It is officially now or never time for the Delaware State University football team.As the flu bug ravaged their roster, the Morgan State football team damaged their hopes for a winning season with a convincing 37-7 victory Saturday, dropping the Hornets to 5-5 heading into their season finale this Saturday against Campbell University.
The Fighting Camels, a Big South stalwart for many years, will be joining the Colonial Athletic Association next season and their trip to Dover will be their fourth game against an HBCU this season (Jackson State, North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T were previous opponents).
While coming up short against the Tigers and Aggies, Campbell routed the MEAC champion Eagles 48-18 last month, so this is another tough game for the Hornets.
How can get they get over the camel hump for a winning season? Here are five things to watch for on Saturday.
1. Health is wealth
The Hornets have battled the injury bug along the offensive line and at QB all season, so the flu ravaging DelState ahead of the game with Morgan was just par for the course.
It is good to remember that these young athletes are regular humans just as those of us reading (and writing) this preview are. If the flu has passed and key players are well enough to go, DSU can hang with the Camels, who were Big South co-leaders up until a dramatic 45-38 loss to North Carolina A&T a couple of weeks ago.
2. Avoid a strong Campbell start
The Camels have lost four in a row and will look to end the season on a winning note before heading off to the CAA next season. Campbell averages 30.7 points per game, which would rank them second behind MEAC champion North Carolina Central, who they dismissed rudely 48-18 seven Saturdays ago.
The Hornets’ Achilles’ Heel has been their inability to start strong or stop the opposition from getting off on the good foot. With personal pride hanging in the balance, stopping Campbell from getting a quick lead is DSU’s best hope to stay competitive.
3. Attack the Campbell defense
While the offense does its fair share of scoring, the Fighting Camels’ defense does its fair share of permitting scoring, allowing 30.4 points per game. Campbell has allowed over 2,000 yards total on the ground, so once again, a solid effort running the ball could be beneficial to the Hornets on Saturday.
Air travel could also be huge for the Hornets as Campbell allows 228 yards per game passing. Just who will be doing the passing is up in the air for DelState – redshirt freshman C.J. Henry suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s loss to Morgan State, so if he’s unable to go, the hopes of a winning season will rest on the shoulders of true freshman Marqui Adams. Quite the predicament for a young quarterback.
4. Check the footballs
Campbell’s most famous alum is Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry, who used all sorts of tricks and schemes to win 314 games in a 22-year Major League career, most notably doctoring baseballs. Maybe the current edition of Fighting Camels has some similar tricks up their sleeves. Not that those would be necessary, but it sure would make for an interesting plotline going forward in Saturday’s game.
5. Pride
The Delaware State football team is, of course, coached by one of its most celebrated alums and football players in Rod Milstead. It’s more than likely that Milstead, who played on three MEAC title teams in the late 80s and early 90s, has relayed the glory years of the program to his team.
Those lessons and stories should take hold this Saturday as the key to restoring the Hornet football team’s place as a MEAC power starts with winning games. Coach Milstead has said as much after every game. With a chance to secure a 6-5 mark against a tough Campbell team, the Hornets must show up ready to roll.
