Dover, Del. (June 9, 202) — Delaware State football fans will have plenty of chances to cheer on the Hornets this coming season. The Hornets will play seven games at Alumni Stadium during the 2022 campaign.
The season kicks off on Sep. 3 against long-time rival Lincoln University (Pa.) at Alumni Stadium.
This will be the second meeting in four seasons between the old rivals, who first met in 1924. Delaware State holds a 13-10-1 lead in the series, including a 58-12 victory the last time the teams met in 2019, the first meeting between the Hornets and Lions since 1960.
The following week (Sep. 10), Delaware State visits the University of Delaware in the Route 1 Rivalry. This will be the 11th meeting between the state’s two Division I teams. The Hens won each of the previous battles, including a 34-14 victory in the last contest during the pandemic-affected spring 2021 season (Apr. 10), the only time the teams have met at Delaware State.
The Hornets return to Alumni Stadium on Sep. 17 for a week three battle against the University of Virginia Lynchburg. The teams are meeting for the second year in a row, and third time overall. Delaware State defeated the Dragons 56-6 last season. The Hornets won the first meeting in the series 41-7 in 2018.
Delaware State will welcome a couple of non-conference FCS rivals to Alumni Stadium for the next two weekends, beginning with a visit by Merrimack College (Mass.) of the Northeast Conference on Sep. 24. This will be the third meeting between the Hornets and Warriors. Merrimack won the previous two games, each at Alumni Stadium, in 2019 and 2021.
The Hornets will begin the second month of the season (Oct. 1) at Alumni Stadium against first-time opponent Robert Morris (Pa.) of the Big South Conference in the only night game on the home schedule (6:00 p.m.).
After a week off, Delaware State begins Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on the road at Norfolk State on Oct. 15. The Hornets snapped a three-game losing streak to the Spartans with an epic comeback last season, erasing a 26-point deficit with a late fourth-quarter touchdown to win 28-26 at Alumni Stadium to open up a 17-9 lead in the series.
Delaware State remains on the road for a week seven MEAC contest at Howard in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22. The Hornets have won the last three meetings against their oldest rival, including a 30-23 victory at home during the fall 2021 season, along with 17-10 and 37-28 victories last spring.
The Hornets celebrate homecoming the following Saturday (Oct. 29) against MEAC’s rival North Carolina Central at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles have won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams, including a 34-28 overtime victory in Durham, N.C., last season. Delaware State’s lone win during the span was a 28-13 triumph on homecoming 2018, the first victory for Hornets’ head coach Rod Milstead.
Delaware State will play its final road game of the season the following Saturday (Nov. 5) against defending MEAC and HBCU National Champion South Carolina State. The Hornets and Bulldogs played three times in 2021, twice in the spring and once in the fall. South Carolina State won each meeting by a combined total of 17 points.
The Hornets close out their MEAC schedule at home against Morgan State on Nov. 12. The Bears have won three straight and seven of the last eight in the series, including a 20-14 victory in Baltimore, Md., last season. Delaware State’s last victory in the series was in 2017, the last time Morgan State visited Alumni Stadium.
The Hornets will wrap up the 2022 regular season at Alumni Stadium against first-time opponent Campbell University (N.C.) of the Big South Conference.
Delaware State was 5-6 overall and 2-3 in the MEAC during the fall 2021 season. The five wins were the most by the Hornets since 2013.