Delaware State Holds Off Stony Brook As DeSean Jackson Improves To 9-4

HBCU Football openers had Delaware State fending off a Stony Brook comeback and Mississippi Valley State fails to score against Nicholls.

Delaware State head coach DeSean Jackson watches his team in the fourth quarter against Albany at Alumni Stadium in Dover on Sept. 6, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

DOVER, Del. — Hornets running back Sean Weston scored on a 16-yard run with 1:53 remaining as Delaware State survived a second-half Stony Brook comeback for a 41-34 victory Thursday night at Alumni Stadium in the season opener for both teams.

DeSean Jackson, in his second season at Delaware State, improved his overall head coaching record to 9-4.

The Hornets opened the season with a victory over a Coastal Athletic Association opponent for the second consecutive year. Delaware State defeated Albany 37-32 in its 2025 home opener, giving Jackson the first head coaching victory of his career.

Stony Brook struck first Thursday when quarterback Quinn Boyd connected with senior wide receiver D.J. Linkins for a touchdown.

Delaware State quickly answered.

Hornets quarterback Ui Ale, whom Jackson named the starter during the MEAC Coaches Media Conference, connected with Jaylin Terzado for a 72-yard touchdown just 54 seconds after the Seawolves scored. The extra point gave Delaware State a 7-6 lead.

Patrick Fisher-Butler added a 41-yard field goal on the Hornets' next possession to extend the lead to 10-6.

Backup quarterback Samari Collier then broke loose for a 59-yard touchdown on a designed run, pushing the advantage to 17-6. Ale returned on the next series and scored on a 16-yard run to give Delaware State a 24-6 lead.

Stony Brook scored late in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing 24-13.

Delaware State’s Ui Ale falls into the end zone for a touchdown on a scramble in the second quarter against Stony Brook at Alumni Stadium, August 27, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Stony Brook Rallies From 18 Points Down

Delaware State struck first after halftime when Jayden Jenkins scored on a 17-yard run, extending the Hornets' lead to 31-13.

Boyd responded with his second touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 31-20 before Fisher-Butler drilled a 52-yard field goal, the second-longest in Delaware State history, for a 34-20 advantage.

Then the game changed.

Stony Brook scored touchdowns on each of its next two possessions to erase the 14-point deficit and tie the game at 34. The first scoring drive followed Delaware State's failed fourth-and-1 attempt at its own 31-yard line.

With the game tied, the Hornets responded.

Delaware State drove for the decisive score, with Weston finishing the possession on a 16-yard touchdown run with 1:53 remaining to put the Hornets ahead 41-34.

Stony Brook nearly answered.

The Seawolves appeared to score the tying touchdown with 14 seconds remaining, but an offensive pass interference penalty for an illegal pick wiped out the play. Another penalty pushed Stony Brook farther back before Boyd's final pass from 29 yards out fell incomplete.

Delaware State's Quarterback Rotation Works

Jackson said last week that he expected to use more than one quarterback against Stony Brook, and the rotation delivered.

Ale, a senior who previously played at Houston and Troy, accounted for two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing.

Collier, a former Coastal Carolina quarterback who joined Delaware State in August, made an immediate impact with his 59-yard touchdown run during his first extended series.

More importantly, Delaware State found a way to respond after surrendering an 18-point lead and allowing Stony Brook to tie the game late.

The Hornets will now take their 1-0 record on the road.

Delaware State plays William & Mary on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m. in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Tribe left the CAA and joined the Patriot League as a football associate member this season.

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