From Goat to Hero

Throughout most of the season the Delaware State Hornets special teams has been inconstant. From giving up punt/kickoff returns for touchdowns, bad snaps, and bad punts. To blocked punts, blocked field goals, missed field goals, and fumbling the football on the returns.

During Saturday's 22-20 victory over Howard, Delaware State's special teams had to deal with another tough and speedy Bison team that burned you from all angles.

Lets start with the 2nd quarter after the Hornets tied the game at 7-7. Mitchell Ward made a squib bounce kick to Howard's Richard Aiyegoro and Hornets special teams coverage couldn't catch up to Aiyegoro's speed as he went 75 yards for the score. That helped the Bison retake the lead at 14-7.

With less than 65 seconds left before halftime, DSU scored on a 80 yard drive to cut the Bison lead to 14-13 when Ward missed his 1st extra point of the season. He made 43 straight extra point prior to that miss.

Then in the 4th quarter, the Hornets cut the Howard to 20-19 when punter Marco Kano couldn't hold on to the high snap and gets tackled in a hurry by Howard's special teams defense.

So whats left for the Hornets to do? This is where Ward became a hero with less than 1:58 left:

Mitchell made a successful onside that went 10 yards when his teammate wide receiver Milton Williams used his six foot, six inch height to out jumped almost the entire the Bison special teams to recover the onside kick and give Delaware State their chance to win the game.

The Hornets started their drive at midfield and drove it all the way to the Bison four yard with one second left. So what they Ward do to make up from his two missed extra points, kicked a game winning 28 yard field goal that send Hornet fans, his family, and their football team into a celebrating frenzy. After making the game winning field goal Ward ran all the way to the other end of the endzone only to be dog piled by his teammates.

You know what, that game winning kick remind me of Peter Gardner back in 2007 when he made two game winning field goals on the road vs South Carolina State and Winston-Salem State. He also made a game tying field goal when time expired in regulation vs Norfolk State at home to forced over and we all know what happened in overtime.

A great win for Delaware State and a great win for special teams that handled pressure with the game on the line.

Balanced Offense Helped Hornets Get Their 1st Win

Back on Saturday night during the Hornets 24-22 victory over Savannah State, Delaware State offense was not one dimensional unlike the previous three games. Instead in their MEAC opener, they gained 134 yards rushing and 198 yards throwing.

The best highlights of the game was a 61 yard touchdown run by Dae Hon Cheung back in the 2nd quarter. That's something the Hornets running game needs to continue throughout the rest of the season.

In the 3rd quarter Quarterback Cory Murphy found Malik Goldson for a 53 yard scored and in the 4th quarter Murphy found Aries Scott for an insurance touchdown before Savannah State made a furious rally that was two points short.

If the Hornets can continue their balanced offensive attack for the rest of the season then the Hornets might have a winning record. Their best test is yet to come as the Hornets take on the defending MEAC champion Bethun-Cookman in Dover this Saturday.

Home Football Times Changed Again

If you did or didn't see the 2013 Delaware State Hornets football schedule several weeks ago on dsuhornets.com, then look very closely.

We all know that the Hornets first home game of the season is not until October 5th vs Bethune-Cookman but I noticed the times of the football home games have changed.

From 2008-2012 DSU home football games were changed from 12pm to 1pm. Back then during the 1970s, 80s, 90s and 2000s Hornet home football games usually kicked off at 12pm. I wonder why the sudden changes?

Maybe because of time conflicts, or something else I don't know. One thing I do know is that its all about time management and balance.

Will these times stay the way it is for next year and for the foreseeable future is yet to be seen but I hope Hornet fans will get to the game early and get their seats. That way we will not have low attendance numbers like we had the last several years.

No Surprise Here

Back on Friday during MEAC Media Luncheon Conference, the Delaware State Hornets football team is predicted to finished 8th in the MEAC Conference.

Now don't get me wrong, last year the Hornets were picked to finished 10th in the standings instead they finished tied for third at 5-3. Will this happen again this season?

