WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The Howard University football team fell to the Delaware State University (DSU) Hornets in a high-scoring affair 37-28, Saturday afternoon in Greene Stadium.  

The Bison fell to 0-2 and will shift their focus to spring workouts, while the Hornets improved to 2-1 and will face Delaware State next week, one of the top teams in FCS. 

How It Happen

Howard opened the game holding DSU to 16-yards on their first drive of the game. The Bison took the ensuing drive 78-yards in ten plays to score the first touchdown of the game on a 14-yard Quinton Williams connection to Jarrett Hunter to take a 6-0 lead after a failed two-point conversion. 

The Hornets answered right back, scoring 17-straight points in three consecutive series to take a 17-6 lead with 2:28 left in the first half.

Williams recorded his second touchdown of the game, on a one-yard scamper, to close the game 17-14 after converting a two-point conversion, cementing a ten-play, 70-yard drive. 

The Hornets recorded ten straight points to extend the lead, 27-14. 

Howard closed the gap on a powerful nine-yard, Ian Wheeler touchdown run to cut the lead, 27-20 cementing, an eight-play 73-yard drive. 

Delaware State tried to pull away, scoring ten straight points. 

Isaiah Moore returned the ensuing kickoff 40-yards to set up the Bison at the DSU 35-yard line, Howard shot quick pulling out a play out their book of tricks, when Justin Olbrice took an end-around and threw to a wide-open Matthew McDonald for a 35-yard touchdown.

On the next drive, Delaware State's offense held the ball for seven minutes milking the clock on a nine-play 15-yard drive that ended in a punt. 

Howard got up to their 33-yard line, with 2:04 left when Williams was strip-sacked, the Bison was able to recover, but the damage was done, losing 18-yard on the drive. The drive ended after three consecutive incompletion. 

DSU ran the clock out, defeating Howard 37-28.

By the Numbers

- Quinton Williams passed for 209 and passed for a touchdown and added 55-yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown

- Hunter Jarrett exploded for 108-yards from scrimmage and scored his second receiving touchdown. 

- Howard recorded 149 yards on the ground averaging 4.5 yards per game. 

- Seven different receivers caught a pass, D. Terrell, Jr. (4), J. Hunter (5), and M. Hyatt (3) recorded multiple passes. 

- Kenny Gallop recorded a game-high 11 tackles. 

- Deion Harry recorded eight tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble. 

- Jalen Smith recorded two-pass breakups.

Words from Head Coach Larry Scott III

... thoughts on today's game and long time off

"... Well, we still got, a long way to go and actually having that time off and all those type of things didn't help, some things we had to do from COVID-19 protocol standpoint that kind of kept us off the field from being able to get a lot of work done during that period, but like I tell those guys nothing's ever an excuse for our performance and the time to perform. Disappointed in the outcome of it. We got to really take a look at it and dig deep I think right now we're done we're going switch into a different cycle of training we're definitely a football team that's got to get bigger, stronger, faster, and those type of things, so we're gonna switch gears here and start building our team for the 21 season."

What did you learn from today's game

Yes, at the end of the day, we have to execute we got to play calls we got those type of things and when we do execute, pretty exciting plays a lot, and see happen when we don't execute because we don't execute 11 for 11, there's always a breakdown, whether it's protection, whether it's us turning the football over or doing those types of things we've got to be a team that, we can't make mistakes, we can't do the self inflicted things that causes you to lose football games. That's going to be a big focus, to our offseason program and with accountability and discipline, because that's where all of that stops. So we got to get that done, but I think the guys are starting to understand what we're asking for is some sense of playing hard and making sure you go out and train and take advantage of every opportunity, but we definitely got a long ways of going and rebuilding and building the foundation of this football program. 

... on the play of Hunter and being the workhorse..."

"...you know him being a true freshman and just getting here, spending a semester at home doing everything via zoom and then coming in here and being only here since January. He's probably been the biggest surprise for us offensively. He's a young, talented kid that loves to play football. Don't say no two words just works against things done, and definitely a kid that we're excited about building this thing around in the future."

... about Hunter's nifty catches and run after catches

"you just hit it on the head. Nifty kind of crafted kind of guy that way, not a burner, not a big speed burner, but really got good vision really good balance and he's tough. So when you're done and then you're a reliable guy because you're always accountable, we can count on you to be where he's supposed to be when your supposed to be there working hard all the time and doing those things, good things happen to guys like that, and when we have, when you have a young core group of guys like him in the case the Casey Hawthorns and some of the other younger players on defense and stuff like that that we can really start to really build, lay the foundation around, we are really looking for and excited about the future."

... The defensive play

"Kind of how they played the game. Del. St. they really just kind of lined up and pounded the ball at us and did those type of things and they made it a line of scrimmage game.And when you do that, you know, we got to be bigger, we got to be stronger, we got to be faster, We got to recruit better we got to have got to have more bodies we got to have that position that area of our football team both the O-line and D-line is something that we definitely got to go to work on and it starts in the weight room, it starts with sharpening, not only there bodies but the mentality of it all in learning how to play position creating and recruiting guys that come in and create that competition on a daily basis, that those guys are having to compete daily in everything they do so that they have the right mindset and mentality as we move forward as well so I think it's a combination of things from the weight room to recruiting, personnel and getting the right guys in here to get it this thing going."

Next Up:

The Bison will head into the offseason