The Hens, who improved to 2-1 on the season, were awarded the inaugural First State Cup after the game. The Hornets fell to 0-2 on the season.

"Congratulations to Delaware for their winning effort today. I'm very proud of our guys and the effort they put forth today. We moved the ball pretty well, especially in the second half, but failed to finish the drives. We put ourselves in position to win, but didn't make the big plays when needed. You can't play as inconsistently as we did at times today and expect to win against a good team like Delaware."

Lavan added, "this is what college football is all about. The atmosphere was great, and both teams left it all on the field. It doesn't get much better than this."   

Delaware took a 7-0 lead following a 1-yard run by Devlin with 7:41 left in the first quarter. The Blue Hens drove 63 yards on 15 plays and ate up 5:42 seconds on the game clock. The Hornets stopped the Blue Hens, forcing UD to attempt a 42-yard field goal. However, a personal foul penalty gave Delaware new life, leading to the game's first score.

The Hornets responded with a 42-yard field goal by Riley Flickinger with 5:04 left in the first. A drive which lasted eight plays for 45 yards (2:31) was capped off by Flickinger's career-long conversion. The field goal cut into UD's lead, 7-3.

UD had a chance to head into halftime with a seven point lead. With 1.5 seconds on the clock and the ball at the Delaware State 1-yard line, linebacker Kevin Green stopped running back Leon Jackson behind the line of scrimmage The stop kept the deficit at four points as both teams went into the locker room.

"We were in the right defense and I was able to read the play and make the tackle," said Green, who was playing his second game for the Hornets after transferring from Purdue. "The play gave us momentum going into the half, unfortunately we couldn't come out with the victory."

Delaware out-gained Delaware State 153-111 in the first half of play. The Hornets held the edge on the ground, gaining 83 yards on 17 carries to UD's 33 yards on 19 rushes.

The Blue Hens extended their lead to 14-3 following Devlin's second 1-yard rushing touchdown of the day. Delaware drove 70 yards on four plays in 1:28. The drive was highlighted by a 38-yard completion from Devlin to Tommy Crosby taking the ball down to the DSU 2-yard line.

UD added a seven points with 10:56 left in the fourth quarter as Devlin connected with Rob Jones for a 17-yard touchdown pass. The TD reception completed a six-play, 59-yard drive which lasted 2:39. The score gave Delaware a 21-3 advantage over Delaware State.  

The Hens were attempting to pad their lead when the Hornets were given new life thanks to a defensive score. Free safety Jerome Strums intercepted a tipped pass by Devlin, returning it 71 yards for a touchdown to cut Delaware's lead to 21-10 with 5:01 left to play.

Delaware dashed any hopes of a Hornet comeback on its next possession. Three plays after a 54-yard return by Jerry Butler on the ensuing kickoff, the Hens added another touchdown to put the game out of reach. Leon Jackson capped off the three-play, 23-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run to give UD a 27-10 lead with 3:36 remaining.

Delaware State made the final score more respectable with a touchdown in the final minute. The Hornets moved 74 yards in 10 plays, capped off by a touchdown by quarterback Anthony Glaud on a one-yard keeper with 31 seconds left to play. Glaud completed five-of-six passes for 57 yards during the scoring drive.

The Hornets drove into Delaware territory five times in the second half before finally recording an offensive touchdown.

"I'm not surprised we were able to move the ball," Glaud said. "We had a good game plan, but it's disappointing that we weren't able to finish off those drives.

Each team racked up 343 total yards. The Hornets passed for 208 yards, while rushing for 135. Delaware threw for 227 yards and rushed for 116.  

Glaud completed 23 of 40 passes for 208 yards. He threw one interception. Junior Jason Randall rushed for a game and career-high 93 yards on 20 carries. Darius Jackson had a career high in receptions for the second straight game, hauling in eight passes for a career-high 81 yards.

"It was critical that we were able to have a little success on the ground," Randall said. "The offensive line did a good job of creating some holes against a good Delaware defense. It's disappointing that we weren't able to take advantage of so many opportunities.

Linebacker Mike Gable and strong safety Avery Grant led the Hornets with seven tackles each. Linebacker John Sutton and tackle Andre Carroll had one sack each.

Hornets travel to Hampton, Va., to take on the Hampton Pirates on Saturday, Sept. 26. Kick off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

STINGERS:

Strums' interception return for a touchdown was the fifth-longest in team history, and first by the Hornets since Akeem Green vs. North Carolina A&T in 2007.

Linebacker John Sutton recorded his first career sack for the Hornets.

Delaware U.S. Senator Ted Kaufman and U.S. Rep. Mike Castle presented the First State Cup to University of Delaware President Patrick Harker and Blue Hen Head Coach K.C. Keeler.

Delaware defeated Delaware State 44-7 in the only other meeting between the teams in the 2007 NCAA playoffs at Delaware Stadium.