After sitting out week one, the Virginia Cavaliers are ready to put the pads back on Friday night to face in-state FCS opponent, Norfolk State. This is however not just any Norfolk State team of course, this is a Spartan team led by former Virginia Tech Hokie, Michael Vick. When Head Coach Tony Elliott asked to comment on Coach Vick, he was very respectful and praising, “I know for me, like, I mean, come
on, this is Michael Vick now. Like, that’s a household name. All you got to say is Vick, right?” Elliott continued, “I’m going to step outside the rivalry for a second and pay respect to a guy that has done a lot of things in our sport and then also is doing a lot of things from a community standpoint with his journey and his message.”
This will be the first time Michael Vick enters Scott Stadium since October of 1999, Virginia got the best of the Hokies that night 31-7. Vick’s last game against Virginia was in 2000 in Blacksburg where Virginia Tech was victorious.
What is on tape for the Spartans?
Offensively, Norfolk State succeeds running the football. Their starting Quarterback, Deljay Bailey, is mobile and shifty. Bailey shows remnants of Beau Pribula, just not as fast in my opinion. In Norfolk State’s win over Winston Salem State in week zero, Bailey rushed for 56 yards on five carries and a touchdown. The problem defensively for the Cavaliers, he is not the only one in the backfield to worry about. Lead running back Jalyn Daniels is extremely dynamic as well; he also has a great ability to make defenders miss. Daniels rushed for 104 yards against Winston Salem State and rushed for 84 yards against Old Dominion last week. Both ballcarriers pose a two headed monster for Virginia to worry about. Norfolk State likes to come out in 21 personnel at times, meaning two running backs and one tight end. They will go to a split back formation (Two running backs in backfield) and use one as a lead blocker for a handoff or QB keeper. One of the most dangerous parts is not knowing who will get the ball, the defense could be so worried about Bailey keeping, then turn around and Jalyn Daniels is running down the sideline for six. The Spartans scored a touchdown last week on a read option in this formation where backup running back Kiron Benjamin threw an excellent block, allowing Deljay Bailey to walk into the endzone. Norfolk State also showed they will call QB draw’s out of an empty set. They will show 5 wide and spread out the field, and all the offensive line needs to do is keep the Down linemen on the outside. Coach Elliott commented on what stood out to him on the tape, and he also said the 21 personnel. “They can jump from 21 personnel, I formation, all the way to empty with a quarterback that can run it and can throw.”
All this being said, one thing Norfolk State has not proven it can do yet is pass the ball effectively. Bailey has thrown a combined 213 yards in two games with three touchdowns. All three came against Winston Salem State, throwing zero against the Monarchs. He has thrown one interception, coming against ODU, the pass was a pretty bad read going straight to a Monarch defender. If the Spartans struggle throwing the ball against those two opponents, I would imagine they would struggle immensely against the Virginia secondary and pass rush. Speaking of pass rush, that could certainly be a factor too for the Spartan offense, giving up five sacks against Old Dominion. I would expect DC Coach Rud to send some pressure and press his corners Friday night.
One other thing that stands out about the Spartan offense? Turnovers. At least for the ODU game, Norfolk State turned the ball over three times. Once was the interception I mentioned above, and the Spartans fumbled twice. The first fumble was crucial early in the game against ODU. HB Jalyn Daniels had an explosive rush for 35 yards nearing the goal line, Daniels then fumbled before crossing the plane, allowing the Monarchs to flip the scoreboard. The second fumble came on a strip sack, Deljay Bailey was plummeted by Monarch Down linemen immediately after the snap and was stripped of the ball in the third quarter.
Now, not sure if you live under a rock or do not own social media, but there is big news surrounding UVA about Linebacker Kam Robinson making his anticipated return. Robinson had two pick sixes last season and a fumble recovery, an all-around defender. He flies all over the field making plays. To go along with Robinson is Michigan transfer Brandyn Hillman, who caught an interception and forced a fumble against NC State in week zero. If I were to make a bold prediction about Friday night, the Cavaliers will force more than one turnover against the Spartans.
What can Virginia do offensively Friday night?
Old Dominion made one thing very clear last Saturday about the Spartan defense. They are vulnerable to mobile QBs. ODU QB Quinn Henicle rushed 13 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns Saturday. Multiple of Henicle’s rushes were designed either by QB draw or read option. A couple, however, were designed passes where nothing was there, so Henicle took free yards. And in this past Saturday’s case, there were a lot of free yards ahead of him.
If there was one thing we learned about this Virginia offense during week zero’s game against NC State, it is that QB Beau Pribula is QUICK and ELUSIVE. Pribula is one of the fastest in the country, I would expect him to have a day against Norfolk State, but to an extent. I think he could really expose the Spartan defense, but of course, will have to be smart to not put himself in too much danger. He ran the ball 15 times against the Wolfpack, he will NOT run that much against Norfolk State. When Pribula does get on the run however, it will be effective.
Overall
If we are being honest with ourselves, on paper, Virginia should SMOKE Norfolk State. It is really all about doing the little things properly, not committing penalties, not getting broken off of, and establishing the run early. The most important thing defensively is getting the Spartans behind the chains early, not allowing them to get the run established. This is something the Cavaliers did really well against NC State, the Wolfpack did not establish anything offensively the entire game. When NC State did get anything going, Virginia forced turnovers to shut it down. Not allowing Deljay Bailey to get on the run and shutting down Jalyn Daniels should keep the Spartans limited on the scoreboard.
To be honest, I expect Virginia to have a day offensively. Norfolk State gave up 31 to Old Dominion in a game the Monarchs did not play their best game at all. Virginia will likely pass a tad more than in week zero, giving Beau Pribula more in game reps to show what he can do with his arm. Do not get lost however, Virginia will still be run heavy and exhaust the Spartan defense. Especially with all of the running back depth, Coach Elliott will use multiple backs getting them all in game experience.
Final Score Prediction
I would expect Virginia to get going early and often on the scoreboard. Fans will be singing “The Good Old Song,” many times Friday night, perhaps so much that Michael Vick may hear it in his dreams when he goes to sleep after the game. I am going to predict Virginia getting a 52-7 win. This would barely cover what the current spread of the game is in Vegas, UVA -44.5.
For more breakdown and analysis of what Norfolk State likes to do, check out my film study breakdown diving into what is on tape for the Spartans here: