Norfolk State leans on defensive backs’ chemistry to drive team to winning season

Norfolk State University defensive backs Devon Allen and Terron Mallory have a natural chemistry on the field while breaking up and intercepting passes for the Spartans. But regardless of who makes a big play, they celebrate each other’s accomplishments as if it’s their own.

“We care about each other on and off the field. That’s the biggest component. [He’s] more than a teammate, he’s my brother,” Mallory said. “You play different when you care about the ones to the left, right and behind you. It’s a different mentality, no selfishness.”

Norfolk State faces reigning Celebration Bowl champion Florida A&M University on Saturday at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta. The teammates, who are both on the preseason watch list for the Aeneas Williams Award, which is given to the top defensive back in Division I football at historically Black colleges and universities, hope their synergy can lead the Spartans to their first win of the season – and possibly more to come.

Off the field Allen and Mallory live in the same apartment complex on the same floor and hang out playing video games and watching film as their schedules allow. 

Mallory, a transfer from Sacred Heart University, came to Norfolk State in 2023, and immediately helped the Spartans’ defense. He and Allen bonded as they worked to find a balance between having traditional college fun and being student-athletes driven by the same hunger to win. 

“I was a transfer, so I didn’t really know much about Norfolk at the time,” Mallory said, recalling his first interaction with Allen. “I seen [Allen’s] work ethic, and I understood I had to go to work every day, make sure we try to bring out the best in each other.”

Allen, who had been a Spartan for four seasons when he met Mallory, was drawn to Mallory after seeing that he wasn’t a spoiled transfer who expected to play immediately but someone who came in and worked hard in the weight room and on the field.

“His IQ of the game is there for sure. He’s very smart. He can pick up on routes easy and pick up on concepts easy,” Allen said. “So it just comes easier when you’re playing DB with him and it’s easier for him to make plays.”

The last time Norfolk State had a winning season was in 2021, when the Spartans finished 6-5 overall but 2-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Norfolk State hasn’t made a Celebration Bowl appearance in the game’s eight-year history, but Allen hopes that will change in his final season as a Spartan. He earned Second Team All-MEAC honors last season and led the conference with 10 pass breakups in seven games. 

Mallory led the conference in interceptions last season with four. Both players earned preseason all-conference nods and are expecting to make a bigger impact for Norfolk State this season.

When coach Dawson Odums was mapping out this year’s roster, he knew that as long as Mallory and Allen were returning, Norfolk State would have the building blocks for a strong secondary.

“They give us two corners that we can trust. They’ve played a lot of snaps,” Odums said. “We got the right people on defense. … [They’ve] played a lot of snaps together, so we’re looking forward to this season.”

Having the secondary solidified allowed Odums to bulk up other areas of the defense during recruiting, such as the linebacker positions and the defensive line. 

Norfolk State cornerbacks coach Michael Johnson, who was hired in February, said inheriting Mallory and Allen has made his first few months with the Spartans a lot easier.

“Terron and Devon, they’re students of the game. So they’re not just seniors who are going through the motions,” Johnson said. “They’re older guys that have been through it. They’re constantly wanting to get better. They want to be coached.”

According to Johnson, the younger players on the team are taking notice. The duo’s willingness to learn has set the tone for the secondary group. They emphasize watching film on upcoming opponents – even the numerous transfer players a team might’ve picked up in the offseason.

“It’s been good for me because it’s refreshing just knowing your two oldest [and] experienced [players] are the ones that want to be coached,” Johnson said. ”Those type of guys are the ones that make it fun. It breeds the culture in the room of competitiveness and just being hungry to learn.”

Last year, Allen and Mallory knew the Spartans’ roster was young, with many underclassmen taking the field for the first time, but after tough losses in a humbling season they believe there has been growth.

“We have a lot of people in our defense that do the right things. … They’ve grown from [last year] for sure,” Mallory said. “They know what to do next time. They know how to come to fight, and one thing I appreciate about everybody on the team is once they got knocked down, they always got back up ready to fight again.”

Over the last few weeks, the coaching staff has been preaching the importance of discipline to their players. Allen believes a lack of discipline down the stretch was the biggest difference-maker in Norfolk State losing four one-possession games a season ago. 

“Discipline is going to carry us, so it’s going to take discipline and all the little things to finish in Atlanta,” he said.

Mallory said the team also is making sure they’re prepared for the hot and humid conditions in Atlanta.There has been an added emphasis on taking care of their bodies and conditioning.

“I’m pretty sure the other team is working hard, but we’re going to focus on what we’re doing to make sure that we work hard,” he said. “We count our pockets, not theirs.” 

The MEAC/SWAC Challenge matchup against the reigning Black college national champion offers the Spartans an opportunity to show they are a strong contender in the MEAC, Odums said. 

“They say to be the man, you got to beat the man,” Odums said. “So we got a great opportunity to start the season off against one of the better football programs in HBCU football and in the country, and to be able to say this is the year that we believe we’ve arrived. 

“We can’t just talk about it. Your actions have to be louder than your words.”