By Tris Wykes
NORFOLK - Eric Bullock chuckled and shook his head Saturday after he and his Norfolk State teammates knocked off Hampton 20-19, the Spartans' first defeat of their arch-rival since 2001. No, the lineman said, he and his mates in the defensive trench haven't settled on a group nickname, though a few are under consideration.
How about the Magnificent Seven?
Sure, it's stolen from the 1960 Western film of the same name that starred the likes of Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Yul Brynner. But NSU's defensive front has been outstanding this year and it includes the correct number of hombres.
"We're just nasty right now," said Eric Bullock, one of three starters who are frequently spelled by a group of four reserves. "We ballin' and comin' off the line and we can't be stopped. They rushed for how many yards today? That was crazy good, and they had to go to the air. Then the slimmer guys come in and do their pretty pass-rush moves, but they don't get in there unless we do our jobs first."
Keyed by the stalwart play of Bullock, Dennis Marsh and Brandon Daniels and backups Rameses Rose, Ray Jennings, A.J. Harris (Bethel High) and Shawn Childress (Hampton High), Norfolk State held Hampton to 82 rushing yards on 32 attempts for an average of 2.4 yards per carry. The Pirates entered averaging a yard better than that and 134 yards per game.
"They did a good job of stuffing the lanes," said Hampton coach Joe Taylor, adding that Norfolk State displayed increased athleticism from a year ago. "Those kids are going to make plays by running to the ball and that's as important or more important than Xs and Os."
NORFOLK - Eric Bullock chuckled and shook his head Saturday after he and his Norfolk State teammates knocked off Hampton 20-19, the Spartans' first defeat of their arch-rival since 2001. No, the lineman said, he and his mates in the defensive trench haven't settled on a group nickname, though a few are under consideration.
How about the Magnificent Seven?
Sure, it's stolen from the 1960 Western film of the same name that starred the likes of Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Yul Brynner. But NSU's defensive front has been outstanding this year and it includes the correct number of hombres.
"We're just nasty right now," said Eric Bullock, one of three starters who are frequently spelled by a group of four reserves. "We ballin' and comin' off the line and we can't be stopped. They rushed for how many yards today? That was crazy good, and they had to go to the air. Then the slimmer guys come in and do their pretty pass-rush moves, but they don't get in there unless we do our jobs first."
Keyed by the stalwart play of Bullock, Dennis Marsh and Brandon Daniels and backups Rameses Rose, Ray Jennings, A.J. Harris (Bethel High) and Shawn Childress (Hampton High), Norfolk State held Hampton to 82 rushing yards on 32 attempts for an average of 2.4 yards per carry. The Pirates entered averaging a yard better than that and 134 yards per game.
"They did a good job of stuffing the lanes," said Hampton coach Joe Taylor, adding that Norfolk State displayed increased athleticism from a year ago. "Those kids are going to make plays by running to the ball and that's as important or more important than Xs and Os."
Said NSU coach Pete Adrian: "Hampton just couldn't run on us today. The fact we knew they couldn't run really helped us eat them up a lot with pass blitzes."
Two strong recruiting classes clearly have aided NSU's defense, giving it speed and depth the Spartans lacked in going 4-7 each of the last two seasons. But Adrian also cited the players' increased understanding of his systems. He pointed to inside linebacker Maguell Davis, a Woodside High product and defensive signal-caller, as a prime example.
"We have 18 different blitzes and two years ago, he maybe knew three of them," said Adrian, who estimated he used 18 or 19 defensive players Saturday. "But he knows them all now, so we're able to change things up on teams. We blitz out of six different fronts and we make you work and when you miss an assignment, that's when we make a play."
Hampton's longest run of the first quarter was four yards and it ran for more than three yards only four times in the first half. Leading rusher Kevin Beverly gained 41 yards on 19 carries and seemed continually buried under a gang of green jerseys.
Bullock said that while none of Norfolk State's defensive linemen seek to leave the field, they know it makes sense to spread their efforts out over 60 minutes so they're fresher for the fourth quarter and situations like Saturday's wild finish.
"We're built to stop the run and take on and smash through double teams," he said. "When you do that back-to-back plays, you need someone else to come in and take over for a little while. Everybody wants to play the whole game, but there comes a time when, if you do that, you're not going 100 percent every play because your legs get a little weak."
The Spartans' defensive front combined for four solo tackles and 13 assists Saturday. It was a strong performance in a big victory.
Two strong recruiting classes clearly have aided NSU's defense, giving it speed and depth the Spartans lacked in going 4-7 each of the last two seasons. But Adrian also cited the players' increased understanding of his systems. He pointed to inside linebacker Maguell Davis, a Woodside High product and defensive signal-caller, as a prime example.
"We have 18 different blitzes and two years ago, he maybe knew three of them," said Adrian, who estimated he used 18 or 19 defensive players Saturday. "But he knows them all now, so we're able to change things up on teams. We blitz out of six different fronts and we make you work and when you miss an assignment, that's when we make a play."
Hampton's longest run of the first quarter was four yards and it ran for more than three yards only four times in the first half. Leading rusher Kevin Beverly gained 41 yards on 19 carries and seemed continually buried under a gang of green jerseys.
Bullock said that while none of Norfolk State's defensive linemen seek to leave the field, they know it makes sense to spread their efforts out over 60 minutes so they're fresher for the fourth quarter and situations like Saturday's wild finish.
"We're built to stop the run and take on and smash through double teams," he said. "When you do that back-to-back plays, you need someone else to come in and take over for a little while. Everybody wants to play the whole game, but there comes a time when, if you do that, you're not going 100 percent every play because your legs get a little weak."
The Spartans' defensive front combined for four solo tackles and 13 assists Saturday. It was a strong performance in a big victory.
The Spartans face Florida A&M University in Tallahassee on Thursday night in their next conference game. FAMU was walloped by SCSU 49-14 on Saturday.
Norfolk State University Spartan Legion Marching Band (10/13/07)
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