Dover, Del. (Sep. 10, 2011) --- Delaware State appeared headed for defeat against Shaw University, but a generous play call by the Bears, a big defensive play and a touchdown pass in a driving rain storm with 35 seconds left resulted in a stunning 31-27 victory for the Hornets in a wild contest at Alumni Stadium Saturday evening.
Shaw led by as many as 18 points in the second half before the Hornets stormed back to improve to 2-0. The Bears fell to 0-2.
Delaware State trailed 27-24 when freshman Mitchell Ward missed a potential game-tying 33-yard field goal attempt in a downpour with 1:01 left to play, setting off a jubilant celebration along the Shaw sideline.
With just one timeout remaining, the Hornets needed a miracle to avoid a home loss to the Division II Bears. After a delay of game penalty against Shaw, the Bears attempted a running play on their next snap.
Delaware State defensive end Olusegun Ayanbiola stripped the wet ball from Shaw runningback James Langford, and recovered the fumble at the Bears' 13-yard line with 49 seconds left in the game.
Two plays later, Nick Elko connected with wide receiver Darius Jackson on a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Hornets a 30-27 lead with 35 seconds left. Ward's extra point kick gave DSU a four-point lead.
Shaw was hit with a holding penalty, and threw an incomplete pass on its final possession.
Jackson had career-highs in receiving yards (127) and touchdown grabs (2), while tying his career mark with 11 receptions, which also ties a team record for catches in a game.
Elko shook off a shaky first half to complete 25-of-46 passes for 238 yards, each a career-high. He threw three touchdowns for the second straight game, including two in the last 5:10 of the contest. The redshirt junior was 10-for-18 with three interceptions in the first half.
Delaware State led 6-0 after a five-yard touchdown pass from Elko to Justin Wilson with 11:41 left in the first quarter. Wilson, the 2011 MEAC Preseason Player-of-the-Year, had six catches for 32 yards before leaving the game for good in the third quarter with an ankle injury.
Shaw responded by scoring 17 unanswered points to take a 17-6 lead at halftime.
The Bears opened up a 24-6 lead when Langford returned the second half kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown.
Delaware State began its comeback when Ward hit a 35-yard field goal to pull the Hornets to within 24-9 with 10:58 left in the third quarter.
DSU moved closer when Jaashawn Jones capped off an 11-play, 64-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. Ward's extra point kick cut Shaw's lead to 24-16 with 14:57 left to play.
The Bears stretched their lead to 27-16 when Lyncon Shepherd hit a 32-yard field goal with 9:23 left to play.
Delaware State answered with an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to pull to within a field goal. Elko and Jackson capped off the drive with an eight-yard scoring pass to cut Shaw's lead to 27-24 with 5:10 remaining in the game.
The Hornets outscored the Bears 22-3 in the fourth quarter. DSU's 15-point fourth-quarter deficit was it largest in a victory since overcoming an 18-point hole to defeat Norfolk State 28-21 in overtime to capture the MEAC championship in 2007.
STINGERS
The Hornets are 2-0 for the first time since 2007 ... Delaware State snapped a four-game losing streak in night games at Alumni Stadium ... DSU's last win under the lights at home was a 35-28 overtime victory against Florida A&M on Sep, 4, 2008 ... senior linebacker Brandon Harvey collected a career-high 14 tackles in the contest ... The Hornets return to action next Saturday (Sep. 17) at Delaware in the second regular season meeting (third overall) between the state's two Division I football schools.
