NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State makes its longest trip of the season Saturday, traveling to the Chicago suburbs to face Chicago State in the first meeting between the schools and the fifth game in Cougars program history.
Chicago State launched Division I football this fall, becoming the only program inside Chicago city limits since the University of Chicago dropped the sport in 1939. The Cougars play as an FCS independent in 2026 before joining the Northeast Conference in 2027.
For the Spartans, it is the first game after the most complete win of the Michael Vick era.
About the Spartans
Norfolk State arrives in Chicago at 2-2, carrying the program's best four-game start since 2023 and the momentum of a rivalry night that could hardly have gone better.
The Spartans beat Hampton 42-21 in the 61st Battle of the Bay on Sept. 19, reclaiming the all-time series lead, ending a two-year slide in the rivalry and matching in four weeks the win total the program managed across all of last season.
Special teams turned it. Jason Wonodi brought back two punts for touchdowns, from 76 and 57 yards, and finished with 170 return yards on three attempts — a night that rewrote three Norfolk State records and earned him FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Marco Peery was perfect on five field goal tries, another school record, connecting from 21, 48, 26, 46 and 27 yards, the 48-yarder a career long.
The defense held up its end with six sacks and two interceptions, and the Spartans reeled off 32 unanswered points in front of 17,239 at William "Dick" Price Stadium. Deljay Bailey and Ravon Moore each scored on short touchdown runs.
It was the third win of Vick's head coaching career, his first in the Battle of the Bay and his first over a Division I opponent. One box remains unchecked. Norfolk State is 2-0 at home this fall and still searching for its first road victory under Vick — which is why Saturday's trip carries more weight than the opponent's record might suggest.
By the numbers (FCS national ranks through Sept. 19)
| Category |
National |
MEAC |
Value |
| Punt Returns |
5th |
1st |
27.33 |
| Time of Possession |
8th |
1st |
34:01 |
| Passes Intercepted |
11th |
1st |
5 |
| Team Sacks |
11th |
3rd |
3.00 |
| Total Defense |
15th |
2nd |
293.5 |
| Turnovers Gained |
15th |
3rd |
8 |
| Passing Yards Allowed |
17th |
2nd |
159.5 |
| Team Tackles for Loss |
21st |
2nd |
6.8 |
| Rushing Offense |
30th |
3rd |
181.8 |
| Rushing Defense |
34th |
3rd |
134.0 |
Norfolk State leads the MEAC in four categories — punt returns, time of possession, passes intercepted and, individually, several return marks. The Spartans have not allowed a blocked punt all season.
Season leaders through four games
Wonodi leads all of Division I FCS in punt return touchdowns. Davis and Mitchell lead the MEAC in interceptions per game and receptions per game respectively, and Daniels ranks third in the league in rushing.
Up front. Fifth-year center Tyler Leinberger has been among the best offensive linemen in the subdivision through four games. His 77.1 offensive blocking grade from Pro Football Focus ranks second among all FCS centers, 13th among all FCS offensive linemen, and first among offensive linemen in the MEAC — the top grade in the league at any line position with a minimum of 100 snaps.
Leinberger has played all 249 of Norfolk State's offensive snaps, splitting them almost evenly between run blocking and pass protection. On 125 pass-blocking snaps he has allowed no sacks and no quarterback hits, giving up a single hurry all season. His 80.4 pass-blocking grade is his highest mark.
What Coach Vick Is Saying
On chasing a first road win: "I haven't won on the road yet. I feel like I've been doing this for a long time, but last year was not ideal. There are a lot of small milestones to hit, and they'll set us up for the things we'll see down the road. I want to keep breaking barriers in this coaching realm for myself, but I can't do it without my coaches and without my players coming to play. Every win and every emotion we feel, we get to feel it together."
On not overlooking a first-year program: "This is a very important week. For us, it's about going back to the basics. You can't underestimate a team because of its record. You always have to give them credit and respect. You can't feel like you're going to walk in and deliver the knockout punch early — you have to work for every blade of grass."
On being the road team: "We're going to embrace it. They're going to want it just as badly as we want it. They're not going to lie down. They're going to come out hungry and play hard, and I don't expect anything less. I'm going to challenge our guys to give their best effort and leave no regrets or doubt."
On Jason Wonodi: "He's very deserving. Wonodi is a total team player. I love him as an individual and as a person. He's very sharp, he loves the game and he believes in himself. I'm glad he's embracing the moment, and this should only make him hungrier. We'll continue to put him in position to make plays as long as teams keep kicking to him — and if they don't, we'll get good field position from them kicking away from him."
