Earlier this week, I spoke with Chris Carlson, The Virginian-Pilot's Norfolk State football beat reporter, about some of the Spartans' strengths and what they're expecting from Ohio Saturday. Here's the transcript of our conversation, edited for content and clarity.
The Post: Several FCS squads have made a splash against BCS teams this season. Has that given Norfolk State an extra spark in its preparation?
Carlson: “I don’t know if Norfolk State needed the upsets this year to have extra motivation. They’ve played I-A teams the past two years, and went into halftime against Rutgers trailing just 6-0 in 2010 and actually led West Virginia at halftime last year. So they’re taking a lot of pride from those past performance and hanging in against teams that are arguably better than Ohio for at least a half. Like most (FCS) teams, they’ve got run over in the second half and run out of steam, but they do feel like they can play with anyone. I think if anything, if they’re close after the first half, that’s not going to be enough. They know that they’re going to have to keep going, keep playing, and they’re not going to go home feeling good about one half. Obviously, staying close for a half with Ohio is a different equation.”
The Post: Ohio allowed Marshall to rack up two quick touchdowns last week, and has had trouble coming out strong in the first quarter. Have the Spartans targeted that at all, and do you think that gives them even a hint of an edge early in the game?
Carlson: “I don’t know if that’s something they’re thinking about. They’ve started slow, so they’re going to be emphasizing getting off to a good start. They fell behind. 30-0 last week before going to overtime and losing on an extra point, so they’re focus is going to be getting off to a good start anyway. Any time you have a guarantee game, the only way the team that’s not supposed to win has a chance is to get up early on the bigger school to get them feeling the pressure, have something weird happen and (have) things snowball from there.
The Post: There are several players that contribute relatively modestly out of the backfield for the Spartans. What can we expect from Norfolk State's running back corps?
Carlson: They started the season with three guys and weren’t sure who they were going to use. Takeem Hedgeman and Randy Maynes were a couple guys who were seniors and had experience. (Coach) Pete Adrian always favors older players early in the season, but Maynes had strep throat at Liberty in week two and Brenden Riddick ripped off a 150-yard game. He’s really emerged as the standout tailback they’re going to try to ride. He didn’t play great against Howard (last week,) and he’s not exactly a burner — in a game like this you probably figure Norfolk State needs big plays, so it’s a matchup that I think is ok for Ohio. Riddick is kind of a physical running back, he likes to try to break tackles, but Ohio’s the physically superior team.
The Post: Saturday will be the biggest game Norfolk State quarterback Nick Flores has played in as a starter. How do you expect him to stand up to Ohio's defensive line and the pressure that comes with playing on a bigger stage, so to speak?
Carlson: He’s a transfer from Central Florida. He went there as a quarterback-slash-athlete. Like a lot of those guys because coaches don’t like to tell them that they’re more ‘athlete’ than ‘quarterback,’ he got switched to receiver and didn’t like it. He came to Norfolk State to play quarterback, spent a year on the bench and this is his first year really starting since high school. His first two games he was kind of shaky, and even in the first half against Howard last week he was very shaky. He came out and ended up throwing for 387 yards and four touchdowns to rally the team back from 30-7 with the best half of football he’s played for them. You really don’t know what you’re going to get from him because he’s only really thrown the ball well for one half of football.
The Post: It's up to Flores to distribute the ball, but if he's able to get decent passes off, who are his main targets?
Carlson: Wide receiver Xavier Boyce is a player who transferred from Virginia Tech, so he does have that BCS-level talent. He’s a big, tall guy … He’s very strong and breaks tackles. They also have an interesting tight end, Joe Hawkins, who caught five passes for 78 yards last week. They like to use their tight end a lot. He’s a big, athletic kid who’s a junior and could be one of those guys who gets NFL looks next year. They have some big play guys who have a lot of speed but not necessarily size in Derrick Demps and Keith Johnson. Demps caught five passes for 123 yards to help out with that comeback last week. They don’t really have a go-to guy, but they have three guys who are very good on that (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) level.
The Post: The Spartans will likely have their hands full with Ohio's offense. Defensively, what is Norfolk State's strength?
Carlson: The biggest chance (Norfolk State has) is on the defensive side, but that’s where the big worry is too. Norfolk State’s strength is in their outside linebackers. They have one guy, Jamal Giddens, who they think will get some NFL looks next year. He has forced three fumbles in three games. They have another guy, Linden Trail, who is a transfer from Florida who has looked really good lately — again, another kid with BCS-level talent, at least coming out of high school. And they have a third outside linebacker that looks very good, Terrence Pugh, who is more of a steady senior, but had 11 tackles last week. If they can somehow keep Ohio in third-and-long situations, they like to put as many of those guys on the field as possible and put a lot of speed out there. Their best bet is probably getting a fumble or putting so much pressure on Tyler Tettleton that he throws a bad pass, taking something back for a score or something fluky like that happening. That’s the best way I think they’ll stay in the game.
The Post: I know you're making the trip to Peden Stadium Saturday. How do you expect the game to end up?
Carlson: I will certainly take Ohio. I think Norfolk State’s a little angry and disappointed with the way they play against Howard. Let’s assume Ohio is maybe going to take things a little easier on them in the first half and not necessarily be ready to play right away. I still think Ohio wins something like 37-10.
Jim Ryan is the assistant sports editor of The Post. Follow him and The Post Sports on Twitter for Ohio football coverage, and feel free to email him at jr992810@ohiou.edu.
