QB has triggered fast starts for NSU's offense

NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk State quarterback Chris Walley's career has started just as the Spartans hoped. His starts to each game, though, have been far better than anticipated.

Walley, a transfer from Joliet (Ill.) Junior College and the winner of a three-way quarterback competition in the preseason, has three straight torrid starts. He completed four of his first five passes against Rutgers, eight of his first 10 against North Carolina A&T and 11 of his first 13 against Virginia State.

Heading into Saturday's game at Bethune-Cookman, the Spartans have played their best in the first half, outscoring opponents 47-20. The transfer credits scouting for the early success.


B-CU's schedule getting tougher

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- It's hard to imagine a more favorable scheduling scenario for a first-year head coach and a team learning an entirely new system.

Preseason drills and practice were followed by a season-opener that, for all intents and purposes, was a glorified scrimmage against a totally overmatched opponent -- Edward Waters College, which fell 70-10. After that came a rare second-week bye, allowing for an extra week of preparations leading up to Game 2, against Savannah State, which offered a small step up in competition yet still resulted in a lopsided victory, 42-7.

After Saturday's decisive win over Savannah State, Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins assessed how his team currently looks, compared to what he was hoping to see at this early stage. Since football coaches are never completely satisfied, the answer was fairly predictable.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Norfolk State squares off against longtime foe Virginia State

It's not just a Labor Day weekend love. While tonight's meeting between old rivals Norfolk State and Virginia State isn't being played during the holiday weekend for the first time since 1991, NSU athletic director Marty Miller said it's the teams, not the calendar, that attract a crowd.

Norfolk State's DeAngelo Branche, the team's top offensive option, was looked at seriously by Virginia State. Two of the Trojans' primary producers - quarterback Jarred Battle and wide receiver Corey Young - are local products whom NSU inquired about, though neither felt heavily pursued.

"There's nothing personal about it," said Young, a Bayside High grad. "But maybe after I do play this game, and we get this win, they'll look back and see what could have been."

Recruiting rivalry shaping up between schools

The schools are a day away from becoming rivals on the football field. But are William and Mary and Old Dominion also beginning a heated recruiting battle for Hampton Roads talent? No more so, say officials at both universities, than any other in-state programs.

"From a recruiting standpoint, I really feel like it's us, William and Mary, Richmond and JMU, the four of us, all waving that CAA flag to the kids," ODU coach Bobby Wilder said. "I say that with all due respect to the two MEAC teams (Hampton and Norfolk State) that are in-state and the two Big South teams (Liberty and VMI) that are in-state. We're trying to wave that CAA flag, so we are competing for the same kids.

"Now, you get kids that are at different levels of interest in the school, kids who want a city school, or a liberal arts school, or a private school. But we've all waving the same flag."

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Twice ineligible, Fluker-Berry happy to have a home at NSU

Before transitioning from defense to offense and back at Norfolk State, Dwight Fluker-Berry signed with North Carolina, played for Fork Union Military Academy, attended West Virginia and went home to Miami. Compared to traversing the East Coast, traipsing around a depth chart isn't much of an imposition. In his senior season, his third year as a Spartan, the 23-year-old safety is finally locked in.

"You go through some of those trials, when you get here, when you get through that, you just want to play football," defensive backs coach Marco Butler said. Through two games, Fluker-Berry is tied for fourth at NSU (1-1) in tackles with nine. He delivered the crucial play in a victory Saturday that opened the MEAC schedule, picking up a fumble and running 50 yards for a score.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Fumble return keys Norfolk State's 23-14 win

NORFOLK, VA - Hit them when they're up, hit them when they're (headed) down. That's Norfolk State linebacker Corwin Hammond's philosophy on dealing with quarterbacks. Hammond said he was just trying to punish North Carolina A&T quarterback Shelton Morgan when he helped Norfolk State pull away in a 23-14 win in front of 14,550 at Dick Price Stadium on Saturday.

"He was going down, so you might as well hit him," Hammond said. "You might as well. If he's going to run it, he's going to get hit." Trailing 13-7 with 8:12 left in the third quarter, the Aggies (0-2) were moving the ball well for the first time against NSU (1-1). North Carolina A&T finished with just six first downs, but Morgan looked ready to move the chains for the third time on the drive.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Viewings of North Carolina A&T's "Bed Intruder Song" arrangement has now reached over 631,400 on YouTube within 30 days.

