2015 DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL — GAME 2
DELAWARE STATE “HORNETS” (0-1; 0-0 MEAC) VS.
KENT STATE “GOLDEN FLASHES ” (0-1; 0-0 MAC)
SAT., SEP. 12, 2015 (6 p.m.)
DIX STADIUM (25,319) - KENT, OH
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THE GAME
Delaware State visits Kent State of the FBS Mid-America Conference in a week-two contest. The Hornets are coming off a 32-13 loss at FCS #14/15 Liberty in the season opener last Saturday. The contest also marked the debut of Delaware State first-year head coach
Kenny Carter, who served as an assistant at several major programs, including Florida,
Louisville, Penn State, LSU and Vanderbilt before accepting the DSU job last January.
Delaware State trailed 14-6 at Liberty after a touchdown midway through the second quarter and was down 25-13 after a third quarter score.
The Hornets scored their first touchdowns on a well-executed eight-play, 75-yard drive midway through the second quarter. The three-minute-27-second march was highlighted by a long pass play and a gutsy fourth down call by Carter to keep the possession alive. The Hornets were facing a fourth-and-one at the DSU 34 when quarterback Esayah Obado (r-jr.) connected with Malik Golson (r-jr.) on an 11-yard pass to the 45. On the next play, Obado found Aris Scott (jr.) downfield for a 47-yard pass to the Liberty 8. On third-and-goal from the two, Obado rushed up the middle for a touchdown to complete the drive.
Obado completed 16-of-27 passes for 227 yards and rushed for a two-yard touchdown in his first action since the 2013 season. He was intercepted twice and sacked five times in the opener. Golson had seven catches for 74 yards. Including a long of 27, last week. His seven receptions tied for first among MEAC pass-catcher in the opening weekend. Kamal Abrams (gr.) hauled in three passes for 51 yards in his first game with the Hornets after three seasons at Connecticut. Jamaal Jackson (sr.) had the bulk of the carries for DSU last week, rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown (two yards) on 15 carries. He also caught three passes for 44 yards.
On defense, lineman Gabe Sherrod (jr.) and linebacker Malik Harris (so.) turned in solid performances at Liberty. Sherrod, a former tight end, had seven tackles (five unassisted), including 3.5 behind the line-of-scrimmage, a sack and a blocked kick. Harris had a game-and-career-high 12 tackles in the opener, including six solo stops. Safety Kevin Jocelyn (jr.) picked off a Liberty pass in the red zone last week.
Kent State opened the 2015 season with a mistake-filled 52-3 loss to Big 10 Illinois last weekend. The game was originally scheduled for Sep. 4, but re-scheduled for the next day due to severe lightning in the Champaign, Ill., area. The Illini took advantage of three interceptions and a muffed punt by the Golden Flashes to build a 38-0 halftime lead. Three of the four Illinois scores off turnovers followed one-play Kent State possessions lasting fewer than seven seconds each. The Kent State defense held the Illini to 342 total yards and just three-of-13 on third down conversions in the contest. The Kent State offense totaled 59 rushing yards and 186 by the pass in the opener. KSU quarterback Colin Reardon connected on 15-of-34 passes for 156 yards, including a 58-yard strike to Miles Hibbler. Kent State returned 44 letter winners, including 19 starters, from its 2014 squad, which posted a 2-9 overall record and 1-7 mark in the MAC East Division.
THE SERIES (Kent State leads 2-0)
The Hornets and Golden Flashes are meeting for third time. The teams met during the 2007 and '08 seasons, also at Dix Stadium. Kent State won the 2007 contest 38-7, handing
Delaware State its only regular season loss that year, which was highlighted by DSU's first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship in 16 years and inaugural NCAA Tournament appearance.
Julian Edelman, now with the defending NFL champion New England Patriots, was Kent State's starting quarterback in each of the previous meetings with the Hornets. Edelman completed 18-of-33 passes for 267 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception in the 2007 contest. He was held to minus-seven yards rushing in the game, mainly due to three Delaware State sacks for minus-19 yards.
Kent State won the 2008 contest 24-3. The Hornets scored their only points on a field goal with 3:16 left to play. Edelman was also the starting signal-caller for the Golden Flashes in the 2008 DSU/Kent State meeting.
He completed 10-of-20 throws for 113 yards, and intercepted twice; and had 11 rushing attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown, in the '08 contest.
