The Delaware State football team has been through some massive changes in the last three years, including their third head coach in that time period, NFL all-pro and Super Bowl champion DeSean Jackson.
Many outsiders wondered if Jackson was ready and willing for the task to rebuild a program that has not had a winning record in 13 years.
Heading into their homecoming game against D2 Southern Connecticut State, the Hornets are 3-3, including a 3-game win streak that was the longest since their last winning season of 2012.
As someone who grew up watching DelState football, covering the program as a student reporter and covering them again 20-plus years later for HBCU Sports (damn, I’m old), I believe I have the insight necessary to explain why this year is cause for hope in a dark, nearly 20-year period of futility.
And I will do so in grade form, starting at the top.
Coaching Staff: A+
Reason: Jackson has taken his role of head coach seriously, bringing along his friend (and former boss at Long Beach Wilson) Travis Clark to help with the transition.
He also hired Nemo Washington, a rising young star, as offensive coordinator and trusted in former NFL players (Eugene Chung, Clinton Portis and Samie Parker) to coach offensive position groups.
So far the crew has worked wonders, putting together the top rushing offense in all of FCS football and top 25 in points scored. They also have done things such as instill discipline, cutting down on penalties and more.
Jackson himself has proven, through his attitude and commitment, that he wants to be a great head coach and he wants to win at Delaware State. What’s next once that happens is anybody’s guess, but at the moment, it’s all going according to Coach Jac’s plan.
Offense: A+
As mentioned above, Delaware State is tied for 20th in the nation in total points per game (33).
The run game is keyed by multiple gamebreakers – Marquis Gillis, James Jones, Deuce Weston, and Jayden Jenkins are the four horsemen who are the bulk of the 282 yards per game on the ground.
That doesn’t include quarterback Kaiden Bennett, who has been the RPO dream Jackson and Washington hoped he’d be, rushing for 9 touchdowns. That is 4th in the nation among all FCS ball carriers.
The receiving core is led by Kyree Benton while getting contributions from Ryan Pellum-Taylor, NyGhee Lolley and others.
The offensive line has been the anchor, keeping Bennett clean and clearing wide passages for the Hornet RBs to cut through.
The passing game must improve once MEAC play begins, but as the weather gets colder and the game is played more on the ground, it may not matter the way DSU is going.
Defense: B-
The one bugaboo for this DelState team is pass defense.
The Hornets have allowed an alarming 300 yards per game in the air, good (or bad) enough for a spot in the FCS bottom 10.
With excellent QBs such as North Carolina Central’s Walker Harris, Otto Kuhns of Norfolk State and the duo of Ryan Stubblefield and Billy Atkins at South Carolina State on the schedule, the Hornets must clean that up if their dreams of Atlanta are a possibility.
The rushing defense more than makes up for it, allowing just 141 yards per game on the ground, a top 40 spot in FCS.
Hard to beat a team who can run the ball and stop the run. That looks like DelState’s best course of action in MEAC play.
Special Teams: A
An area of consistency in previous regimes, the Hornets continue to play solid special teams ball.
South Carolina State transfer Dyson Roberts helps win the field position battle with a 43 yards per punt average while Patrick Fisher-Butler is a young placekicker with a strong leg who has been solid on kickoffs and reliable on PATs.
The return game hasn’t had a big play yet, but Pellum-Taylor has shown capable with a 38-yard punt return to his credit. If DSU can find a gamebreaker in that regard, it makes an already talented offense’s job that much easier.
Intangibles: A-
The attitude and body language of this Delaware State football team is the most confident since the Rod Milstead era.
A lot of that has to do with Jackson’s underdog mentality. A guy who overcame long odds to become one of the NFL’s best deep threats and playmakers, he now is imparting wisdom on how to do things the right way – on and off the field – to young men at a critical point in their lives.
So far, the work has shown. When DeSean Jackson said “two wins in two years can’t happen anymore” at his introductory press conference, he meant it.
Now with a chance to end non-conference play with four wins and a clean MEAC slate ahead, the success of Delaware State football is becoming an expectation rather than a wish.