NSU develops plans to avoid cramping issues

NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk State's cramping put a crimp in its season opener. It also sent NSU strength and conditioning coach Reese Bridgman on a search for answers. Bridgman said a combination of factors caused the Spartans' issues last Thursday at Rutgers, and he doesn't expect cramps to be a major problem Saturday against North Carolina A&T.



Bridgman said the amount of time the defense spent on the field and the spongy turf of Rutgers Stadium led to NSU's problems. Oh, and just like most of the issues plaguing the country, the economy can be blamed as well. "I spent a lot of time looking at it," Bridgman said. "I feel some responsibility. As a team, we weren't in as good aerobic shape as we'd have liked to be. You only have so many weeks of preseason. It takes six weeks to get kids in aerobic shape. Preseason is four weeks."

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

NSU finds plenty to smile about despite loss to Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - This game against Rutgers played out much differently for Norfolk State than the one in 2007. But the Spartans wouldn't mind if the rest of this year went similarly to that season. The Spartans lost their season opener to Rutgers 31-0 Thursday night, but a closely contested first half sent NSU home with a pocket full of positives and clear similarities to the 2007 group the Spartans are looking to emulate.

That team, like this one, was built around defense and broke in a new group of receivers. It rebounded from a 59-0 loss to Rutgers to come within a win short of a MEAC championship, the closest the Spartans have been. Bettering that mark is NSU's main mission. After one game, the Spartans remain optimistic.

"I'm proud of how we played," said receiver Victor Hairston, who led the offense with five catches for 82 yards. "If we can play like this, we'll do really well in the MEAC."




READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Norfolk State makes a game of it against Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Norfolk State opened its season with a loss Thursday night, but the 31-0 defeat at Rutgers Stadium goes down as more success than setback. In its previous visit to Rutgers in 2007, Norfolk State lost 59-0 and the game was over at halftime. In visit No. 2, the Spartans could have led at the midway point. The Scarlet Knights eventually took over in the second half, using the physical inside running of 6-foot-0, 215-pound Joe Martinek to wear out NSU’s defense.

Martinek’s 6-yard touchdown with 7:55 left in the third quarter put the Scarlet Knights up 14-0 and effectively ended Norfolk State’s challenge. The Spartans had defensive players suffer an injury or cramps on four straight plays and five total during the drive, a seven-play, 75-yard stretch to open the second half.

“The first half went well; we just didn’t have enough in the tank to finish everything off,” linebacker Corwin Hammond said. “Everyone was cramping. I was cramping. My defensive teammates were cramping. I thought that’s when things went downhill.”



READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:

Rutgers starts slowly, defeats Norfolk State 31-0

Rutgers wins ugly in opener

Brandon Bing makes good special teams impression in Rutgers' win over Norfolk ...

Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage talks about nerves and more after 31-0 win over ...

Ragged offensive play marks Rutgers' 31-0 victory over Norfolk State

Rutgers unimpressive despite rout of Norfolk State

AD wants NSU to play big-time foe every year

Norfolk State University athletic director Marty Miller

PISCATAWAY, N.J.- Norfolk State trailed just 6-0 to Rutgers at halftime - an effort that had to be considered a moral victory. That made it two wins for the Spartans on Thursday. Athletic director Marty Miller said he considers games against FBS teams a victory for the athletic program as well."They get a chance to see how much work they need to do to reach that level," Miller said. "It motivates them."

The game was NSU's third against a top-level opponent in the past four years. The Spartans have scheduled West Virginia for next season and Miller said he hopes to make a similar opponent an annual ritual. "We're trying to play at least one of these a year," Miller said. "I'm trying to get through 2015."

