads down, continue believing in one another and continue trusting one another. When you do that, good things happen."
Norfolk State hits the road for the first time this week, and Bailey said the approach will not change. "We have to focus on ourselves and continue to go 1-0," he said. "That's our mindset. The same way we approached this team is the same way we have to approach them — if not even more."
NOTES
- First shutout since Nov. 2, 2019, a 48-0 win over Morgan State.
- First 50-point game since Sept. 18, 2021, a 63-26 win over Elizabeth City State.
- First season-opening win since Sept. 1, 2018, 34-13 over Virginia State at home.
- 306 rushing yards are the most since 350 at Towson on Sept. 23, 2023 — NSU's first 300-yard rushing game since.
- Five rushing touchdowns match the most in a game since five at North Carolina Central on Nov. 6, 2021.
- Last time NSU scored on its opening drive of a season opener: 2024 vs. FAMU in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge (8/24/24). Same for the opening two drives.
- Last time NSU scored on its opening drive of any game: vs. Howard (11/21/25). Last time on the first three drives: at Hampton (10/4/25).
- Norfolk State was 8-for-8 in the red zone and did not attempt a field goal.
- The Spartans scored on eight straight possessions spanning the first and fourth quarters, with only two non-scoring drives all night.
- Time of possession: NSU 37:10, WSSU 22:50.
- The game was the 23rd meeting between the programs and the first since 2009.
- Attendance of 15,572 at William "Dick" Price Stadium.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- 43 rushes for 306 yards (7.1 avg.) and five rushing touchdowns
- 457 total yards on 69 plays (6.6 avg.) to Winston-Salem's 106 on 46 (2.3)
- 29 first downs to 10
- 7-of-9 on third down; Winston-Salem 1-of-11
- Three sacks for 22 yards, one interception, two fumble recoveries
- Nine different Spartans carried the ball; nine different Spartans caught a pass
- No turnovers committed
UP NEXT
Norfolk State hits the road for a cross-town battle against Norfolk neighbor Old Dominion, Saturday, Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The game will air live on ESPN+, with radio coverage on WNSB Hot 91.1.