To me I doubt it for two good reasons: offense and a tough schedule.

On offense, quarterback Nick Elko, and wide receivers Justin Wilson and Travis Tarplay have graduated and moved on to future endeavors in life. Now with two new quarterbacks, new wide receivers and returning running backs in Dae Hon Chenug, Malcolm Williams, and Nagee Jackson I said this Hornets offense is in for a real struggle. I have no concern about the Hornets defense yet that will be in a future blog later.

The Hornets schedule looks pretty tough just like 2009-2012. All September the Hornets will play four road games straight  starting with University of Delaware, Towson, North Dakota State and Savannah State. Their first home game is not until October 5 vs defending MEAC Champion Bethune-Cookman not to mention the Homecoming game vs Norfolk State October 12. The Hornets are going to be in a tough six game stretch that will determine their season.

Then again who knows anything can happen this season but that's up to coach Kermit Blount and his coaching staff to make all the right plays this season. That will put to the test start with training camp next Wednesday in Dover.

Hornets MEAC Tournament Preview

Well today is the day, its time for the Delaware State Men's and Women's basketball team to showcase their skills during the 2013 Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tournament here in the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. This morning at 11am the the ninth seed DSU lady hornets will play in the 1st round for the fourth straight year as they take on the number eight seed Bethune-Cookman.

In their 1st and only meeting of the season at Daytona Beach, Florida, the lady hornets blew a nine point lead but prevail in overtime 62-57 in overtime back on January 26 thanks to Jade Washington's game winning lay up with 34 seconds left and Taisha Bristow's four clutch free throws.

The lady hornets finished ninth in the MEAC at 6-10 in Tamika Louis' first year as Delaware State. She knows that her team will have their hands full especially after growing pains the Lady Hornets went through this season. Now the Lady Hornets will have dig deep in order to get to the quarter-finals to face Hampton with their best offense they can.

Think about it the lady hornets are ninth in the MEAC in scoring but their turnovers is hard to watch everytime they play  by averaging almost 21 turnovers a game.  Also their defense has been pretty rough this season finishing third to last in the MEAC in scoring defense. Ever heard of hands up defense? Tierra hawkins and Bristow is going to need a third and fourth scorer in order to help DSU and that has to be Deanna Harmon and Keyanna Tate.

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As for the DSU men's basketball team, they play a night cap as the sixth seed when they play the 11th seed Howard University.

Howard is still having nightmares after getting swept in the season series but the biggest nightmare came back on January 23 when Tahj Tate made two highlighted poster dunks that had Hornet fans going crazy. Howard will never forget and never forgive what happen on that very day. Expect the Bison to give the Hornets a fight like no other and I'm pretty sure Alphonso Leary has a defensive mind set on Tate after being on the wrong end of a poster dunk.

The Hornet men better take Howard lightly, (remember UMES and South Carolina?) or else they will be in for early elimination.

I'm pretty sure coach Greg Jackson Sr. has some new ideas on how the Hornets run this offense because trust me the slow down game will not work with Howard or any other team in the tournament if they advance that far. Also the Hornets biggest weakness is their three point shooting especially when they shoot 27% as a team during the regular season. The hornets has got to attack the paint more due to the fact that other MEAC opponents are turning DSU into a jump shooting team with no balanced scoring due to their opponents height. So what that means is this, Tate has to step up (sixth man or not), Casey Walker has to step up, Maques Oliver has to step up, Kendall Gray has to step up, Miles Bowman, has to step and the point guard of A.J. Thomas, Jabari Joyner, Khali Thomas, and Amere May has to play point guard not shooting guard in order for Delaware State to move to the quarterfinals. The winner of this game will play the third seed Hampton on Thursday night.

Good luck Delaware State, even though I won't be there in Norfolk to support in person, rest assured I will wear my Columbia blue and red today in Newark, Delaware to watch the game online on meachoops.com.

Hornets Can Put The Term "Moral Victories" To Bed For Now

Back on Saturday the Delaware State Hornets football made big plays where it matter the most in a 20-17 victory over the defending MEAC (Mid Eastern Athletic Conference) Champions Norfolk State.