Norfolk State's bottom line benefits as well. The Spartans were paid $325,000.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Norfolk State makes a game of it against Rutgers

Rutgers unimpressive despite rout of Norfolk State

NSU is in it to win it against Rutgers

TONIGHT'S GAMES BY COMPUTER ON ESPN 3 (http://espn.go.com/espn3/index)

07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Norfolk State vs. Rutgers (Exclusive)
07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Florida A&M vs. #13 Miami (Exclusive)

NORFOLK, VA - It's too bad talking points don't go up on the scoreboard. Norfolk State might have been a favorite tonight. Heading into the team's 7:30 p.m. season opener at Rutgers, the Spartans are talking a good game, expressing belief that they're capable of beating the odds. They might be the only ones thinking that way.

"Even the students don't think we can win," senior offensive lineman Markeece Preston said. "They're buying into the whole I-A, I-AA thing. They think we'll get crushed."

The NSU student body has its reasons. Las Vegas doesn't set point spreads between teams at the different levels because it expects the teams to be so mismatched. When Appalachian State beat top-division Michigan in 2007, it was considered among the most shocking results ever.

"No one thought David would beat Goliath...

Around the MEAC and more

As promised folks, take a spin around Norfolk State’s schedule from Rutgers in Week 1 to Savannah State in the finale.

Rutgers primer Here’s a look at all you need to know about Rutgers heading into Thursday’s opener. In summary, the defense could be one of the best in Division I, they own an incredibly dangerous wide receiver (and a bunch of questionable ones) and the major question for their season seems to be how quarterback Tom Savage will operate without any training wheels. From the Newark Star-Ledger.http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2010/08/looking_ahead_to_the_2010_rutg.html

North Carolina A & T working through penalties Seems like none of the big-boy papers cover A&T, but this is a pretty nice job by the school’s student paper. The program is working through some limitations placed on its program through poor academic performance. Depth will be an issue, but likely not against the Spartans, who play A&T before the injuries should be a problem.http://www.ncatregister.com/mobile/aggie-football-moving-forward-from-penalty-1.2307661

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

NSU's vote on Legacy Bowl expected in fall

MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas said Thursday the conference continues to do its “due diligence” on the Legacy Bowl proposition and he expects a vote by school presidents this fall. On the team’s media day later Thursday, Norfolk State players made it clear how they would vote.

A Legacy Bowl would forego the MEAC champion’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs and match it with the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference in a televised game reminiscent of the now-defunct Heritage Bowl. “Why?” asked running back DeAngelo Branche. “It’s like playing seven games and calling it quits.”

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Who'll catch on as NSU's top WR? Jeremy Wicker
Prospective owner out at planned Hampton Roads UFL team

Who'll catch on as NSU's top WR? Jeremy Wicker

NORFOLK, VA --Jeremy Wicker (#17) lacks the traditional wide receiver's desire to draw attention to himself, even when he might have every right to stand up, wave his arms and scream. With Norfolk State's top two wide receivers from 2009 gone, one of the Spartans' crucial issues is determining who will catch passes thrown by their yet-to-be-determined quarterback.

The answer, Wicker says, should be pretty clear: It's the guy who has been a Spartan for five seasons now. "Even some of the guys on the team, they don't direct it at you, but you hear them. They're like, 'Man, now we don't have any receivers.' It's like 'Come on. I've done this before. I've had 100-yard games. I've played Kentucky. I've played Rutgers. I've done it.' " With reasonable success, too.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Norfolk State Track Gets a $550,000 Makeover

NORFOLK, VA - NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State University, in conjunction with Beynon Sports Surfaces, recently completed a $550,000 renovation and resurfacing of the track at William “Dick” Price Stadium on the NSU campus.

The resurfacing included installation of a BSS 2000 track, a class I International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) surface which is used at many of the top tracks in the world. The BSS 2000 surface is also used at such top facilities as the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, which hosted the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the 2008 United States Olympic Trials. New shot put and discus throwing areas were also installed at the East and West ends of the track adjacent to the stadium.



“Having the BSS 2000 surface installed shows the University’s commitment to track and field and its facilities,” said Kenneth Giles, NSU’s director of track and field programs. “We expect to host world-class meets on a world-class surface on a regular basis, in addition to providing our athletes with a top-notch track on which to train.”

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Norfolk State and Hampton University win MEAC All-Sports Awards

NSU Spartans Dwight Fluker-Berry avoids North Carolina A&T State University tacklers.

NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk State University has won its sixth straight Talmadge Layman Hill Award, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's all-sports trophy, the league announced. This marks the first time a MEAC men's program has won six straight all-sports awards since South Carolina State won 11 in a row from 1974-84. The Spartans tallied 70 points to win their seventh Talmadge Layman Hill Award overall, 15 points ahead of runner-up Delaware State. The Spartans first won the award in 2001.

Hampton University (74.5 points) won its ninth straight Mary McLeod Bethune Women's All-Sports Award, with NSU (68 points) finishing a close third. The Lady Pirate programs totaled 74.5 points, besting North Carolina A&T, which finished second with 68.5. Hampton won conference titles in women's basketball and outdoor track and field and finished runner-up in indoor track and field and women's tennis.

“Winning the Mary McLeod Bethune Women’s All-Sports Trophy again is symbolic of Hampton University’s commitment to the welfare of our student-athletes by providing expert coaching, superb training and superior game and practice facilities,” said HU athletic director Lonza Hardy in a release.

5-10 junior forward Quanneisha Perry, from Decatur, Georgia Tower High School continues to make major contributions to the Lady Pirates basketball program.

Each winning school also receives $20,000, meaning NSU has totaled prize winnings of $145,000 over the past six years. Points are awarded in a descending order beginning with 12 points for championships or first-place finishes. Second-place teams get 10 points, third-place teams nine, and so on. Tied teams split the total points.

Highlighting the year for the Spartan men were three more running titles, one each in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. NSU became the first men's program to sweep the indoor and outdoor MEAC track championships in five consecutive years. The baseball and football teams placed third in the regular-season MEAC standings, and the men's basketball team finished fourth.

The women's teams were led by first-place finishes by the cross country and indoor track teams, and a second-place finish at the outdoor track and field championship. The Spartan bowling team also finished second in the regular-season Southern Division conference standings.

NSU Spartans' defense focuses on safety issues this spring‎

NORFOLK, VA - Backing up Terrell Whitehead wasn’t the most demanding job a Norfolk State football player could’ve had last season. The All-American free safety, who led the team in interceptions and passes broken up and was second in tackles, rarely came off the field. That left few opportunities for the No. 2 man , redshirt sophomore DeVonte Reynolds. “I’d get a couple of reps per game,” he said. “Mostly, I played special teams.”

NSU head football coach Pete Adrian said Dwight Fluker-Berry, 6-2, 200-pound senior, is one of the team’s most versatile players. “He’s not a bad cover guy, and he’s a big physical guy who can come up and make a tackle.”

Reynolds played them well, becoming one of the Spartans’ top kick-coverage guys. Now, he’s in the mix to replace Whitehead, a task that is considerably more challenging than being his understudy. “To replace Terrell, that’s tough,” he said. “He played all over the field and had great instincts. Me, I’m still learning.” The learning curve has been steep for both Reynolds and Dwight Fluker-Berry, who are vying for the starting free safety job. Reynolds has two years in the system under his belt. Fluker-Berry is returning to safety after playing receiver last year.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Norfolk State Spartans 0, Norfolk Tides 6

Brandon Snyder collected four hits and seven Tides relievers held Norfolk State to two hits in a 6-0 win in front of 8,509 fans Tuesday night at Harbor Park. Snyder singled four times to pace Norfolk's 11-hit attack, while Josh Bell singled and added an RBI triple. Lou Montanez, Scott Moore and Miguel Abreu each added an RBI single for the Tides, while Joey Gathright added two stolen bases and a run scored. Seven Tides hurlers combined on the two-hit shutout, with Ross Wolf striking out the side in a perfect inning of work.

The contest was the first between the two teams and benefited the Norfolk State University baseball program. Brandon Hairston and James Taylor each singled for Norfolk State, who continue their MEAC schedule on Saturday with a doubleheader against Maryland Eastern Shore. The Tides open up their regular season on Thursday night against the defending International League Champion Durham Bulls, with first pitch slated for 7:15 pm.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Norfolk Women Wins MEAC Indoor Track Championship

LANDOVER, MD — The Norfolk State women’s track team moved one step closer to completing the cross country and track and field MEAC sweep on Saturday when they tallied 159 points en route to their first MEAC indoor track and field title since 2000 at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex. A total group effort carried the Spartans to victory as they scored in each event they participated in.