On what the Hampton win taught the team: "A win like Saturday does a lot for your team. It teaches you how to win. We went down 7-0, then we were up, then it flipped again — we just kept grinding. We didn't worry about the score. We only worried about what it was going to say when the game was finally over. A lot of the situations we practiced arose, and we were able to conquer them."
On his own development in year two: "I understand that I'm still a young coach. I have to keep learning, and this is a process. There are going to be mistakes, and things aren't always going to go according to plan. But as long as I keep my confidence and keep leaning on people who can give me advice, I'll take it."
On travel: "Whether we're going 30 minutes away or flying to Chicago, we travel like pros. Get your treatment, stay on the regimen, respect the people you encounter as you travel. You'll get that respect back. I expect those guys to hold each other accountable."
About the Cougars
Chicago State (1-3) is four games into the first season in program history under Bobby Rome II, hired in April 2025 as the school's first football coach. Rome came to Chicago from Florida Memorial, an HBCU in Miami Gardens, where he spent three seasons and led the Lions to back-to-back Sun Conference championship game appearances in 2023 and 2024. He played fullback at North Carolina and has built programs from scratch overseas, including stops in Russia.
The Cougars opened with a 44-28 loss to Roosevelt on Aug. 29 in the first game the program ever played, fell 42-7 at UT Martin, then took their first win in school history on Sept. 12, beating Kentucky Christian 78-7 on Youth Day. They lost 47-20 at Butler last Saturday.
Chicago State averages 33.25 points per game and allows 35.00, though those figures carry the weight of the 78-point outing. Against its two Division I opponents, the program is 0-2 and has been outscored 89-27.
This is a pass-first offense. The Cougars average 250.75 passing yards per game against 114.0 on the ground. True freshman quarterback Ashton Pannell has completed 70.16 percent of his throws for 905 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Chris Edmonds, a Bowling Green transfer, leads the team with six total touchdowns and broke a 74-yard run and a 77-yard reception at Butler. Kymari Gray paces the receivers with 16 catches for 229 yards and three scores.
Safety Jayden Earley leads the defense with three interceptions, two of them against Kentucky Christian. Linebacker Adrian Bowers leads the team in tackles with 23.
One number stands out. Chicago State has not attempted a field goal all season — 0-for-0 through four games, with 13 made extra points in 15 tries — while its opponents are 4-for-4 on field goals against them.
Series History
Saturday is the first meeting between Norfolk State and Chicago State. With the Cougars playing their fifth game ever, every opponent this season is a first.
Norfolk State is also the first HBCU on Chicago State's inaugural schedule. The Cougars visit North Carolina A&T on Oct. 17 and host Virginia University of Lynchburg on Nov. 21.
Chicago State has designated Saturday as Divine 9 Night.
Familiar Faces
Two 757 quarterbacks, two head coaching chairs. Saturday pairs a former Granby High School quarterback against a former Warwick High School quarterback — Bobby Rome II and Michael Vick, both Hampton Roads products, now leading Division I programs against each other.
"It's really cool, man," Vick said this week. "For us to be in the positions we're in and have the opportunity to lead young men on and off the field, there's no better feeling. I couldn't envision myself being here three or four years ago. We want to continue representing our area, the 757 and the Peninsula, the way we've been doing."
The two coaches met while Rome was at Florida Memorial. Vick said the game came together through the two schools rather than through them.
A former Spartan in Cougar green. Chicago State's leading receiver, redshirt senior Kymari Gray, came to the program from Norfolk State. A Hampton, Va., native out of Phoebus High School, Gray has 16 catches for 229 yards and three touchdowns in four games — more receiving production than any other Cougar.
Phoebus to the South Side. Gray is one of three Phoebus High School products on Chicago State's roster, alongside safety Jayden Earley (Hampton, Va., via Virginia Union) and redshirt freshman receiver Keyontae Gray (Hampton, Va.). Earley leads the Cougars with three interceptions.
More Virginia ties. Freshman cornerback Jyran Evans is a Norfolk native out of Denbigh High School. Sophomore running back Michael Dabney Jr. comes from Richmond and Huguenot High School. Cornerback Tareq Council transferred in from Hampton, and defensive end Khalib Robinson previously played at Virginia State.
How to Follow
Up Next
Norfolk State continues its road swing with a trip to Pittsburgh to face Robert Morris on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Joe Walton Stadium in Moon Township, Pa.
It begins an unusual stretch: three consecutive homecoming games for the Spartans. Robert Morris hosts its homecoming on Oct. 3, Norfolk State celebrates its own on Oct. 10, and South Carolina State follows with its homecoming on Oct. 24.