In the 1st half, I thought it was going to be a back and forth game because think about it both teams really want to take their frustrations out on each other for good reasons.

For DSU after their first win of the season vs VMI at home, the Hornets were place with the term "Moral Victories" stamped on their foreheads even though they played hard to stay in the game. With 3 straight losses to in-state Rival University of Delaware, Cincinnati, and Florida A&M, DSU had a bye week to figure out a way get the victories with a W instead of losses.

For Norfolk State they are coming off some tough losses, October 6 a 14-0 shutout loss at the hands of South Carolina State, and September 15th 37-36 heartbreaking overtime lost at the hands of Howard University at home not to mention a 44-10 beatdown at the hands of Ohio University in September 22 (not Ohio State).

After a good 1st half, the Hornets were only down four 17-13 at halftime but when the 2nd half began Both teams were playing a very good defense as both teams could not connect points on offense in the 3rd quarter.

When the 4th quarter started Norfolk State was marching down the field trying to chew up as much time as they can so they scored an insurance touchdown. There was one big penalty that changed the whole game around: A Norfolk Unsportsmanlike penalty while skipping towards the endzone forces Norfolk not only 15 yards from the previous spot but the touchdown was wiped off.

Hornets did get the ball off the fumble and went on to scored the game winning touchdown by Justin Brewton with under 10 minutes left. Hornets defense kept the Spartans at bay for the rest of the game especially in the final minutes of the game when Devon Moore caught an interception to seal the deal. In all the Hornets defense force four turnovers

Now the Hornets can put the term "moral victories" to rest and concentrate on building a new winning streak. In fact that bye week helped the Hornets greatly and ready to improve their winning ways vs South Carolina State. A tough test indeed but that game will prove to tell who the Hornets are really are, a moral victory team or a team to be reckon with.

Chenug Gave Hornets Running Game A Spark

Remember last year when the Delaware State Hornets football team almost had no running game all season? Remember that same football team that was in the bottom three of the FCS (Football Championship Sub-Division) when it comes to rushing yards?

Well during the past two games the Hornets running game is getting so good so far. Back on September 15, Malcolm Williams ran for 120 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort vs Cincinnati before hurting his ankle.

Now fast forward to Saturday night when Dae-Hon Chenug made his 1st ever start in a Hornet uniform in place of the injured Williams and man did he made a big impact rushing for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort vs Florida A&M.

In the 1st half, Chenug was making first down after first down finding holes through the defense with help from his offensive line and helping the Hornets keep their drive alive by scoring on the opening drive of the game from 10 yards out. He finished with 100 yards in the 1st half, and it was impressive. In the 2nd half though Cheung was held to 38 yards in the 2nd half due to Nick Elko's passing attack because DSU was down by 11 points early in the 3rd quarter. However Chenug did scored another touchdown from 22 yards out to help out the scoring can cut the rattler lead down to a one score game.

Chenug wasn't the only Hornet running back that contribute rushing yards, Nagee Jackson scored a 5 yard touchdown run to help cut the FAMU lead to two in the fourth quarter and Quadir Bryant had 3 carries for 15, Elko had an extra eight yards rushing respectively.

If the Hornets running game continues to improve for the rest of the season then this Hornets team will be the real deal.

Hornets Defense Gave Cincinnati Problems

Even in a losing effort vs the University of Cincinnati on ESPN3.com Saturday night, I applaud the Delaware State Hornets defense throughout the entire.

Sure once again the Hornets defense gave up 467 yards and allowed a 100 yard runner for the second time this season, but this Hornets defense is improving a lot compared to last year especially in a tough non-conference schedule through the first three games.

The Hornets defense forced not one, not two, not threw, but six turnovers. Let me say that again six turnovers.

