Norfolk State head coach Michael Vick isn’t blaming his offensive coordinator for the late-game confusion that helped put the Spartans in position to suffer a heartbreaking 29-28 loss to North Carolina Central on Saturday.

Instead, Vick says the responsibility falls squarely on his shoulders.

Vick explained on Monday that a miscommunication between him and offensive coordinator Brian Sheppard led to different understandings of how Norfolk State should handle its final offensive possession.

With approximately 1:30 remaining and the Spartans facing second-and-4, Vick believed the team was preparing to enter victory formation and run out the clock. However, after putting down his headset, he wasn’t aware that the offensive coordinator had a different plan.

The coordinator wanted Norfolk State to pick up another first down, run another play and keep the offense on the field to finish the game.

Vick said he understood the reasoning behind that approach but acknowledged that he failed to communicate his expectations.

“I put the headset down, which was my mistake first and foremost,” Vick said. “The one thing I learned is to stay on the headset, stay communicating, and not think that the game is over.”

According to Vick, his preferred approach was to take two knees, allow the clock to run down to approximately 18 seconds and then punt the ball back to NC Central. The Eagles would have been forced to cover roughly 80 yards with very little time remaining.

Instead, the lack of communication left the coaching staff operating with different strategies during a critical moment.

Vick was particularly adamant that his offensive coordinator shouldn’t shoulder the blame.

“That’s not his mistake. That’s my mistake for not staying on the headset and communicating what needs to happen up to the very second,” Vick said.

The first-year Norfolk State coach also acknowledged that his emotional reaction immediately after the game contributed to the situation, particularly when he repeatedly said he had called for victory formation.

“If I ask my players to play all the way to the very end, to the clock strike triple zero, then I got to coach until the clock strike triple zero,” Vick said. “So that’s on me. It’s not on him.”

Vick also defended his offensive coordinator’s performance, pointing out that the Spartans scored 30 points and praising the overall game plan.

“He called an amazing game. He scored 30 points. Called a great game,” Vick said.

Ultimately, Vick’s explanation centered on a lesson in communication and game management. While Norfolk State came within one point of beating NC Central, the coach made it clear that he wasn’t going to use his coordinator as a scapegoat for a situation he believes he should have managed differently.