One of the biggest storylines of the young season is the emergence of Delaware State under new head coach DeSean Jackson. Though it's only been a few games, the Hornets have looked formidable, a far cry from their struggles over the past few seasons. They secured an out-of-conference victory against Albany in week two and dominated a Bowie State program that has beaten them in recent years.

Despite this success, in comments obtained by Chris Stevens of HBCU Sports, Jackson was not pleased with the errors his team made in their 36-14 victory over the Bulldogs.

“It's extremely frustrating, man,” Jackson said, explicitly doubling down on the penalties Delaware State has been assessed in the first three games of the season. “…In every game, we've always been the most penalized team on both sides. So, at this point it's like [we're] gonna have to deal with [what] we gotta deal with. But I know as a head coach, when I'm preaching and I'm praising to my guys that it's definitely unacceptable.”

There's been a lot of positives to this team under Jackson's tenure. Delaware State jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead early in the first quarter, and while Bowie State tried to make it a competitive game, Jackson's Hornets were relentless. The Hornets' offense saw great production from quarterback Kaiden Bennett, who finished the game with 179 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Bennett also secured a rushing touchdown and 36 yards on six attempts. Running back NyGhee Lolly also had a phenomenal game, with a rushing touchdown and a huge 58-yard run that ignited the scoring for the Hornets in the first quarter.

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Although Jackson has suffered some typical first-year errors, the Hornets look like a completely different team from last year's iteration. This bodes well for the program, as Jackson made it clear in his January introductory press conference that he wants to contend for the Celebration Bowl this season.

The team's next task is to secure another out-of-conference win against Saint Francis. Saint Francis has struggled over the last few seasons and has not posted a winning record since going 9-3 in 2022. To start the 2025 season, they are 0-3, with blowout losses to the University of Louisiana Monroe, Buffalo, and Central Connecticut State.

Jackson can use this game as another proof of concept, as a win would improve Delaware State's record significantly. If the Hornets were to win next week, their three victories would be more wins than the team has had in the past two seasons combined.

Delaware State travels to Saint Francis on Saturday at 1 p.m.