In the first half , Bearcat quarterback Muchie Legaux threw his first interception to Cameron Judge for Cincinnati's first turnover of the game. The other two were fumbles, one by Anthony McClung who was running into the endzone before Joe Boyd knocked the football away from McCluung as it rolls into the back of the endzone for a touchback. Finally Travis Kelce fumbled the ball by Olusegun Ayanbiola inside the DSU 35 yard line.

In the 2nd half, inside the redzone, Legaux threw another interception this time at the hands of Devon Morre, then as the Bearcats were driving again, Legaux fumbles the football after the sack inside the redzone, and finally Legaux gets sacked again by Ayanbiola again at the DSU 34 and lost the football at the progress.

Speaking of sacks, the Hornets swarming defense added two sacks to grow more frustration from the Cincinnati coaches, players, and fans who assume that this game was a cake walk. One things for sure that this was not the same Cincinnati Bearcats team that destroyed Pittsburgh back on September 6.

The only bad news I can say about this game is that Delaware State couldn't capitalize those six turnovers into points. DSU had chances don't get me wrong but the Hornets offense were quiet for most of the game but there was a bright spot by Malcolm Williams' 60 yard touchdown run to cut the lead 20-7 before the Bearcats seal the game with a field goal late in the 4th quarter.

Coach Kermitt Blount was proud of his team for fighting hard and keeping the game close as possible. Now the Hornets will have dig deep because they begin their MEAC schedule with Florida A&M on September 22 at home.

The Hit That Will Be Talk About

Even though the Hornets lost the Route 1 rivalry vs the University of Delaware back on Saturday on the NBC Sports Network, the Hornets wanted to send a message to the Blue Hens that will make them something to remember by.

Back in the 2nd quarter, the Blue Hens was in DSU territory when the Hornets' Davon Morre put a "hit stick" on UD's wide receiver Rob Jones. I know me and other Hornet fans that were watching this was like, "Whoa he hit him in the mustache uh-oh!!!!"

To me and other Hornet fans that was a clean hit, but the refrees and UD fans see it other wise as Morre was flagged for unnecessary roughness.

After that penalty, UD took serveal more plays to scored another touchdown to take a 28-7 lead.

Some of the Blue Hen fans says that DSU is a dirty team after that hit. Dirty team? Don't make me laugh. The officials made a bailout call to have UD give time to have an extra set of downs. I mean come on how you can tackle player, play touch/flag football.

I know safety is the main issue for football players but some times you will get beaten, battered, and bruised. That's the way a football game goes and besides what a better way to play defense? Hmmm answer that question.

That Moore hit reminds me of other linebackers that can make opponents in the mustache  like Russell "the hitman" Reeves, Jamal Trout, and Kelly "Spade" Rouse to name a few.

With that hit that Devon made, DSU made their message loud and clear that DSU are not pushovers and will play you tough and will be here to stay for the Route 1 Rivalry whether if its a one side affair or not.

Super Nick Saves The Day

(In my Mikey Day voice) Ayo Nick, Ayo Nick, Ayo Nick, Ayo Nick.

That was the expression I was using during the Hornets 17-10 home victory over Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in which Nick Elko scored the game winning touchdown with less than 45 seconds left in the 4th quarter.

Elko was calm cool and collected throughout the whole game despite getting sacked three times and making a few mistakes. So what did Elko do to make up for those few mistakes and three sacks? Here's what Elko did before putting on the Superman cape:

• With 42 seconds left before halftime, Elko lead the Hornets to a eight play 80 yard drive including a 26 yard touchdown pass to Travis Tarplay to give the Hornets a 10-0 halftime lead. Elko was six-for-seven for 79 yards during that drive.
• After VMI tied the game at 10-10 with a 22 yard field goal by John Sexton with 2:32 left in the 4th quarter, Nick Elko once again delivered completing a five yard pass to Justin Wilson to the VMI 39.
• After a VMI penalty, the Hornets moved closer to the Keydets' 26. Two plays later Elki found Tarplay for 14 yards to the VMI 12.
• It was second and goal and DSU is at the VMI 4 yard line, Elko took the snap, fake the hand off  and went to the right side of the field untouched for the game winning touchdown.

