Dover, DE --- Syracuse transfer Kareem Jones rushed for 171 yards and a touchdown, and Shaheer McBride had two touchdown catches to lead Delaware State to a 23-18 win over 23rd ranked Coastal Carolina in the season opener at Alumni Stadium Saturday evening. The Chanticleers drove 45 yards to the Delaware State 25 on the final possession, but time expired before they could get off another play. Jones, who played two seasons at Syracuse before enrolling at Delaware State, scored the game's first touchdown on a 63-yard run to give the Hornets a 7-3 lead with 10:38 left in the first quarter. He also had a 74-yard kickoff return to set up a 30-yard Peter Gaertner field goal that gave Delaware State a 23-12 lead with 8:23 left to play. McBride had 81 yards on four receptions to become the Hornets' career leader with 2501 receiving yards. He surpassed former leader Albert Horsey (1997-2000) on a 53-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Vashon Winton to give Delaware State a 14-6 lead with 6:50 left in the third quarter. Winton and McBride hooked up on a 10-yard touchdown pass on the Hornets' next possession to stretch their lead to 20-6 with 2:23 remaining in the fourth quarter. Coastal Carolina pulled to with 20-12 when Will Richardson and Jerome Simpson connected on a 33-yard touchdown pass to cap off a nine-play, 81-yard drive with 11:04 left in the fourth quarter. After the Gaertner field goal gave the Hornets a 23-12 lead, Coastal Carolina drove 80 yards on 12 plays to score its second fourth quarter touchdown. Tommy Fraser capped off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to pull the Chanticleers to within 23-18 with 3:58 left in the game. Coastal Carolina failed on a two-point pass after the touchdown. Delaware State out gained Coastal Carolina 351-to-347, including a 267-to-125 edge on the ground. Senior linebacker Russell Reeves had a game high 12 tackles, including two backfield stops, for Delaware State.
NOTES ? The win was Delaware State's first against a Top 25 opponent since a 28-23 victory over #17 Hampton in 2004 ... The Hornets have won three straight season openers for the first time since 1992 to '94 ... McBride is now four receptions from tying Horsey for the Delaware State career record of 160 ... The Hornets will begin Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play against Florida A&M next Saturday (Sep. 8) in Tallahassee, FL (6:00 p.m.).
Quotes -
Coach Lavan on the win over a ranked team:
“For us this is another step. This is the type of game you must win. Gotta win games like this to solidify confidence. This is another step as far as we're concerned.”
Coach Lavan on Kareem Jones:
“Wasn't sure of what Kareem's endurance would be because he came here late. I didn't expect to see him on as many plays and didn't expect him to run as much as he did.”
