The Delaware State football team wasn’t going to let a three-hour rain delay keep them from the first win in the DeSean Jackson era.
Kaiden Bennett’s third touchdown run of the day, from 31 yards away with 34 seconds left, was the difference as the Hornets defeated Coastal Athletic Association member Albany 37-32 Saturday night in one of the most unbelievable games and circumstances in recent memory.
Here’s the takeaways from an incredible day – and night – of football.
Rain, rain (and thunder and lightning), go away
The game began at 1 p.m. but didn’t end until 8:30 thanks to a band of violent, rainy storms that swarmed Kent County, Delaware from 4 pm until about 8. Both teams retreated to the safety of their locker rooms while both fan contingents headed for home. When play resumed, a handful of Albany and Delaware State fans leaned on the railing of each sideline waiting for the final result.
Delaware State head coach DeSean Jackson talks about keeping players loose and motivated during a more than 3-hour weather delay @HBCUSports pic.twitter.com/47ZYIfIt7z
— With EVERYBODY sayin – C! J! Writes! YEAH! (@CJWritesNThangs) September 7, 2025
Bennett was in it – three times
Coming to Delaware State from Sacramento State, where he’d previously beaten Stanford, Kaiden Bennett knows his job is to win football games.
To beat an Albany defense that kept DSU receivers in check most of the day, Bennett used his quickness, running for touchdowns of 37, 26 and 31 yards to lift the Hornets to victory.
Delaware State quarterback Kaiden Bennett ran for 3 touchdowns, including the winner with 34 seconds left against Albany.
It’s what he was brought to Delaware State to do @HBCUSports pic.twitter.com/5VmW9sY5ND
— With EVERYBODY sayin – C! J! Writes! YEAH! (@CJWritesNThangs) September 7, 2025
A timely time-out saves the game
With 8 seconds left and Albany in a four-wide alignment, DeSean Jackson called a timeout to give his defensive staff a chance to get their DBs in the right positioning. That final timeout paid off as a completed pass by Albany turned into an attempted lateral that the Hornets recovered as time expired.
Resiliency
Delaware State has had their share of heartbreak and baffling losses in recent years and several procedure and holding penalties Saturday looked like they would be their undoing, as was a fake punt call that failed when Dyson Roberts Jr. slipped and gave Albany a short field that they converted for a go-ahead touchdown.
Previous Hornet teams would have folded. This, however, is a new brand of Delaware State football and that brand of football is an attitude of taking care of business…even if you have to wait out a three-hour monsoon to do so.
