With Hawaii waiting, Delaware State football team gets to work

DOVER — Hawaii isn’t so far away any more.

What was once a far-off trip for the Delaware State football team is now just a month away.

As he and his teammates reported for the start of preseason practice on Wednesday, linebacker Charles Brown, Jr. admitted that opening the season at Hawaii has added a little buzz to camp.

The Hornets will be making the program’s longest road trip ever to face the Rainbow Warriors on Aug.24 in their season opener.

“This will be my first time,” Brown said about going to Hawaii. “So I’m super excited.

“I think it’s big. It’s a business trip for sure but it’s an extra trip for us. A lot of guys might never go to Hawaii again so it’s a big trip for everybody.”

Of course, DelState has a lot prove this season after finishing just 1-10 a year ago. The Hornets haven’t had a winning season since 2012.

Not surprisingly, DSU was picked to finish last in the six-team MEAC preseason poll on Tuesday.

“We discussed it (the poll) last night in the meeting,” said second-year coach Lee Hull. “I told them we’re not going to discuss it again.

“My biggest thing for them is, what are you going to do about it? It’s up to them, the players, to fix it — to prove people wrong. And prove people right that believe in them.”

Hull said there’s something about being at MEAC Media Day, like he was on Tuesday, that makes the start of preseason seem a little more real.

“It’s time to shut up and just perform,” he said. “All the talking is done. It really does get your juices flowing. It’s here.”

The thing about the Hawaii trip said tight end E.J. Core is that it’s not just a chance for the Hornets to visit a beautiful place. It’s also a chance for them to prove themselves against a Division I FBS program.

“I feel like everybody’s excited about it for sure,” he said. “But I think the exposure that comes with Hawaii is what’s really driving the team to be like, ‘We’ve really got to be on our ‘A’ game. ‘ There’s going to be a lot of people watching.

“I feel like we definitely have the motivation now to play on a higher level.”

Extra points

• Standout running back Marquis Gillis is not part of the program right now for personal reasons said Hull. The Milford High grad has run for 1,412 yards in his first two seasons with the Hornets.
• UNLV transfer Jordan Jakes is no longer with the program. The 6-foot-6 receiver was with DSU during spring practice.
• DelState welcomed 20 new players, including 13 transfers and seven true freshmen.
• No starting time has been announced for the Hawaii game yet. Hawaii is six hours behind the East Coast.