Norfolk State at Virginia

Norfolk State at Virginia

This is Missed It. Norfolk State at Virginia, Friday, September 11, 75 and clear at Scott Stadium, with the Spartans. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

Norfolk State Spartans at Virginia Cavaliers. We've got the ball first, and that's exactly how we want to start. The Spartans are on the road, taking on Virginia, and there's that feeling in the air , the kind you get when you're the underdog with nothing to lose and everything to prove. Our guys are fired up, the sideline is buzzing, and we're about to see what this Norfolk State team is made of. First possession, first chance to make a statement. Let's go.

The Sequence

We're at zero-zero, and we've got the football. Twelve plays. That's what we put together on that opening drive, grinding, moving the chains, and for a moment it felt like we were going to do something special. But then, at 10:36, it all came apart. Bailey drops back, shotgun, and he lets it go , and Virginia's Hillman reads it all the way. He steps in front, picks it off at the Virginia 13, and then he's gone. Fifty yards the other way, all the way back to our 37. Just like that, the air goes out of the building. We had the ball, we had the momentum, and now we're backed up and reeling. Virginia takes over, and they don't waste any time. Seven plays, and Pribula finds Gibson for six yards and the touchdown. Six yards. That's all it takes. The kick is good, and it's seven-nothing. We get the ball back, five plays, and it's another turnover. We can't get out of our own way. Virginia gets it back, and it only takes two plays. Pribula drops back, throws it deep to Martin, twenty-seven yards, touchdown. Fourteen-nothing, and we haven't even caught our breath. We try to answer. Five plays, and we come up short on downs. Virginia takes over again, and this time it's three plays. Pribula, short left, Gibson again , thirty yards to the house. Twenty-one-nothing. The game is slipping away, and we're only in the first quarter. We manage to punt, Virginia punts back, and somehow we're still standing, but barely. It's twenty-one-nothing, and we've got a mountain to climb.

Q2

We start the second quarter with the ball, and we're trying to find something, anything. Twelve plays. We're moving. Bailey drops back at the ten-minute mark, throws short left to Moore Jr., and he hauls it in for fourteen yards, out of bounds, first down. That's the spark we needed. We keep pushing, keep fighting, and we get ourselves into position. But then the drive stalls, and we have to settle for a field goal attempt. It's no good. We miss it, and the score stays twenty-one-nothing. That one hurts. We had a chance to put points on the board, and we let it slip away. But then, at 6:21, something shifts. Pribula drops back, and he tries to force one , and Davis steps in front of it. Interception at the Virginia 36. Goins breaks it up, and suddenly we've got life. We take over, and we're driving. Bailey finds Mitchell for twelve yards, out of bounds, first down. We're in business. Five plays, and we get ourselves into field goal range, and this time we make it count. Three points. It's twenty-one to three, and we're on the board. The sideline is alive again. Virginia answers, though. Eight plays, and Lewis rushes it in from three yards out. Touchdown. The kick is good, and it's twenty-eight to three. We get the ball back, four plays, and it's another turnover. We just can't hold onto it. Virginia takes over with almost no time left, and they drive. Ten plays, all the way into the third quarter, and Holstein , the backup, the new guy , finds Coleman for one yard and the touchdown. Thirty-five to three. The half ends, and we're staring at a deficit that feels impossible.

Halftime

At the half, it's thirty-five to three, and we're hurting. The play that turned this one was that first interception , Bailey's pass picked off at the Virginia 13, returned fifty yards to our 37. We had the ball first, we had the drive going, and that one mistake opened the floodgates. Virginia scored on three straight possessions after that, and we never recovered. But here's the thing: we're still fighting. We got on the board with that field goal, we forced a turnover of our own, and we showed flashes. We need to come out in the second half and play clean. No turnovers, no missed opportunities. Just execute, one play at a time, and see if we can make this respectable.

