With the games against Ohio and Miami (OH) behind us, we have now turned our attention to the upcoming matchup against Norfolk State. The Spartans got their first win of the season this past Saturday, coming back from a 16-7 deficit at halftime to defeat Virginia State 34-31 in overtime. Although Virginia State is a DII school, the matchups have been competitive in recent years, with the Trojans defeating the Spartans in 2023, followed by the Spartans winning in 2024 and 2025. In this edition of the Opponent
Film Room series, I will be looking at the latest matchup between the two schools, which is officially known as the “Battle Of The States”.
As Andrew mentioned in his matchup preview, Norfolk State has used two quarterbacks in each of its first two games, with each one having a different playing style. Otto Kuhns is a very solid pocket passer, going 13/20 for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns against Virginia State, while Israel Carter is much more mobile, going 10/16 for 80 yards in addition to having 10 carries for 27 yards against the Trojans. Greg Schiano discussed the challenge this poses for the Scarlet Knights, as the offensive schemes are very different depending on which quarterback is in the huddle.
After Virginia State opened the game with a field goal, Norfolk State got the Trojans off the field on their next possession. But instead of receiving the ball on the ensuing punt, the Spartans blocked the punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown- something that Rutgers fans are very familiar with themselves. In a matchup where Norfolk State will be huge underdogs, they will look for every chance to gain an advantage, which obviously includes special teams.
Virginia State built a nine-point halftime lead with two touchdowns, with Rashaan Matthews Jr. connecting with Ajenavi Bird on a 41-yard pass before Donovan Howard returned a fumble 57 yards for the second score in the second quarter. Look for the Scarlet Knights to exploit Norfolk State’s secondary with long passing plays, something that Rutgers has even been able to do against much stronger MAC competition.
However, Norfolk State has shown an ability to sack the quarterback, with this sack on Matthews Jr. coming in the second quarter. One thing that tends to decide these FBS-FCS matchups much more than the talent difference is the size and strength difference, particularly in the trenches.
Rutgers has often looked very good in pass protection while completely flustering the opposing passer in previous FCS games because of the size advantages on both sides of the line, even in the years where the Scarlet Knights have struggled mightily in Big Ten play. Look for the Scarlet Knights’ offensive line to give Kaliakmanis a clean pocket while making life difficult for both Kuhns and Carter with a swarming defensive front on Saturday.
Norfolk State began to mount its comeback in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 16-10 with a field goal before Virginia State used some trickery to answer back, with wide receiver Malik Hunter finding VSU quarterback Matthews Jr. in the end zone for a touchdown. Norfolk State was undeterred, with Otto Kuhns connecting with JJ Evans for a six-yard score in the end zone to cut the lead back to six points. You can see his soft touch and accuracy as a pocket passer on this well-placed throw to the end zone.
Kuhns was not done yet, throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to DreSean Kendrick to give NSU a 24-23 lead with under nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Rashaan Matthews Jr. fired a 28-yard touchdown pass to Marquis Smith and ran in a two-point conversion to give Virginia State a 31-24 lead before the two-minute warning, but Norfolk State answered back to force overtime, with Jaylen Laudernick scoring from 33 yards out.
You can see the speed and acceleration from Laudernick on this play, with the running back juking out the first defender with a sidestep before making multiple other defenders miss with his quickness en route to the end zone for the tying score. That is the kind of talent and athleticism that could create a big play for the Spartans against the Scarlet Knights, as a run like that could present a challenge for defenders on any level.
Oftentimes, skill players on the lower levels of college football are closer in talent to the higher levels than would be expected, but the size and strength differences in the offensive and defensive lines will limit their abilities to create big plays like these. Still, Rutgers should be prepared for players like Laudernick, because that run was impressive and something similar could potentially happen at SHI Stadium, especially with the big plays that Rutgers has been giving up in the first two weeks.
After Virginia State missed a game-winning field goal from 46 yards out, Norfolk State’s defense kept VSU off the scoreboard in the first overtime, with defensive back Makai Frisby breaking up a pass on fourth down. NSU then set up kicker Evan Helfrich for a game-winning field goal, which he connected on from 29 yards away. Helfrich was named the MEAC Specialist Of The Week for his efforts, making 4 of 4 extra points and the game-winning field goal.
Something else to note is that Rutgers led Howard 17-7 at halftime in last year’s season opener before the Scarlet Knights pulled away in the second half, with backups scoring at the end of the game as Howard continued to play competitively as well until the final whistle. The Scarlet Knights have tended to start these types of games a little bit sluggishly in previous seasons, while in this season, they have tended to take their foot off the gas, although Rutgers ended the Miami (OH) game with 21 unanswered points.
With all of this being said, Norfolk State will be a heavy underdog in Piscataway. As mentioned, the difference in the offensive and defensive lines will dictate this game more than anything else, and the difference in talent at the skill positions will be noticeable as well. This will be a chance for the offense to continue to produce at a high level, while the defense should treat this as a chance to build confidence and good habits for the Big Ten season.
Defensive ends Bradley Weaver and Eric O’Neill may make a sizeable impact on the game after a quiet first couple of games to start the season. Rutgers should jump out to a sizeable early lead before halftime and get to play its backups and maybe some freshmen in the second half. Greg Schiano may look to put backup quarterback AJ Surace in the game for his first collegiate snaps, as Surace is expected to take over at the position once Kaliakmanis graduates from the program.
Expect a dominant win from the Scarlet Knights, with backups getting the chance to play, the offense humming, and the defense putting together a complete game. Rutgers should have no problem in this matchup, with a huge blackout game against the Iowa Hawkeyes to open Big Ten play set for next Friday night.
