NSU to alternate two QBs to start season

Norfolk State's Chris Walley endured an up-and-down first season. During his second year, the NSU quarterback will be up and down in the lineup.

After watching transfer Nico Flores through three weeks of spring practice, Spartans coach Pete Adrian said he expects to play both quarterbacks during the first four games of the season. That stretch will serve as something of an elongated warm-up to the meat of the MEAC schedule. It includes a game against West Virginia, other non-conference games against Virginia State and Charleston Southern and the conference opener against lightly regarded Howard.

"We'll use two quarterbacks," Adrian said. "Walley ran the ball well and Nico threw the ball well this spring. We'll see how it goes in the first part of the season. If it works out well, they won't have a problem with it. They just want to go out and win."

Norfolk State's offensive line still a work in progress

After concluding three weeks of spring practice, Norfolk State is set on four of its five starting offensive linemen. But the group will still face plenty of questions next fall.

"Obviously, that whole group is going to need game experience," coach Pete Adrian said. "Until you start playing, you don't really know what you have."

Kendall Noble, the only returning starter, will begin the year at left tackle, while Michael Kay, who got significant playing time last season, will start at center. Blake Matthews and Kenneth Johnson took hold at left and right guard, respectively. Still to be decided is who will play right tackle. Adrian said three or four players are in the mix.

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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.

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