“Our expectations were there and our ladies performed in every event,” said head coach Ronda Berard, who was named the Women’s Outstanding Coach. “The women put their heart into it and I’m extremely proud of the full they gave. To win the championship on both the men’s and women’s side is exceptional,” stated Berard.

Elaine Rhoades (Norfolk, Va.) was named the Outstanding Field Performer after scoring 17 points in three events. She finished second in both the pentathlon (3,394 points) and the triple jump (39 feet, 6 inches) and came in eighth in the long jump (17-5 ¾). NSU dominated the pole vault for the second straight year by taking the top four spots in the event. Katie Wright (Virginia Beach, Va.) defended her 2009 title by clearing 10-2 ¼ for the win. Candace Shoates (Newport News, Va.) was the runner-up (9-8 ½) and Andrea Saunders (Chesapeake, Va.) and Ashleigh Joseph (Chesapeake, Va.) tied for third after clearing 8-8 ¾.

Final Results Photo Gallery

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Norfolk State Spartan Men Win Record 5th Straight MEAC Indoor Track Title

LANDOVER, MD – The Norfolk State men’s track & field team was in a record-breaking mindset on Saturday, tallying a meet-record 188 points en route to its MEAC-record fifth consecutive indoor championship at the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex. NSU broke its own record for points at the indoor meet, surpassing the 2008 title team’s total of 170. Saturday’s biggest star was first-year sophomore Sean Holston (Springfield, Va.), who earned a sweep of the men’s 200 and 400 meters. He just missed a meet-record with a winning time of 47.88 seconds in the 400, and a short while later set a new meet standard with his winning time of 21.32 seconds in the 200.

Holston claimed half of NSU’s four individual wins on Saturday. Senior Raphael Hall (Chesapeake, Va.) won the high jump (6 feet, 8.75 inches) and sophomore Philemon Kimutai (Eldoret, Kenya) won the mile (4:16.24). That trio of winners joined pole vaulter Brett Dodd (San Antonio, Tex.), 3,000-meter winner Amos Kipkosgei (Eldoret, Kenya) and the victorious distance medley relay team to give NSU a total of seven victories in the two-day event.

Final Results Photo Gallery

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Finally, Norfolk State Releases 2010 Football Schedule

NORFOLK, VA – Norfolk State University released its 2010 football schedule on Wednesday. Highlighting the non-conference slate are another date at Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Rutgers, the continuation of the Spartans’ rivalry with Virginia State and a date at Savannah State to close the season.

The Spartans open the 2010 schedule by traveling to Piscataway, N.J., to face Rutgers University on Thursday, Sept. 2. The schools first met in 2007, with the 13th-ranked Scarlet Knights of the Big East prevailing 59-0. NSU went on to finish 8-3 that season, their best mark since moving to Division I in 1997. The Scarlet Knights finished 9-4 last year, winning their fourth straight bowl game with a 45-24 victory over Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity whenever you get to play an FBS team,” NSU head coach Pete Adrian said. “Rutgers has been an excellent program over the last several years and this year will be no exception. We felt like playing there in 2007 really helped serve as a catalyst to our 8-3 season, and it’s a great challenge to play them again.”

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

NSU Spartans 2010 Football Schedule
Date Opponent Location Time
9/2/2010 Rutgers, Piscataway, NJ TBA
9/11/2010 *North Carolina A&T (Fish Bowl Classic) Norfolk, VA 4 p.m.
9/18/2010 Virginia State Norfolk, VA 6 p.m.
9/25/2010 *Bethune-Cookman Daytona Beach,FL TBA
10/9/2010 *South Carolina State Orangeburg,S.C. TBA
10/16/2010 *Hampton (Battle of the Bay) Hampton,VA TBA
10/23/2010 *Florida A&M (Homecoming) Norfolk,VA 2 p.m.
10/30/2010 *Howard, Washington,D.C. TBA
11/6/2010 *Morgan State Norfolk,VA 1 p.m.
11/13/2010 *Delaware State Norfolk,VA 1 p.m.
11/20/2010 Savannah State Savannah,GA TBA