Delaware State arrives in the islands for Week 0 clash with Hawai’i

HONOLULU – Are you ready for some football? 

Following multiple days of travel issues that included a “bus snafu” and delayed flights after re-booking, the Delaware State Hornets out of the FCS have arrived in the islands in time for the Week 0 season-opening contest against the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors.

Saturday night at 6 p.m. HT will mark the first time since 2009 that UH will open a football season against an opponent from the FCS (Central Arkansas). DSU is also the first HBCU opponent to face Hawai’i in 45 years. The game can be found on Spectrum Sports PPV for Hawai’i residents or the Team1Sports app for viewers on the continent. 

Entering the 2nd year under veteran MEAC coach Lee Hull, Delaware State is looking to build a baseline for the program after years in limbo. The Hornets struggled in Hull’s first season, going 1-10 with the lone win coming against Division II’s Virginia University of Lynchburg. 

DSU struggled in all three phases of the game in 2023, allowing opponents to score nearly 38 points per contest while mustering only 18 points per game themselves. Kicking was a major question mark for the Hornets, connecting on 8-of-16 field goal attempts between two different kickers. 

Part of the struggle for the Hornets’ defense was an inability to produce turnovers and pressure the quarterback. Over the course of 11 games for DSU in 2023, the defense turned opponents over seven total times (3 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries) while tallying 14 sacks between seven players. 

While the passing game brought answers for opponents, the running game might have been even more fruitful for teams facing Delaware State last season. The Hornets allowed an average of 245.9 yards per game on the ground in 2023, seeing opponents hit triple-digit rushing totals in nine of DSU’s 11 games. 

While 2023 was a struggle for the Hornets, a returning core of players on both sides of the ball for DSU pose some challenges for the hosting Rainbow Warriors. DSU redshirt sophomore QB Marqui Adams enjoyed himself a successful first full season as the starter for the Hornets, proving himself to be a dual threat to opponents as he totaled 1,730 yards of offense (1,452 passing yards, 278 net rushing yards) and 10 total TDs on his way to FCS Central Freshman All-American honors. 

He will not be alone on the offense for the Hornets on Saturday, either. Delaware State running back Marquis Gillis returned for his redshirt junior season with the Hornets after posting 732 yards on 5.1 yards per carry with five touchdowns on the ground in 2023. Look for DSU to lean on the run game often after running on more than 50% of their snaps last season. 

While the ground game is the comfort zone for Delaware State, the passing game provides a look at preseason all-MEAC 2nd-team selection TE Edward (EJ) Core. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior from Maryland broke out in a big way last season for the Hornets, totaling career highs across the board with 28 receptions for 424 yards and three TD receptions. 

Defensively, the Hornets returned a pair of standout defensive linemen that both received preseason all-MEAC honors for a program selected to finish last among six teams. Senior defensive tackle Darren Cook could legitimately make an NFL case with his size at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds and returned for his final season with the program after enjoying a junior year that saw him tally team-highs in sacks (5.0) and TFLs (10.5) while forcing a fumble for good measure. 

On the line with him is fifth-year defensive lineman Eric Montes, a 6-foot-1, 260-pound pass rusher who flashed his skills last year with 4.5 sacks and 6.5 TFLs. His totals trailed only Cook among Hornets defenders, giving Coach Hull and his staff two building blocks to work with heading into Year 2 of the rebuilding process. 

Despite some returning talent for Delaware State, Saturday still massively favors Hawai’i. In the last 13 games against FBS opponents, DSU has mustered an average of 6.8 points while allowing 54.0 points, going 0-13 over that span. The only victory in program history for the Hornets against an FBS program came back in 1987 against Akron. 

UH has taken care of business against FCS programs in the 21st century, winning 20 consecutive contests against the Division I subdivision dating back to 2001 with an average margin of victory of 25.9 points.  

Hawai’i returned more talent and production than almost any other Division I football program in the country after last season, allowing the coaching staff (after a few tweaks) to continue the development of a program looking to return to heights not seen in more than half-a-decade. 

For the Rainbow Warriors, it will be a legitimate chance to begin the season with a victory for the first time under third-year coach Timmy Chang. After getting blown out in Honolulu two years ago against Vanderbilt and then narrowly falling on the road to the Commodores last season, Hawai’i enters Saturday as big-time favorites for a Week 0 win.  

UH senior QB Brayden Schager should get a chance to put up big numbers against a weaker pass defense from DSU while players in new positions get an opportunity to get game reps against another team before UCLA comes to Honolulu next week. 

The biggest questions for Hawai’i to answer on Saturday will include the new-look offensive line, how the defense has acclimated to new defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman’s scheme and the kicking competition’s results after Kai Kluth and Kansei Matsuzawa competed to replace longtime starter Matthew Shipley, who transferred to Arkansas in the offseason.  

In all, expect Hawai’i to take care of business against a Delaware State program that will likely be fighting jet lag still come Saturday after traveling nearly 5,000 miles one way. The question probably isn’t whether UH wins, but if the Rainbow Warriors can cover a spread that has reached as many as 40 points in favor of the home team in some places. 

Game Day Theme: “We’re Hawai’i” 

In an effort to recognize the uniqueness of the Rainbow Warrior fanbase and what makes Hawai’i special, Saturday’s Hawai’i football home opener theme for fans in attendance is “We’re Hawai’i”.

Hawaiian Airlines will be handing out 4,000 roster cards and 3,000 UH hand fans inside of Gate 2 while the UH marketing department will provide 2,000 collectable Hawai’i schedule posters to fans entering Gate 2, Gate 3 and Gate 8. 

In-game promotions will include recognition of current and former UH student-athletes that participated in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and of the 1994 Rainbow Wahine soccer team in honor of their 30-year anniversary.