It was bootleg play design by Coach Kermitt Blount and Elko, a play that proved effective in order for the hornets to win their 1st game of the season. I hope Elko can make more bootleg plays throughout most of the season so that way their opponents will get dazed and confused.

Hornets Football on TV and Online

Even though 1290AM The Ticket (WTXX) will not be broadcasting any Hornet football games this season, you can catch three Hornet games on your television sets and on the worldwide web.

Last year  Hornets Football  were not on TV or any website for Hornet fans to watch.

Hornet fans mark your calenders for:

September 8: DSU vs University of Delaware game starts at 3:30pm on the NBC Sports Network

September 15: DSU vs Cincinnati game starts at 7pm online on ESPN3.com

October 25: DSU vs Morgan State game starts at 7:30pm on ESPNU

With those three games it is very hard to tell if the Hornets can perform well in front a national television/internet audience.

Hornets Training Camp Day 1

Earlier today, the Delaware State Hornets football team begin their 1st day of training camp and the theme for this training camp according to head coach Kermit Blount is to develop strong team chemistry.

About 30 new players came to Hornets training camp today and they very excited to get started and ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.

Highlight from day 1 of training camp included station to station drills, 7-on-7, and special teams activities.

Coach Blount told dsuhornets.com that each practice will be very critical to everyone because they have a very tough schedule to deal with starting with the 1st game of the year vs Virgina Military Institute September 1 at home.

DSU vs UD Again in Hoops This Winter

Even though the Delaware State Men's Basketball schedule has not been release until later in August I took a stroll to the University of Delaware's sports websites (bluehens.com) and found out that DSU will play UD once again in the battle of the 1st state in Newark, Delaware on December 8.

The last time these two teams played in Newark was December 11, 2010 when the Blue Hens beat the Hornets 61-50. The was the year of the free falling Hornets at that time.

Last year here in Dover it was the 1st and only meeting between the Threatt brothers Jay and Jarvis but Jarvis' Blue Hens had the last laugh on the Hornets 58-42. Doing that game the Hornets struggled out of the game and couldn't recover and to make matters worst the Hornets played without their starter Tahj Tate due to suspension.

The hornets 1st and only win versus the Blue Hens was here at home when DSU won 75-67 thanks to Frisco Sandidge's career high of 26 points. Throughout most of the second half Delaware State went to the free throw line 37 times in order to secured the victory.

This year will be different Tahj Tate will get to play the Blue Hens for the 1st time in his career and hopefully the game will be completely different. Until then only time will on how the 2012-2013 season will be for coach Greg Jackson Sr. and his fellow Hornets.

DSU's MEAC Tournament Preview

Well, well Hornet fans here we are at the 2012 MEAC Tournament from The Joel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Sadly this will be the final year that Winston-Salem will host the MEAC Tournament because last month the MEAC Conference announced that the tournament will be held in Norfolk, Virginia next year through 2015.

Now, on to this week, starting tonight, the Delaware State Lady Hornets basketball team will play in the 1st round game versus the same team they beat last Thursday in a buzzer-beater wire to wire victory: South Carolina State University. I can tell South Carolina State is still fuming from their lost last week and will do what ever they can get their payback.

As for the lady hornets they are entering the MEAC riding a two game winning streak and looking to go for third straight win. If the lady hornets want to move on to the quarterfinals versus Howard, they will have make very good offensive plays especially when the shot clock is running down. Limit their turnovers because they make double-digit turnovers in almost every game win or lose, bring their defensive pressure to another level without fouling, and of course rebound, rebound rebound.

On to the Hornets men's basketball team, their quarterfinal game will not be until Thursday night. The #3 seed Hornets is probability still stinging from last Monday's bizarre controversial lost at the hands of Morgan State. They wish they were they were either the #2 seed or #1 seed if it wasn't for a technical foul that was called against the fans, the Hornets would stay in the race with one game left.

