Michael Vick’s Norfolk State squad suffered a 29-28 defeat to North Carolina Central on November 7, 2026, after an instruction to run the victory formation was ignored on the field.
Offensive Miscommunication Costs Victory
With 1:34 remaining at William “Dick” Price Stadium, Norfolk State led 28-23, according to Nbcsports. North Carolina Central had exhausted all of its timeouts.
Facing second-and-five from the 50-yard line, head coach Michael Vick instructed his offense to run the victory formation and take a knee. Instead, the Spartans lined up in the shotgun. Quarterback Deljay Bailey rushed to the left, absorbed a hit from Khareem Thompson, and fumbled, according to USA Today.
Defensive back John Clifford Jr. recovered the loose ball at the Norfolk State 37-yard line for North Carolina Central. Five plays later, Joshua Jones connected with Mehki Wall on a 26-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds left to take a 29-28 lead, according to WTKR.
I put my headset down, I called victory formation and all we had to do was just take a knee, kneel the clock out. That’s just situational football. I don’t know what happened in regards to that. I looked up and we were running the ball and then I saw the fumble.
Michael Vick, Norfolk State Head Coach
Norfolk State drove downfield following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but Marco Peery missed a 37-yard field goal attempt wide left as time expired.
A NSU fumble results in NCCU win. pic.twitter.com/ZtonU5r04o
Bailey’s Strong Passing and Rushing End in Loss
The late turnover erased a strong performance from Bailey, who completed 22 of 26 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also added a rushing touchdown.
The Spartans fell to 4-6 overall and 0-3 in MEAC play. North Carolina Central improved to 5-5 overall and 3-0 in conference play, setting up a first-place matchup against South Carolina State.
Exciting final moments of the MEAC showdown between BCNC #9 (FCS) NCCU Eagles vs Norfolk State Spartans! The Eagles defeated Norfolk State, 29 – 28, and with the win, improved to 5 – 5 on the season and 3 – 0 in MEAC play! pt.2 🏈🏈🏈#nsuspartans #nccueagles #meacfootball pic.twitter.com/35xi594f5R
Norfolk State travels to face Morgan State on November 14, 2026.
Late Drives Shift Conference Standings
The Spartans had built an 11-point advantage earlier in the second half. Jalyn Daniels opened the fourth quarter by scoring on a 13-yard run, capping off a five-play, 75-yard drive that put Norfolk State ahead 28-17. North Carolina Central quickly responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive finished by a 7-yard quarterback keeper from Jones, trimming the deficit to 28-23 with more than 11 minutes remaining in the contest.
Following the dramatic sequence that allowed the Eagles to pull ahead by one point, a failed two-point conversion kept the score at 29-28. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against North Carolina Central and an additional 15-yard penalty aided the Spartans’ final drive, but Peery’s kick sailed wide right as time expired.
Kam’Ryn Thomas led all Norfolk State receivers with six catches for 104 yards, marking his fourth career 100-yard receiving game and his first of the season. Jason Wonodi added three receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown, while Jalyn Daniels contributed 74 rushing yards on 17 carries.
This was wild. NSU was up 28-23 with 1:34 left, 2nd down, no TO left for NCCU. NSU ran a play, fumbled. NCCU scored with :27 left for the lead, got an unsportsmanlike, then on the next drive got another unsportsmanlike, NSU hit a couple passes to the 19, then missed a 37-yd FG. https://t.co/4TSEaPOEzW
Defensively, the Spartans forced three turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by Jordan Saunders. On the other side, North Carolina Central’s Gino Addison recorded a game-high 174 rushing yards on 18 carries, despite earlier fumbling the ball with 1:27 remaining before Bailey’s turnover handed possession back to the Eagles.
With the win, North Carolina Central remains tied atop the conference standings with South Carolina State. Both teams enter their upcoming head-to-head meeting sporting matching 3-0 conference records. The Bulldogs secured their spot after surviving a 35-28 victory over Howard.
Michael Vick on the crucial fumble that opened the door for Norfolk State's stunning defeat to North Carolina Central.@WTKR3 pic.twitter.com/rJBWUCF9Dx
Meanwhile, Norfolk State continues its search for an elusive conference victory under the weight of a difficult 0-3 MEAC start, looking ahead to the final stretch of the season with a road matchup against Morgan State followed by a home finale against Howard.
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