Michael Vick thinks Norfolk State can play with anyone as UVA test arrives

Ahead of a showdown with UVA on Friday night, Michael Vick is feeling good about his Norfolk State program. The second-year Spartans head coach believes his team learned something important before taking another shot at an FBS opponent.

Norfolk State fell 31-10 to Old Dominion on Saturday, but Vick came away from the game encouraged by how his team competed — and, perhaps more importantly, by how the Spartans responded afterward.

“I think our team learned they can play with anybody,” Vick said during Monday’s MEAC coaches availability.

That belief will be tested quickly.

Norfolk State travels to face UVA on Friday night after spending much of its matchup against Old Dominion within striking distance. Vick said the mood following the loss wasn’t one of satisfaction simply because the Spartans had competed with an FBS program.

Instead, NSU recognized opportunities it had allowed to slip away.

“If you was able to feel the energy after the game, it wasn’t a satisfying energy,” Vick said. “It was more so of, you know, we let — we didn’t give ourselves a chance to compete type of energy.”

NSU drove 75 yards on its opening possession against Old Dominion before losing a fumble at the one-yard line. Vick said that turnover prevented the Spartans from setting the tone early. NSU later forced two turnovers of its own but converted only one into points.

Those are the types of missed opportunities Vick believes Norfolk State must eliminate if it expects to take the next step.

Michael Vick sees progress despite the loss

The gap between Norfolk State and Old Dominion did not look as large as some expected before the game.

Vick acknowledged there had been “whispers around town” about how badly Norfolk State was projected to lose. He said his team never bought into that expectation.

“We always felt that that was not possible,” Vick said. “We really felt like we had a chance to go out and compete at a high level.”

Norfolk State remained within 17-10 for an extended stretch before Old Dominion eventually pulled away.

For Michael Vick, that performance represented another checkpoint in a rebuild that produced only one victory during his first season as a college head coach.

Vick said his team still has to “learn how to win,” play together for four quarters and maintain its toughness throughout a game. Still, he said the Spartans passed the Old Dominion test by some measures, even if the scoreboard didn’t reflect it.

Now comes another one.

UVA offers another measuring stick for Norfolk State

Vick described UVA as a mature, well-coached team and said he has been impressed by the direction of the program.

“They’re a really good football team and they’re going to be hard to beat,” Vick said.

But that difficulty is part of the attraction.

After facing Old Dominion, NSU will get its second consecutive opportunity against an FBS opponent. Vick sees the back-to-back games as a chance for his players to find out where they stand before MEAC play becomes the focus.

“It’s a good test for us,” Vick said, “and I hope our guys are excited about the opportunity we have to face a team like this and really get a chance two weeks in a row to see how good we really are.”

Norfolk State isn’t entering Charlottesville claiming it has arrived.

But after what Vick saw against Old Dominion, the Spartans appear to be entering believing they belong.

And against UVA, Michael Vick’s Norfolk State program gets another opportunity to see whether that belief is becoming reality.

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