However, after last Thursday's win versus South Carolina State, coach Greg Jackson Sr. notices something was wrong with this picture, the Hornets were playing lazy on defense and not rebounding the ball because the Bulldogs made offensive rebounds and scoring second chance points. That is something that coach Jackson does not want to see happen in the MEAC Tournament. DSU will play their quarerfinal versus either Coppin State or Florida A&M Thursday night. I will like to see the Hornets play Florida A&M, because Coppin State is very good this season at three point shooting. Also remember back on February 11, the Hornets were down by double digits before Marques Oliver's game winning three point play help the Hornets win at the buzzer in Baltimore.

The key plays for DSU is similar to the lady hornets, limit their turnovers, make very good offensive plays with the shot clock running down, score points in the paint, cut down on the three point shots, plays very good defense without fouling, make your free throws, and rebound, rebound rebound. I don't know why I kept saying rebound like I'm a cheerleader but its the truth.

Also one more key play for both the DSU men's and women's basketball teams: will their bench production be enough to win the tournament? There's only way to find out and it begins tonight. Good luck to the Delaware State men's and women's basketball team in the MEAC Tournament. Let the madness begin. HORNETS!!!

Winning at the Right Time; Refuse to Quit

Even though the Hornets eight game winning streak came to an end on Saturday night at the hands of Gardner-Webb, the Delaware State men's basketball team is maturing and hitting all the right notes.

After suffering back to back heartbreaking defeats at the hands of University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Bethune-Cookman at home back in January, DSU were saying to themselves enough is enough.

DSU broke a eight game losing streak by beating Florida A&M at home by 14 on January 23rd, and since then the wins kept piling up:

-defeated North Carolina Central by 6 in their only meeting of the season

-held North Carolina A&T to one field goal over the final 13 minutes to win by 13 points in front a tough crowd of The Dawg Pound

-Hornets made a big statement at home vs 1st place Norfolk State without starters Tahj Tate and Kendall Gray due to injuries by winning by 17 points and kept MEAC pre-season player of the year Kyle O'Quinn in check

-DSU made another big statement by defeating the MEAC Tournament champion Hampton in a rivalry game building momentum for their five game road trip

The road trip was full of comebacks, defense, and fantastic finishes at the buzzer:

-Down 12 points to Coppin State with 4:57 left in the 2nd half, Delaware State went on a furious rally, by going a 13-3 run including a poster dunk by Tahj Tate and a game winning three point play (layup & free throw) by Marcus Oliver to complete the comeback leaving the Golden Eagle crowd stunned

-Down 11 points to Morgan State with under 10 minutes left DSU went on a 12-2 run to cut the lead the lead to one point. Then Marcus Oliver delivers again with the game winning tip shot at the buzzer leaving Bears fans crowd stunned

-Norfolk State was en route to winning the game at home but the Hornets stay in the game throughout the 2nd half. In the final seconds, Tyshawn Bell game winning three point shot was misfired until Tate's game tying put back forced overtime. During that overtime period, DSU outscored Norfolk State 14-4 to win the game by 10 points.

Coach Greg Jackson Sr. and his coaching staff is proud of his for their maturely and their defensive pressure since January. Still the Hornets have a long way to go in the regular season and heading into the MEAC Tournament come March 6th. The Hornets are playing with passion, pride, and giving MEAC teams a fight on every given night with chemistry.

Delaware State really miss Kendall Gray due to a knee injury and hoping he will be back for the MEAC Tournament. In the meantime Delaware State needs to fix some things as they start a new winning streak, start the game strong and finish strong, make your free throws down the stretch, and rebound, rebound, rebound.

Also DSU's main guys of Jay Threatt, Casey Walker, Oliver, Tate, James Marcellus, and Tyshawn Bell were playing a lot of minutes during their winning streak. That can only mean one thing, the bench production needs to step up in a huge because if not they will be in a lot of trouble.

A Nightmarish Road Trip

This is one nightmare that the Delaware State Hornets football team would like to forget. They went from 2-0 to losing three straight games to fall to 2-3 and it could get a whole lot worse if the Hornets don't find the answers and produce a decent season.

Lets face it, the Hornets were playing against three very tough schools, two MEAC Champions (South Carolina State and Florida A&M) and a NCAA National Champion runner up (University of Delaware). I was hoping DSU will give these schools a fight, instead these three school treated DSU like pushovers and made their victories into blow out laughers.

These stats made my eyes hurt so bad, that I had to drink some Vitamin A carrot juice just to realize what just happened. The Hornets were getting outscored by their opponents 148-7 and offense were just making too many mistakes making over 10 turnovers during that grueling road trip. Also injuries to the offensive line played a key part in a Hornets offensive woes including Jasshawn Jones not rushing for 100 yards yet this season, and without Justin Wilson, the rest of the wide receivers are forced to step and make plays but short passes and slants will not help the Hornets make scoring drives.

The defense once again were on the field for a long time, not to mention leaving huge gaps for their opponents to make 1st downs, gained a chunk of yards leading them to scoring points left and right. Also there was lack of communication in the secondary that needs to be fixed and now there is a huge gap in the linebacker position as Matt Spicer is out for the season due to a knee injury.

Head Coach Kermitt Blount knows that the Hornets are battered and bruise but they have to correct the mistakes quickly because they will take on 1st place Norfolk State later today at home. I will say this, if the Hornets don't find a way to get out of a funk, score touchdowns, make the right plays, and win games then they will be in for a long season. Also the nightmare of misery and another losing season will be lurking around the corner, but for this Hornets team, its a learning tool to live on.

Blue Hens Gave Hornets a Reality Check

Last night, the Delaware State Hornets football team were ready to play the University of Delaware and hoping to give the Blue Hens a fight just like their first regular season meeting back in 2009. Instead, the Blue Hens were playing like it was November 2007 in a 45-0 victory over DSU.

All week long everyone thought that the Hornets and the Blue Hens will play a close game, however UD proved to DSU that they have a lot of work to do to be on UD's level.

Last night UD were heading into the game ranked #8 in the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) Rankings came right out the gates and showed the Hornets no mercy whats so ever.

DSU were out the sync from the start. The offense wasn't clicking all night because Justin Wilson wasn't playing due to a bad ankle, Darruis Jackson, Travis Tarplay was a non-factor, the running game from Jasshawn Jones was held to nine yards rushing the entire game and Nick Elko making two of the Hornets three turnovers. Also the defense were getting gunned down all over the field giving over 500+ yards, almost half of those yards involved the running game played by UD's running backs Walter Davis (109 yards rushing) and Andrew Pierce (106 yards rushing). Not to mention taking the DSU crowd out of the game.

As I watch the game while the Blue Hens were piling up the points, it almost felt like the playoff game of November 2007 when Joe Flacco, Omar Cuff, and the rest of the Blue Hens ran DSU out of the building in the Al Lavan era. Last night was similar only DSU did not scored a touchdown.

I thought the Hornets were ready to play the Blue Hens, instead they played slow couldn't pressure the quarterback, creating hole in their run defense, miscommunication in the secondary, and the offense couldn't even get pass their own 40 yard line let alone the UD 40 yard. Also the special teams couldn't return their kicks pass their own 20 yard to start their drive.

The Hornets will learned from this game and say to themselves that they have a long way to go in order to get on UD's playing level. They will meet again next year and 2013. For head coach Kermmit Blount it will be a good experience and teach the Hornets the problems they will have to solve throughout the rest of the season. After all the Hornets are still trying to forget the three straight losing seasons full of frustration and adversary.

As for the now UD, has turned DSU from contenders to pretenders for their 1st lost of the season.

A Saturday Night Miracle

If you were at Alumni Stadium or listened to the game on 1290AM The Ticket, then you witnessed one of the greatest comeback in Delaware State football history. Ok, try second biggest comeback that I know of. (1st comeback November 2007 DSU's comeback win over Norfolk State).

On a bizarre Saturday night the Hornets were at their home opener versus Division II Shaw of the CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association). I had a feeling this will warm up game to prepared and gain momentum for their encounter with the University of Delaware on September 17.

