Delaware State University earned its first win of the season on Saturday when the team demolished Lincoln University (PA) Lions 58-12 in their home opener at Alumni Stadium.
The offensive standouts in the game for the Hornets were freshman quarterback Tylik Bethea, freshman quarterback Jabari Blake, senior running back Mike Waters, senior running back Bryant Dallas, senior running back Richard Harris, junior wide receiver Kwannah Kollie and freshman wide receiver Bizzet Woodley.
Bethea went 16 for 28 for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
Blake went one for one for 25 yards and one touchdown.
Waters had six carries for 67 yards and one touchdown.
Dallas had six carries for 22 yards and one touchdown.
Harris had five carries for 20 yards and one touchdown.
Kollie had nine receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Woodley had four receptions for 62 yards and one touchdown.
On the Defensive side, the standouts for DSU were redshirt freshman defensive back Andrew Reese, senior defensive back Jahad Neibauer, junior linebacker Pontraille Gray, senior defensive lineman Brandon Carswell, graduate student defensive end Christian Johnson and sophomore defensive back D’Andre Blue-Eli.
Reese was the co-leader in total tackles for the game with five.
Neibauer was the co-leader in total tackles for the game with five.
Gray had four tackles and forced one fumble.
Carswell had four tackles and recorded one sack.
Johnson had two tackles and recorded one sack.
Blue-Eli recorded one interception.
On the special teams, senior defensive back Keenan Black returned a 57-yard punt for a touchdown.
DSU Scores 31 Points in First Qtr
The Hornets received the ball first and started the game at their own 40-yard line.
The first drive for the Hornets would signal things to come for the team as running back Bryant Dallas rushed for seven yards from the Lions seven-yard line to give the Hornets a 7-0 lead.
Dallas rushed for 19 yards on the scoring drive.
A key moment on the scoring drive came when DSU’s quarterback Tylik Bethea found wide receiver Bizzet Woodley for 13 yards to get the team to the 24-yard line.
DSU’s next scoring drive came around the 5: 51-minute mark when Bethea found wide receiver Kwannah Kollie for a 23-yard touchdown to extend their team’s lead to 14-0.
Kollie had 41 yards receiving on the Hornets scoring drive.
As the defense continued to get the Lions to leave the field on three and outs, the offense continued to score points.
The Hornets’ third touchdown of the game came when Bethea found Kollie again for a touchdown but this time, it was a six-yard touchdown. The Bethea-Kollie connection would give Delaware State a 21-0 lead with 2:59 left in the first quarter.
The next scoring drive for the Hornets would come when running back Richard Harris rushed one yard to the endzone to give his team a 28-0 lead.
A key moment on the scoring drive is when Bethea found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Charles Peeler for 15 yards which moved the team to Lions 19 yard line.
Lincoln also helped DSU on the drive when the team was called for a personal foul penalty which moved the Hornets up 10 yards.
The next time when DSU scored, it was not a touchdown but a 29-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Jose Romo-Martinez which extended his team’s lead to 31-0.
Hornets ended the half with a 31-0 lead over the Lions.
Delaware State’s Defense & Special Teams Get Into The Scoring in Second Half
DSU’s second drive into the third quarter would garner the team three more points as Jose Romo-Martinez would hit a 38-yard field goal to extend the team’s lead to 34-0.
Delaware State’s special teams also wanted to get in the scoring party as defensive back Keenan Black took a punt return for 57 yards for the touchdown to give his team a 41-0 lead with 10:12 left in the third quarter.
At the 6: 38 minute mark in the third quarter, Lincoln finally showed some life as quarterback Eban Jackson II found wide receiver Shoye Sampson for the 12-yard touchdown. Lincoln’s touchdown would decrease Hornets lead to 41-6.
About a minute later, Hornets would answer back with points of their own when running back Mike Waters rushed two yards for the touchdown to push his team’s lead to 48-6.
Keenan Black’s 61-yard kickoff return set up the scoring drive at the Lions five-yard line.
Lincoln’s Jackson-Sampson connection was working again as the quarterback found his wide receiver for a 12-yard touchdown which made the score 48-12 with 2:17 left in the third quarter.
The Lions extra point was blocked which was returned by Hornets junior defensive back Chris Wilson for a defensive PAT which expanded his team’s lead to 50-12.
Near the end of the quarter, Lincoln started their drive at their own five-yard line but the team would be called for a false start which pushed them in the endzone for a safety.
The safety would push Delaware State’s lead to 52-12 to start the fourth quarter.
Hornets’ last touchdown of the game would come at the 11:17 minute mark in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Jabari Blake found wide receiver Bizzet Woodley for a 25-yard touchdown to put the lead at 58-12.
Delaware State would ride their defense for the rest of the game to seal a dominating 58-12 win at home.
The Hornets stay at Alumni Stadium to take on Howard University on September 21st at 2 PM ET.
Team Stats:
First Downs: DSU 25 & LU 10
Third Efficiency (%): DSU 43.75% (7 of 16) & LU 14.28% (2 of 14)
Total Offense: DSU 418 & LU 175
Net Yards Passing: DSU 209 & LU 199
Net Yards Rushing: DSU 209 & LU -24
Penalties: DSU 10-101 & LU 17-135
Fumbles: DSU 1-0 & LU 1-0
Sacks: DSU 2-10 & LU 1-12
Interceptions: DSU 1 & LU 0
Time of Possession: Wesley 32:10 & TCNJ 27:39
Delaware Sports Blitz Player of the Game:
Tylik Bethea: went 16 for 28 for 188 yards and two touchdowns
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