Delaware State 34, Florida A&M 14

September 2, 2006

DETROIT, Mich. (Sept. 2) – The Delaware State Hornets scored two deffensive touchdowns in the first five minutes and took advantage of numerous Florida A&M penalties to seize a 34-14 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory in the fourth annual Ford Detroit Football Classic here Saturday afternoon.

Saturday's contest, which was played before 29,713 at Ford Field, was the season opener for both schools and matched the outcome of last year's opening weekend, as the Hornets (1-0, 1-0 in MEAC) rallied to edge the Rattlers (0-1, 0-1 in MEAC), 21-17 at Bragg Stadium.

This year though, the Hornets built a 14-0 lead in the game's opening minutes as their defense converted a pair of Rattler turnovers into gold.

•Defensive lineman Stephon Hopkins pounced on a fumble by FAMU tailbback Joe Lawson and rumbled 18 yards for a 7-0 lead with 10:53 left in the first period.

•Linebacker Russell Reeves picked off an Albert Chester pass and racced 41 yards for a 14-0 DSU edge with 9:36 left in the quarter.

Florida A&M did answer back with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a seven-yard scoring blast by fullback Anthony Edwards with 6:47 in the first.

In the second period, the Hornets took advantage of a 15-yard facemask penalty on a punt return which set up a 33-yard scoring gallop by Emmanuel Marc for a 21-7 lead with 5:30 left in the half.
Marc finished the day with a game-high 129 yards rushing on 18 carries.

That penalty was one of 10 penalties for 177 yards charged to the Rattlers Saturday. DelState was flagged eight times for 44 yards on the day.

In the third period, Vashon Winton scored on an 11-yard run with 13:58 left to extend the Hornets' lead to 28-7, before Peter Gaertner tacked on field goals of 33 and 23 yards to round out the scoring for DSU.

Edwards powered in from one-yard out with 2:20 left in the game, capping a 73-yard, 14-play drive for the Rattlers' final score.

Without the two costly turnovers and the penalties, the game statistically was fairly even, as both clubs managed 16 first downs, while DelState held a slight edge (296-280) in total yards.

FAMU rushed for 166 yards, while the Hornets, led by Marc, finished the day with 216 net yards. The Rattlers passed for 114 yards to just 80 for the Hornets.

RATTLERS OF NOTE: Fullback Anthony Edwards showed flashes of power running which could make him the heir apparent to the departed Rashard Pompey. Edwards finished the day with 87 yards and two TDs on 19 carries. Junior tailback Joe Lawson had 38 yards on nine carries… Senior Roosevelt Kiser had 170 all-purpose yards Saturday, rushing for 27 yards on one play; making 10 grabs for 55 receiving, while picking up 88 yards on four kickoff returns, with a long run of 33 yards…. QB Albert Chester hung tough, completinng 18 of 30 passes for 114 yards, with one interception. He also ran for 14 yards on five carries… Punter Wesley Taylor averaged 39.3 yards on siix attempts Saturday…. Linebacker Vernon Wilder led FAMU with 11 tackkles Saturday…. Young guns making a dent on defense Saturday includedd safety Jason Beach, with seven tackles, one for loss and a forced fumble; red shirt freshman Michael McMillan had seven stops and a tackle for loss; freshman Cameron Houston had five stops, while red shirt end Joseph Wims had four tackles and one tackle for loss.

GAME NOTES: Saturday's loss was the Rattlers' fifth straight opening day loss…. Ironically, their last win came in 2001 against Delaware State, 35-17…. Saturday's outcome left the Rattlerss 0-2 in the Detroit Classic, as they've been stung twice by Hornets in their two trips to Motown: 38-22 by the Alabama State Hornets in 2003 and 34-14 by DelState Saturday…. FAMU fell to 9-10-1 in indoor footballl games all-time and dropped to 4-8-1 in games played in the Midwest since 1978…. On the bright side, former Rattler All-America tackle Kwame Killpatrick (1989-92), who is the second term mayor of Detroit, was on the FAMU sidelines Saturday.