FAIRFIELD, Connecticut - Sacred Heart mounted a 15-play, 55-yard scoring drive, culminating in a six-yard touchdown reception from to with 6:44 left in the ballgame, as Delaware State lost 35-31 in heartbreaking fashion to the Pioneers on Saturday afternoon at Campus Field.
The Pioneers improved to 4-1 on the season while the Hornets dropped to 3-2.
Jayden Sauray led Delaware State's passing attack with 207 yards through the air, tossing one touchdown without throwing an interception.
Marquis Gillis paced the Hornets rushing attack by accumulating 123 yards and two touchdowns over the course of the game, averaging 9.5 yards per carry. James Jones also added 97 yards on the ground, averaging 10.8 yards per carry.
Ryan Pellum Taylor hauled in two catches for 85 yards and one score. Kyree Benton made his presence felt in the passing game, recording four receptions for 63 yards.
Jaydon Mifflin showed out for the Delaware State defense, totaling nine tackles, 2.0 TFL, and 1.5 sacks. Team added and Gillis had in the loss.
Delaware State had a strong performance on the ground, racking up 253 rushing yards while averaging 7.4 yards per carry and out-rushing Sacred Heart by 95 yards. Delaware State converted on 45.5 percent of third-down attempts on the day.
Defensively, Delaware State held up fairly well against the Sacred Heart rushing attack, holding the Pioneers to 158 yards on the ground. The Hornets defense took up residence in Sacred Heart's backfield all game, collecting four sacks and seven total tackles for loss.
How It Happened
Delaware State scored on the game's opening drive to take a 7-0 lead.Sacred Heart then tied the game at 7-7 before the Hornets responded with a four-yard touchdown rush from to jump back ahead 14-7.
Sacred Heart then scored to make it a 14-10 game, but Delaware State responded with 9:03 remaining in the second quarter to increase its lead to 21-10.The Hornets kept building their lead after Sacred Heart narrowed the gap to 21-17, scoring again to go on top 28-17.
Delaware State kept building its advantage, scoring again with 1:55 left in the second quarter to go up 31-17. Delaware State didn't score again and Sacred Heart added 18 more points to finish off the game.
Up Next...
Delaware State will travel to West Long Beach, New Jersey for a match up against Monmouth University. The Hornets will take on the Hawks on Saturday, October 4. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET
