Norfolk State Preview

We are eleven weeks away from the start of the college football season and we continue our previews with Norfolk State.

Head Coach: Latrell Scott 4th year (record: 12-21)

2017 Record: 4-7

Conference: MEAC

The last time the Spartans had a winning season, it was 2011 and the state only had 2 FBS programs. Norfolk State finished the regular season 9-2, with their only FCS loss to Bethune Cookman. Their season ended with a first round loss in the FCS playoffs to Old Dominion. However, the Spartans have yet to win more than 4 games since that performance from 7 years ago. Head coach Latrell Scott is in his 4th year with the MEAC program and has won 4 games in each season.

Key losses from 2017:

Chris Lee - DL

Lee was one of the most talented players, for the green and gold. A 3 year starter, he led the team in sacks last season with 5.5, and tackles for loss with 11.5. Additionally, he racked up 55 tackles, and was a dominant force against the run. To cap off a great collegiate career, Lee was named to the first team ALL-MEAC.

Anthony Smith - LB

Coming out of high-school, Anthony Smith only had one football opportunity: to play for Norfolk State as a preferred walk-on. Every once in a while, a walk-on will make a team but their expectations are typically slim. Yet, you would be hard-pressed to find a more versatile LB. In 2017, he led the team in tackles with 115, had 3 interceptions, 7 deflections, a forced fumble, and had 4 pass break-ups.

Key returnees from 2017:

Marcus Taylor - WR

When Norfolk State offered Marcus Taylor a scholarship, they did so with the intention that he would play running back. However, it wasn't long before Latrell Scott realized that Taylor would provide much more value as a receiver. Last year, Taylor led the team in receptions (60), receiving yards (629), and receiving TD's (5). You would be mistaken to view Taylor as just a passing threat though. His contributions on special teams were just as valuable. He averaged nearly 25 yards per kick return and took one back for a TD.

Juwan Carter - QB

In just 8 games, true-freshman QB , Juwan Carter, threw for 13 TD's and nearly 2,000 yards.

To start off the 2017 season, Carter split time at QB with Tripp Harrington. After just three games (and three losses), Carter won the job outright...as a true freshman. In his first game as a starter, he three for 289 yards, 2 TD's and completed 60%, en-route to a 17-7 win over Delaware State. He would finish the season throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and 13 TD's, while also gaining 139 yards and 2 TD's on the ground. His dual-threat ability gives the Spartans a presence they didn't have in three of their seven losses.

JT Wahee - DB

As a sophomore in 2017, Wahee proved his ability to be a lock-down corner for Latrell Scott's defense. He finished the year with 5 pass-breakups, 4 interceptions, 9 pass deflections and 52 tackles. In just his second year, he was named to third-team All-MEAC.

2018 Schedule:

Sept. 1, Virginia State

Sept. 8, James Madison

Sept. 15, at Liberty

Sept. 22, at South Carolina State

Sept. 29, Delaware State

Oct. 6, at Florida A&M

Oct. 20, North Carolina Central

Oct. 27, at Savannah State

Nov. 3, at North Carolina A&T

Nov. 10, Howard

Nov. 17, Morgan State

At first glance, this schedule looks mostly workable but it should be noted the Spartans lost to Virginia State, a division 2 team, last season. James Madison finished 2017 with a 17-13 loss in the FCS championship, and NC A&T finished 14-0 with a win in the Celebration bowl. Meanwhile, Liberty starts their first year in FBS transition. So, those three games will be very difficult for Latrell Scott's squad to win. On the other hand, if the Juwan Carter / Marcus Taylor combo lives up to the hype, their certainly capable of an upset.

Offensive Outlook:

I think this begins and ends with Juwan Carter. As a true-freshman in 2017, he showed a lot of promise. Now that he's a returning starter, the expectations rise. Last year, Norfolk State's rushing offense ranked 112th in FCS. Carter's ability to run a dual-threat offense *should* open up the door for the running game. If it does, they could be dangerous. Last year, the Spartans offense ranked 117th, averaging under 300 yards per game. Fortunately, the only direction to go is up.

Defensive Outlook:

Losing two key players from last year's squad will force Defensive Coordinator, Matt Dawson, to get creative. His defense ranked 98th last season, and was particularly bad on 3rd down, allowing conversions 45% of the time. The good news is that despite losing Chris Lee and Anthony Smith, they do return 8 starters from last year's defensive unit.

Prediction:

In his fourth year with the Spartans, Latrell Scott is likely on the hot-seat entering this year. He finally has, not just a capable QB but, a good starting QB and a star receiver. I don't believe they match up well with JMU or NC A&T. However, their match with Liberty is actually quite winnable, as the Flames will be coming off physical games against ODU and Army. Additionally, save NC A&T, and the rest of the MEAC is very beatable. This won't be as magical as 2011, but I do believe Norfolk State will see drastic improvement in 2018.

Breakdown:

Virginia State - Win

James Madison - Loss

Liberty - Loss

South Carolina State - Win

Delaware State - Win

Florida A&M - Win

North Carolina Central - Loss

Savannah State - Win

North Carolina A&T - Loss

Howard - Loss

Morgan State - Win

Record: 6-5