Q3

We get the ball to start the second half, and we're trying to build something. Five plays. Daniels takes it up the middle for no gain, and then he tries the right side and loses two yards. Turnover on downs. We can't get anything going, and Virginia takes over. Five plays, and Holstein finds Robinson for five yards and the touchdown. Forty-two to three. We punt, Virginia punts, and we get the ball back. Four plays, and we come up short on downs again. We're moving the ball in fits and starts, but we can't sustain anything. Virginia takes over, and they're not letting up. Six plays, and Geer , another new quarterback , finds Rollison for twelve yards and the touchdown. Forty-nine to three. The game is long decided, but our guys are still out there, still competing. We're not quitting. We're just outmatched today. Every time we get a little something going, they answer. Every time we make a mistake, they make us pay. It's been that kind of afternoon.

Q4

We start the fourth quarter with the ball, down forty-six. Eight plays. Golmond drops back, finds Benjamin for eleven yards, first down. That's a bright spot. We're still fighting. But we punt, and Virginia takes over. Nine plays, and Geer throws deep to Thurber for twenty-eight yards, first down. They're still moving it. They get down to the 30, and Bettridge kicks a field goal from thirty yards. It's good. Fifty-two to three. We get the ball back, and we're trying to put together one more drive. Seven plays. Casnave takes it up the middle for three yards, first down. We're moving. But then, at 4:17, Jackson drops back, and he throws one right to Rowe. Interception at the 50, and Rowe takes it all the way back. Fifty yards for the touchdown. Fifty-nine to three. That's the dagger. That's the one that ends any hope of a moral victory. We get the ball back, five plays, and we punt. Virginia takes over, and they're just running out the clock. Four plays. Davis takes it up the middle for forty-four yards, all the way down to our 10. First down. They're still grinding, still pushing. But the clock runs out, and it's over. Fifty-nine to three.

Wrap-up

Final score: Norfolk State 3, Virginia 59. It's a tough one to swallow, no question. We came in with the ball first, we had our chances early, and it just didn't go our way. The turnovers hurt, the missed field goal hurt, and Virginia made us pay for every mistake. But we kept fighting. We got on the board, we forced a turnover, and we never stopped competing. That's what we take from this one. We're Spartans, and we'll be back.

By the Numbers

The Spartans by the numbers. Final score, Norfolk State 3, Virginia 59. 223 yards of offense to their 466, 168 through the air and 55 on the ground. 11 first downs. 4 of 17 on third down. 3 turnovers for us, 1 for them. We held the ball for just under 32 minutes.

Outro

That was Norfolk State at Virginia, from the Spartans side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Norfolk State at Virginia

This is Missed It. Norfolk State at Virginia, Friday, September 11, 75 and clear at Scott Stadium, with the Cavaliers. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

Norfolk State Spartans at Virginia Cavaliers. The Spartans are oh and one on the season, and the Cavaliers are one and oh. Norfolk State has the ball first, and the crowd is ready. We are ready. Let's go.

The Sequence

The game is decided here, settled by the first quarter's end. Score is zero to zero, and Norfolk State is driving. Twelve plays in, and they've moved the ball. But then, at the ten minute mark, quarterback Bailey drops back, and he fires one toward the middle. Hillman steps in front of it. He picks it off at the Virginia thirteen, and then he takes off. Fifty yards of open field, and he's brought down at the Norfolk State thirty-seven. Turnover. Our defense just changed the game. We take over, and it takes seven plays. Pribula drops back, and he finds Gibson for six yards. Touchdown. Bettridge kicks it through, and it's seven to nothing. The dam has broken. Norfolk State gets the ball back, and they go three-and-out. Five plays, and they're punting. We take over at our own territory, and it takes just two plays. Pribula again, this time to Martin, for twenty-seven yards. Touchdown. Fourteen to nothing. The crowd is roaring. Norfolk State tries to answer, but they can't. Five plays, and they turn it over on downs. We take over, and it takes three plays. Pribula, short left, to Gibson, caught at the Norfolk State twenty-five, and he takes it thirty yards to the house. Touchdown. Twenty-one to nothing. The first quarter isn't even over, and this one is already over. Norfolk State punts, we punt, and the quarter ends. Twenty-one to nothing. The game is decided.

