NORFOLK, Va. (Courtesy of Norfolk State Athletics) – Norfolk State safety Jayden Smith and linebacker AJ Richardson posted career performances on Saturday afternoon, as the Spartans fell 28-23 to visiting Towson at William “Dick” Price Stadium.

Richardson recorded 18 tackles with eight solo stops, 4.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and one interception. Smith logged the first two interceptions of his collegiate career, one in the second quarter and one in the third.

Making the first start of his career, true freshman quarterback Vinson Berry completed 14-of-31 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown. Running back Kevon King tallied 102 yards  and two touchdowns on the ground on 14 carries.

Both teams started the game slow offensively, coming up empty on the first three possessions of the afternoon. Towson broke the tie late in the first quarter, completing several quick passes before Devin Matthews rushed 23 yards to the end zone.

An immediate three-and-out from Norfolk State gave the ball back to Towson, but the Norfolk State defense held strong from there. The Spartan offense took advantage of its next chance, as King broke free for a 58-yard touchdown score to tie the game 7-7.

NSU kept the momentum going, forcing an immediate three-and-out thanks to a third down sack from Richardson. Berry connected with Elyjah Mitchell and Tavian Morris for a couple of big gains, setting up a successful 31-yard field goal from Grandin Willcox.

The kick gave Norfolk State a 10-7 advantage, but Towson retook the lead moments later. A deep pass to Sam Reynolds put the Tigers in the red zone, before John Dunmore caught the short touchdown pass a third down situation.

Towson reached the red zone once again in the final moments of the first half, but a timely interception by Smith in the end zone kept the Tigers off the board. The Spartans went to the midway break trailing 14-10.

The Tigers put together another momentous drive to start the third quarter, but Norfolk State came up with a crucial stop on fourth down. Jaylen Williams pressured the quarterback to force the errant throw from Da’Kendall James.

The Spartan defense continued to come up with takeaways. Smith came up with another interception midway through the third quarter, his second of the game and second of his career.

Norfolk State made the most of the swing, starting with a 21-yard rush by X’Zavion Evans. Berry found Elyjah Mitchell wide open for a 43-yard score on the next play, the first touchdown of the quarterback’s collegiate career and the go-ahead for Norfolk State.

A missed extra point kept NSU’s lead at 16-14. Towson regrouped calmly, though, producing a 69-yard touchdown drive to go back in front. Brown found Jacean Doss for an 11-yard score, before the Tigers converted on the ensuing two-point conversion for a 22-16 lead.

The Spartans went three-and-out from there, before Towson logged another touchdown early in the fourth quarter. After another unsuccessful drive by Norfolk State, Towson looked poised to coast to victory, but Richardson came up with a crucial interception and long return to give Norfolk State ideal field position.

Berry found Morris for a 24-yard catch to get Norfolk State on the one-yard line. King punched it in a few plays later, pulling the Spartans within five at 28-23 with under two minutes on the clock.

Towson picked up two key first downs to bring the game to a close, preventing a Norfolk State rally.

Checking The Box Score

• Norfolk State quarterback Vinson Berry completed 14-of-31 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown in his first career start
• NSU running back Kevon King tallied 102 yards and two touchdowns on the ground on 14 carries
• Linebacker AJ Richardson made a career-high 18 total tackles with eight solo stops, 4.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and one interception.

News & Notes

• Saturday’s matchup marked just the third-ever meeting between Norfolk State and Towson
• Towson now leads the all-time series 2-1
• The Spartans dropped to 2-6 with the loss
• Towson improved to 3-3 with the victory
• Norfolk State forced three takeaways on Saturday, recording three interceptions. Through eight games, the NSU defense has recovered four fumbles and recorded 10 interceptions

UP NEXT
After playing eight consecutive games without a break, the Spartans will finally get a breather during their upcoming bye week. Norfolk State will return home on Saturday, Oct. 26 to face Howard for Homecoming.

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