After years of anticipation for the in-state match up, the Delaware State Hornets will face the University of Delaware in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Friday, Nov. 23 at 1:30 p.m. at Delaware Stadium in Newark, DE.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The Hornets earned their first trip to the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs after securing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) football title with an unblemished (8-0) conference record, 10-1 overall. The Blue Hens earned an at-large bid, finishing the regular season with an 8-3 overall record and 5-3 finish in the southern division of the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA).
Delaware State head coach Al Lavan was interviewed during the live selection show on ESPNU and expressed excitement about the Hornets opportunity in the FCS playoffs.
“It feels great to have an opportunity to play in the postseason,†said Coach Lavan. “We are glad to go where ever the schedule takes us. I can only say that we will be at the site that we are designated to play and our kids will play hard. We are honored and happy to be heading north.â€
Recently the Blue Hen/Hornets match up received a wealth of national media attention including a featured article on ESPN.com and highlighted on ESPN’s Outside the Lines with Bob Ley (Nov. 11). The institutions, separated by 45 miles, have competed against one another in other sports but will face off for the first time in football on Friday.
The NCAA Division I (FCS) playoff is a single elimination tournament. The top four teams were seeded in the FCS bracket and the remaining teams were placed based on geography.