Q2

The second quarter starts, and Norfolk State is trying to find something. They put together a twelve-play drive, and they're moving. At the ten minute mark, Bailey completes a short pass to Moore Jr, caught at the Norfolk State thirty-two, for fourteen yards to the Norfolk State forty-eight. First down. They're in our territory. But the drive stalls, and they settle for a field goal attempt. It's no good. Missed. We take over, and the momentum is still ours. We get the ball, and it takes three plays. Pribula drops back, and he throws one toward the middle. Davis of Norfolk State steps in front of it. Intercepted at the Virginia thirty-six. The crowd goes quiet. That's a momentum swing, and Norfolk State has life. They take over, and they're driving. At the six minute mark, Bailey completes a short pass to Mitchell, caught at the Virginia twenty-four, for twelve yards. First down. They're in the red zone. But our defense holds, and they settle for a field goal. It's good. Three to twenty-one. They're on the board. We need an answer. We take over with under four minutes left, and we put together an eight-play drive. At the one minute mark, Lewis takes the handoff, rushes middle, for three yards. Touchdown. Bettridge kicks it through, and it's twenty-eight to three. The lead is back to twenty-five. Norfolk State gets the ball back, and they go four plays. Turnover. We take over with two seconds left in the half, and we're not done. We run a ten-play drive that carries over into the third quarter. At the ten minute mark of the third, Holstein drops back, and he finds Coleman for one yard. Touchdown. Bettridge kicks it through, and it's thirty-five to three. The half ends, and we're up by thirty-two. The play the half turned on was that interception by Hillman in the first quarter. It set the tone. It gave us the ball, and it gave us the confidence. We need to keep our foot on the gas. We need to finish this.

Q3

The third quarter starts, and we're up thirty-five to three. Norfolk State gets the ball, and they're trying to find something. Five plays. At the ten minute mark, Daniels rushes middle for no gain. Then, at the nine minute mark, he rushes right for a two-yard loss. Turnover on downs. Our defense is suffocating. We take over, and it takes five plays. Holstein drops back, and he finds Robinson for five yards. Touchdown. Bettridge kicks it through, and it's forty-two to three. The lead is now thirty-nine. Norfolk State punts. We punt. Norfolk State turns it over on downs again. Four plays, and they're done. We take over with under three minutes left in the third, and we put together a six-play drive that carries into the fourth. At the fourteen minute mark of the fourth, Geer drops back, and he finds Rollison for twelve yards. Touchdown. Bettridge kicks it through, and it's forty-nine to three. The lead is now forty-six. This is a rout. We are dominating on both sides of the ball. The defense is relentless, and the offense is efficient. We need to keep this up. We need to finish the game.

Q4

The fourth quarter starts, and we're up forty-nine to three. Norfolk State gets the ball, and they're trying to get something going. Eight plays. At the thirteen minute mark, Golmond completes a short pass to Benjamin for eleven yards. First down. They're moving. But the drive stalls, and they punt. We take over. We put together a nine-play drive. At the ten minute mark, Geer drops back, and he throws deep middle to Thurber, caught at the Norfolk State thirty-nine, for twenty-eight yards. First down. That's a big play. We're in their territory. But the drive stalls, and we settle for a field goal. Bettridge kicks it from thirty yards. Good. Fifty-two to three. The lead is now forty-nine. Norfolk State gets the ball back, and they're trying to find something. Seven plays. At the six minute mark, Casnave rushes middle for three yards. First down. They're moving. But then, at the four minute mark, Jackson drops back, and he throws one toward the middle. Rowe steps in front of it. He picks it off at the Norfolk State fifty, and he takes it fifty yards to the house. Touchdown. Messmore kicks it through, and it's fifty-nine to three. The lead is now fifty-six. Norfolk State punts. We take over with under three minutes left. Four plays. At the one minute mark, Davis takes the handoff, rushes middle, for forty-four yards. First down. We're at the Norfolk State ten. The clock runs out. The game is over.

Wrap-up

Final score: Norfolk State three, Virginia fifty-nine. We win by fifty-six. It was a complete performance. The defense was dominant, the offense was efficient, and we never let up. This is what we needed. This is what we expected. We are one and oh, and we are rolling.

By the Numbers

The Cavaliers by the numbers. Final score, Virginia 59, Norfolk State 3. 466 yards of offense to their 223, 229 through the air and 237 on the ground. 25 first downs. 4 of 8 on third down. 1 turnover for us, 3 for them. We held the ball for just over 28 minutes.

Outro

That was Norfolk State at Virginia, from the Cavaliers side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.