Dover, Del. – Delaware State needed every bit of the cushion it built in the first half to survive a wild season opener, holding off a furious Stony Brook rally to escape Alumni Stadium with a 41-34 win. The Hornets led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter, watched Stony Brook claw all the way back to a fourth-quarter tie, and then had to answer one more time to close it out.
Scoring by quarter
First quarter: Delaware State 10, Stony Brook 6
Stony Brook struck first, with quarterback Quinn Boyd finding Dorian Linkins for a 34-yard touchdown to make it 6-0. The Hornets didn’t blink, answering right back as Ui Ale hit Jaylin Terzado for a 72-yard touchdown to tie it before the extra point put Delaware State ahead 7-6. A 41-yard Patrick Fisher-Butler field goal as time expired sent the Hornets into the second quarter up 10-6.
Second quarter: Delaware State 24, Stony Brook 13 (halftime)
The Hornets dominated and went on a run. A 59-yard touchdown run pushed the lead to 17-6, and the Hornets turned a forced fumble into a 16-yard rushing touchdown to balloon the margin to 24-6, an 18-point cushion that looked like it might get out of hand. Stony Brook found a response before the break, with Boyd capping a drive with a 10-yard rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to 24-13 at the half.
Third quarter: Delaware State 34, Stony Brook 27
Delaware State extended its lead to 30-13 on a 19-yard touchdown run. Stony Brook wasn’t done, clawing back with a Boyd touchdown pass to make it 30-20, but the Hornets answered again with a 52-yard field goal to push back ahead 34-20. The Seawolves closed the quarter with another touchdown to trim the margin to 34-27 heading into the fourth, setting up a frantic finish.
Fourth quarter: Delaware State 41, Stony Brook 34 (final)
Stony Brook completed the comeback, tying the game at 34-34 on a Boyd-to-Keidan Gutierrez touchdown pass, erasing what had been an 18-point hole. But with 1:54 left on the clock, offensive coordinator Nemo Washington turned to running back Deuce Washington, who delivered a 16-yard touchdown run to put the Hornets back on top for good, 41-34. Stony Brook’s final drive got all the way to the Delaware State 9-yard line before time ran out, and the Hornets’ defense made the last stand stick for the win.
Postgame reaction
Delaware State led 30-13 in the third quarter before Stony Brook stormed back to tie it in the fourth, and Hornets head coach DeSean Jackson didn’t sugarcoat the way it played out, even in a win, in his postgame interview with Lynden Campbell.
“We’re far from where we want to be, but at the end of the day, it’s a work in progress,” Jackson said. “It was good to get this one out of the way. The guys did a great job staying calm at the end. We made some plays, but honestly, I don’t feel like we’re where we need to be yet. I’m expecting these guys to be a lot better than where we are. We were up 30-13, and they came back and made some plays, and it got tied up in the fourth quarter. That’s frustrating. But at the end of the day, we found a way to win. That’s all that matters.”
Jackson had plenty of praise for Terzado’s breakout day, and for the supporting cast around him. “Jalen’s going through a lot with his body right now, and he’s fighting week in and week out,” Jackson said. “He did a heck of a job in training camp, and it was good to see what he was able to do out there today. We’ve got a playmaker in him, and there’s a lot of other guys around him too. Weston did a great job; Jayden Jenkins did a great job. All in all, we did a great job, but we’ve got to do better, and we will this week.”
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Offensive coordinator Nemo Washington credited the players, not the play sheet, for the game-winning drive. “It’s not about the play, it’s about the player you call,” Washington said. “I told Deuce, I know you probably doubt me a little bit, but I’m gonna call you at the right time. He answered the call. I’m gonna put that right back on him, because I trust all my coaches. It don’t matter what play we execute, we just gotta make it special. That’s how players make big-time plays in big-time games.” Washington added that he’d told the team during the week they’d score 40 points, even after a shaky practice: “I didn’t know how the 40 was gonna come, but I said we’ll score 40. Honestly, it was just about staying level and trusting my players and my coaching staff. At the end of the day, it’s players over plays.”
Washington and Jackson both leaned on that same phrase, and Deuce Washington said the trust his coaches showed him was shared across the whole offense. “It motivates me, but it’s not even just me,” Deuce Washington said. “It’s all our teammates, the linemen stepping up, everybody’s energy. Kyrie catching that big-time pass. It’s not just me. All our energy just feeds off each other.”
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Up next
It won’t get any easier for Delaware State. The Hornets hit the road for Week One, traveling to Williamsburg, Virginia, to take on William & Mary. “We got practice tomorrow, we’ll get a jump on this film, and then we move on to William and Mary,” Jackson said. “We’re looking forward to next week on the road.” Stony Brook, meanwhile, heads home to host Lindenwood at LaValle Stadium in its own opener.
