Dover, Del. (Aug. 4, 2014) --- The countdown to the 2014 Delaware State University football season is officially underway. The Hornets will hold their first preseason practice on Tuesday afternoon beginning at 2:15 pm at Alumni Stadium.
Head coach Kermit Blount's troops will also hit the practice field this week from Wednesday to Friday at 2:15; and on Saturday at 9 a.m.
The Hornets will have eight two-practice days during the following two weeks. Intra-squad scrimmages are tentatively set for Aug. 16th and the 23rd at Alumni Stadium.
DSU will begin regular practice sessions on Aug. 25 in preparation for the season opener at Monmouth on Aug. 30. Game time is 1 p.m. in West Long Branch, N.J.
After visiting the University of Delaware the following week (Sep. 6 @ 6 pm), the Hornets will play their home opener on Sep. 13 against 2013 FCS national runner-up Towson. Kick-off is scheduled for 2 pm at Alumni Stadium.
2014 DELAWARE STATE FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Plenty of uncertainty surrounds the 2014 Delaware State University football season. The Hornets have a number of question marks following a respectable 2013 campaign that featured a 5-6 overall record and 5-3 mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, tying for third place in the final league standings. Two of DSU's losses last season were to FCS National Champ North Dakota State and national runner-up Towson. Delaware State fourth-year head coach Kermit Blount expects to return 41 letterwinners, including 12 starters, from last year's squad. Among the 2013 losses are the MEAC's top passer, two defensive line standouts, top linebacker, starting center and two regulars in the secondary.
OFFENSE
The big question facing the offense is whether 2013 back-up Esayah Obado (r-so.) or someone else will be the starting quarterback this season. Last year's starter, Cory Murphy, was tops in the MEAC in passing yards at 209.7 per game. Murphy completed 205-of-369 passes (55.6%) for 2307 yards and 13 touchdowns. Obado played in four games as a redshirt freshman in 2013, completing 21-of-40 passes (52.5%) for 168 yards. He did not have a touchdown pass and threw two interceptions. Obado took nearly all of the snaps during the Hornets' 2014 spring camp.
Delaware State signed three quarterbacks during the off-season.
Marcus Johnson (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.), Gilbert Rivera (East Los Angeles Community College) and former Smyrna (Del.) High School standout will join Obado in the starting quarterback battle this summer.
The quarterback competition is critical to DSU's hopes of maintaining its status as one of the MEAC's top passing teams. The Hornets led the league in passing average at 225.0 yards per in 2013.
Whichever quarterback wins the Hornets' starting job will have a talented group of receivers to assist him. Delaware State's top four pass catchers return for the 2014 season.
Heading the list is wideout Milton Williams III (sr.), a 2013 All-MEAC First Team and Heritage Sports Radio Network Black College All-America First Team selection after leading the league with 58 receptions (5.3 pg) and 888 receiving yards (80.7 per game) last season. A 2014 Preseason All-MEAC First Team pick, Williams had five games with 100-or-more receiving yards and was tied for second in the MEAC with five touchdown catches during his junior season.
Delaware State's 2014 receiving corps also includes Malik Golson (r-so.), who was second in the MEAC behind Williams with 53 receptions (5.0 pg) and was fifth in the league with 517 receiving yards (47.0 pg) in his first collegiate season last year. Golson was also tied for third in the conference with four touchdown catches in 2013.
Joseph “Bo” Ceravolo (r-jr.), a 2014 Preseason All-MEAC Second Team selection, was third on the Hornets with 31 receptions for 326 yards (10.5 ypc) and a touchdown, while Robert King (sr.) was fourth on the team with 23 catches for 235 yards (10.2 ypc) and a score last season.
The Hornets are hoping that a veteran stable of running backs and added depth along the offensive line will lead to significant improvement in their ground game.
Delaware State was 10th out of 11 teams in the MEAC in rushing at 80.5 yards per game in 2013.
DSU's top returning rusher, Dae-Hon Cheung (jr.), ran for 361 yards (4.3 ypc) and two touchdowns on 83 carries last season. Cheung rushed for 410 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman in 2012. Cheung was selection to the 2014 Preseason All-MEAC Third Team.
Malcolm Williams (sr.) was second on the team with 208 yards rushing (3.2 ypc), despite missing three games due to an ankle injury last season. The year before, Williams-then a sophomore- led the Hornets with 437 yards rushing, including a 60-yard touchdown run at FBS Cincinnati.
Nagee Jackson (jr.) is DSU's top short yardage runner. Jackson rushed for 167 yards (3.4 ypc) and two touchdowns in 2013 after collecting 238 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns as a freshman the previous year. Lamar Shaw (sr.), Jamaal Jackson (r-jr.) and Kevin Jocelyn (so.) are also expected to compete for carries this season.
In addition to more depth, the Hornets' are counting on new offensive line coach Rod Milstead to help. Milstead is a former Delaware State All-America lineman and NFL standout.