As I listened to the game on the radio, DSU was in a whole lot of trouble for three quarters. Nick Elko was throwing three interceptions, wide receivers not making the plays they wanted, running game on thin ice, defense couldn't stop Shaw's offense attack down the field, and special teams not doing their jobs on coverage, missing field goals, and missing extra points.

All of sudden the defense woke by making sacks, causing Shaw to fumble and forcing the Bears to punt, make very dumb penalties, and lose control of the game.

Hornets started making first downs, driving the ball down the field and scoring touchdowns to get closer including a very key two point conversion . Then, with less than minute left the Hornets were hoping to tied the game or take the lead until rain started to fall down and winds were picking up 10-15 mph. The Hornets missed the 32 yard field goal and all hope seems lost. Fans were getting ready to head for the exits and sitting in my house saying to myself, "Man, I wish I was at the Hornets game then they will have a chance to win the game."

Shaw was getting ready to celebrate because all they need is make a couple of kneel downs and the game will be theirs. Instead Shaw decide to run the football to chew the time off the clock and lost the football in the progress.

The Hornets have the ball back and was getting ready for their final chance of winning the ball game and they accomplished that drive thanks to Darius Jackson's game winning touchdown catch. Hornets fans went crazy, the Hornets broadcasters were excited, I was at home screaming "YES!!!" from the top of my lungs as the Hornets came back from 24-6 deficit to win 31-27. It was a Saturday miracle that the Hornets will never forget and lesson to be learned that no matter how far get beat down, you never give up and achieve your ultimate goal to victory and that's what Coach Kermitt Blount and the Hornet did. One thing the Hornets will do is to learned from their mistakes, make up from those mistakes and Staying Alive (in my Bee Gees' voice).

Hornets Finished the Job When It Counts

Doing the Hornets 24-21 victory over VMI (Virginia Military Institution), DSU accomplished two goals: one, to make plays when it counts to score espically the red zone and second, to hold on to the lead to win the 4th quarter.

Lets start with the swarming defense of the Hornets, they kept the Keydets at bay swatting down balls left and right, stalling drives, and even forcing four turnovers. They very key play of the game came late in the 4th quarter when VMI went on a 4th and 10 from their own 20 yard and forced the Keydete to turn the ball over on downs. Despite only one sack, the defense was solid but need to clean up the defensive penalties and giving up over 300+ yards. Other than that, defensive coordinator Michael Ketuchum did a good job of not letting defense stay on the field for a very long time allowing the offense to score points.

On the offensive side of the ball, the game belong to the preseason MEAC Player of the Year Justin Wilson. He finished with six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Just like in training camp and practice from last year, Nick Elko's chemistry with Wilson was clicking on all cylinders making plays including a 47 yard touchdown catch late in the 3rd quarter. Also I can't forget Travis Tarplay who also made a diving touchdown catch back in the 1st half to help out the scoring. Nick Elko made great throws without making a turnover (remember Anthony Galud's turnover problem from last season).  The running game was okay but made big 1st downs late in crunch time to run out the clock because VMI were out of timeouts.

The offense don't need to be pass happy, just balanced out the offense with running the football and then pass the football. Try over 100 yards running and 250-300 yards passing. Also catch the football because there more than five drop passes from our wide receivers. Secure the football or it will  come back will to bite you.

Special teams were average today because on the opening kickoff Tarplay fumbled the football and lost it. Punter Michael Kano first punt only went 11 yards and coach Kermit Blount gave Kano an earful. Since then, Kano calm down punted the football deep into VMI territory. My biggest concern was the field goal kickers. In the first quarter, the extra point was missed and I was saying to myself, "Oh no here we go again." After that DSU used two place kickers to get extra points and freshman Mitchell Ward made a huge 24 yard field goal early in the 4th quarter to extend the lead.

Overall Blount and the Hornets played very but remember its only the 1st game of the season and with a little stuff to clean up, expect some positive results coming from the Hornets football team.