HONOLULU, Hawaii — There were plenty of reasons why Delaware State could have struggled in this one.
After a tough time just getting to Hawaii, the Hornets still faced a six-hour time difference and a pretty good FBS football team.
But here DelState was, tied with the heavily-favored Rainbow Warriors five minutes into the third quarter of their football season opener played early on morning.
That’s where the Cinderella story ended for the Hornets ended, though, as Hawaii ran off the final 21 points of the contest to post a 35-14 victory at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex.
Still, all things considered, it was a pretty impressive showing for DelState, which is coming off a 1-10 season a year ago. The Warriors were favored by at least 38 points.
After falling behind, 14-0, in the first quarter, the Hornets put together an impressive nine-play, 77-yard scoring drive to end the first half.
Quarterback Marqui Adams scrambled 10 yards for the touchdown with 12 seconds left in the second quarter.
DelState then tied the contest when it started the second half with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
Jaden Sutton finished off this march with a six-yard scoring run before Nathan Wilson’s second PAT kick knotted the score at 14-14 with 11:10 remaining in the third quarter.
“If you let teams hang around, they’re going to make plays,” said Hawaii coach Timmy Chang. “They had a great two-minute drive (in the first half).They did a great job of scoring and getting the ball right there in the second half.
“In two possessions, the game’s tied. ... You never know, football’s that type of game. You have to believe in each other. You have to go out there and execute. That’s what the game demands.”
Standout QB Brayden Schager gave the Warriors the lead for good on a 15-yard scoring run with 7:42 left in the third quarter.
Hawaii then added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the contest out of reach.
Schager threw for a pair of TDs and ran for two more in the game played in sometimes windy, rainy conditions before a crowd of 12,206.
Schager was 17-of-34 for 203 yards passing in Hawaii’s run-and-shoot offense and ran 10 times for 38 yards. Pofele Ashlock had a team-leading five receptions for 81 yards.
But DSU forced the Warriors to punt eight times in the game.
“It was pretty crazy,” Schager said about the weather. “It was the strongest wind I’ve probably ever played in. But it’s no excuse.”
For the Hornets, Adams went 17-of-28 passes for 156 yards and also ran for 44 yards. Sutton added 56 yards on 12 carries.
Outside of its two scoring drives, yards were difficult to come by for DelState. The Hornets punted on their first seven possessions and their last five of the night.
The teams combined for 13 punts on 15 first-half drives.
Hawaii out-gained DelState by only a 331-260 margin in total yards. The Hornets held an advantage of 33:05 to 26:10 in time of possession.
Kahleef Jimmison posted seven tackles to lead DSU’s defense with Aaron Willis breaking up a pair of passes.
Delaware State had received some national attention earlier in the week when a bus company mistake forced it to miss its 10.5-hour flight from New York on Tuesday.
The Hornets had to divide their travel party into a handful of groups with the entire party not arriving until Thursday.
The game itself didn’t start until midnight ET on Saturday night.
“I feel really bad for that team and what they had to endure,” Chang said about the Hornets. “They had some plans here to see the island and how beautiful it is — Pearl Harbor and the history. Just really safe travels back to that team.”
After making the trip back on Sunday — and starting classes on Monday — the Hornets will travel to Connecticut to face Sacred Heart on Saturday.
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