Tackles Jerron Searles, a 2014 Preseason All-MEAC Second Team selection, (r-so.) and Dimtri Hill (jr.) were regulars on the line last season, while Ernest Mengoni (so.) is the favorite to replace former All-MEAC selection Brandon Cunningham as starting center. Former junior college standout Sal Carerro (sr.) was solid in seven games, primarily at tackle, in 2013.
Clark McCready (jr.), Xavier Jones (r-so.), Keevon Prather (r-so.) are offensive line veterans, while Darren Helwig (so.), Patrick Phillips (so.) and Justin Cook (so.) gained valuable experience as true freshmen in 2013.
The Hornets will also welcome the return of guard Keon Williams (so.), who sat out last season after starting all 11 games as a true freshman in 2012.
David Allen (fr.; Union City, N.J./Union City HS) and Lamont Bradford (fr.; Erial, N.J./Timber Creek HS) are the top freshman additions to the line.
DEFENSE
Delaware State's uncertainty on defense includes remaking the linebacker corps and replacing two of its top four tacklers from last season.Despite the questions, the Hornet defense features four of the top players at their position in the MEAC.
Defensive tackle Rodney Gunter (sr.) is a 2014 SportsNetwork FCS Preseason All-America Second Team selection after earning All-MEAC First Team honors as a junior in 2013. Gunter had 43 total tackles, including 10.5 behind the line-of-scrimmage; and was among the MEAC leaders with 4.5 sacks last season. A three-year starter, Gunter has 131 tackles, including 72 solo stops, 24 tackles-for-loss and 11 sacks in his Hornet career.
Defensive back Terrick Colston (jr.) was tops on the Hornets with 83 tackles (38 solo) last season. He was also credited with 4.5 tackles-for-loss, one pass break-up; and was tops among all MEAC players with four fumble recoveries a year ago. Colston was an All-MEAC Second Team pick after recording 95 tackles and three interceptions as a freshman in 2012.
The Hornets are also hoping former All-MEAC safety Davon Moore (sr.) returns to form after missing the last six games of the 2013 season with a knee injury. Despite the lost time, Moore was fifth on the Hornets with 54 total tackles (37 solo) last season. As a sophomore in 2012, Moore was an All-MEAC First Team selection after recording 97 tackles, four interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Ronald “J.R.” Robinson, a 2014 Preseason All-MEAC Third Team pick, established himself as one of the league's top cornerbacks last season. Robinson had 31 tackles (20 solo) and was tied for eighth in the MEAC with three interceptions last season.
Veterans Jamal Douglas (sr.), Corey Barnes (so.) Tarique Anderson (jr.), Will Womack (so.), Nick Nelson (r-so.) and Frankie Glenn (jr.) are other contenders for starting spots along the defensive front.
The linebacking corps will undergo changes this season. The key departure from 2013 is former All-MEAC First Team selection Ernest Adjei, who was second on the Hornets with 79 tackles (32 solo) and was tops on the team with 11 backfield stops last season.
The top returning linebacker is Elbie Williams (sr.), who was sixth on the team with 49 tackles last season.
Alex Perry (sr.) returns to the linebacking corps after tallying 36 tackles and finishing third on the team with eight tackles for loss. Mike Davis (sr.) registered 21 tackles and 3.5 tackles-for-loss in 2013.
Willie Bolden (r-so.), Raphael Whittingham (so.) and Brandon Lewis (so.) are returning linebackers, while Josh Ealy (fr.; Vero Beach, Fla./Vero Beach HS) and Dan Zajac (fr.; Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge HS) are the top newcomers at the position.
Colston, Moore and Robinson headline what could be a strong secondary.
Rashawn Barrett (jr.) returns to the defensive backfield, while William Burton (so.), Kevin Rowan (so.) and Gary Melton, Jr. (so.) should see more playing time after gaining valuable experience as freshmen in 2013.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Placekicker Mitchell Ward returns for his senior season, while the Hornets will have a new punter this year.
Ward, the team scoring leader with 31 points, was five-for-eight on field goal attempts and 16-of-19 on extra-point kicks in 2013. He also led the MEAC with three successful onsides kicks (3-for-4) last year. Ward enters his senior season with 21 field goals (21-for-35) and is 59-for-65 on extra-point kicks in his career.
Jeremiah McGeough (r-fr.) is expected to assume the punting duties after sitting out last season as a freshman redshirt.
The Hornets appear solid in the kick return game.
Aris Scott (so.) had a team-high 283 kickoff return yards on 16 attempts (17.7 ypr), while Jamaal Jackson (19.8 ypr), Milton Williams III (17.1 ypr) and Malik Golson (16.5 ypr) each had at least eight returns last season.
Each is also expected to handle punt return duties as well.
THE SCHEDULE
First-time contests against Temple and Monmouth, along with a visit to Alumni Stadium by FCS national runner-up Towson, highlight the 2014 Delaware State University football schedule.
Also this year, the Hornets will visit First State rival Delaware for the fourth straight season.
The 12-game slate features eight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contests, beginning with Savannah State's first visit to Alumni Stadium since it joined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2011.
The last time Delaware State played a 12-game regular season schedule was in 2002.
