Norfolk State head coach Michael Vick met with reporters Tuesday for the first time since the Spartans' crushing 29-28 loss to North Carolina Central, a defeat that put the program in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons after a win slipped away in the closing moments.

Holding a 28-23 lead Saturday, Norfolk State had the opportunity to drain the clock to roughly 14 seconds before punting back to the Eagles and potentially pinning them deep in their own territory. Vick insisted after the game that he had called for victory formation, only to look up and see his team running a live play. On Tuesday, he clarified that the plan was to use what he called an extended victory formation, which would have burned most of the remaining time and allowed the Spartans to shift into a prevent defense by the time NCCU got the ball back.

Vick framed the painful sequence as part of his growth as a head coach. "I'm glad that it happened because we're going to be in those situations again," he said. "We're going to be winning football games again and we're going to have to go into victory or extended victory and I think it's something I learned from and a lesson that will last hopefully for a lifetime of coaching."

"I think it's part of the process in real time," he added. "To get those type of reps, it's invaluable for me. Playing it back in my head over the last two days, just learning so much from it."

The coach made clear there would be no staff or personnel changes stemming from the incident. "Everybody makes mistakes," Vick said. "I made a mistake in that situation. I should've been more on top of it, I should've played the procedure better, but I won't beat myself up about it because I understood the situation of what was going to happen and you can't automatically assume that everybody's on the same page. You've got to talk through those situations and make sure that everybody understands what's happening."

Vick said he and his staff have held multiple conversations during three days of soul searching, including positive discussions with offensive coordinator Brian Sheppard. "I enjoy working with Coach Shepp," he said. "I think Coach Shepp is an extremely hard worker, great understanding of the game. We have great energy, we work hard together. We both made a mistake. I made a mistake. Shepp, in terms of his thinking and how he was trying to finish the game on the field, taking the knee and getting the first down, that's a fair scenario."

While fans and observers have searched for someone to blame for the miscommunication, Vick firmly shielded quarterback Deljay Bailey from criticism. "That was not Deljay's call," he declared. "He didn't make that call. He didn't call the play."

With the debacle seemingly behind them, the Spartans now turn their focus to their final road game at Morgan State. One of the two programs will come away with its first conference victory of 2026, and Norfolk State will be trying to snap a four-game losing streak against Division I competition.

"We've got to finish strong," Vick said. "I think that's the message, whether at home or on the road. Find a way to win, find a way to get it done." Norfolk State and Morgan State are set to kick off at noon Saturday on the Bears' home field.