Dover, Del. (Nov. 9, 2019) --- Delaware State's defense turned in its best performance of the season and Thomas Bertrand-Hudon rushed for a career-best 133 yards and a touchdown to lead the Hornets to a 16-13 upset of MEAC co-leader Bethune-Cookman at Alumni Stadium this afternoon.
DSU led 16-0 before holding off a late Wildcat charge to snap a seven-game losing streak and improved to 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the MEAC. Bethune-Cookman, which entered the game tied with defending champ North Carolina A&T for first place in the conference standings, dropped its second straight game to fall to 6-3 and 4-2.
Delaware State also snapped a six-game skid against the Wildcats, defeating BCU for the first time since 2008.
The Hornet defense held the Wildcats to 257 total yards, 73 below their season average entering the game. The defensive performance was highlighted by three fourth-down stops, including two in the fourth quarter.
Bertrand-Hudon tied a school-record with 36 carries in the contest. He also became the first Hornet with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Jaashawn Jones ran for 144 yards vs. North Carolina A&T and 114 against Morgan State in 2010.
Bertrand-Hudon's 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave the Hornets a 16-0 lead.
“The players and staff deserve a great deal of credit for a tremendous effort today,” said Delaware State head coach Rod Milstead, who in addition to savoring the victory also celebrated his birthday today.
“I thought we had tremendous energy to start the game and it made a big difference,” Milstead added. “There's adversity in every game, and we fought through the tough stretches and beat a very good football team today. This was the total team effort we've been fighting for all season.”
The Hornets took advantage of a special team miscue by the Wildcats to open the scoring.
Three plays after DSU recovered a muffed punt return at the Bethune-Cookman 24 yard line, freshman wide receiver Bizzett Woodley scored a touchdown on a 22-yard “Sports Center Top 10-worthy catch” in the endzone on a pass from Tylik Bethea with 7:02 left in the opening quarter. Tightly covered, Woodley leaped above the defender and made a one hand grab while managing to get a foot in the endzone before falling out of bounds.
The touchdown was Woodley's team-leading sixth of the season, ranking him among the 2019 MEAC leaders.
The Hornet defense was responsible for the next score when Devin Smith forced BCU quarterback Akevious Williams out of the endzone for a safety to give Delaware State a 9-0 lead with 4:33 remaining in the first quarter.
Bethune-Cookman scored its first touchdown on a one-yard run by Xavier McDonald less than three minutes before halftime to cut the Hornets' lead to 16-6.
The Wildcats pulled to within 16-13 when Tydarius Peters returned an interception by Bethea 25 yards for a touchdown with 13:09 left to play.
Bethune-Cookman had two possessions after pulling to within three points, but the DSU defense allowed just 33 yards and one first down on nine plays, while preventing the Wildcats from any further scoring fourth quarter scoring.
Still holding a three-point lead on their final possession, the Hornets sealed the win when Bertrand-Hudon rushed for four yards on second-and-three with less than two minutes to play.
Hornet defensive back Kamari Jackson led all players with 11 tackles, including two behind the line-of-scrimmage. Linebacker Antquan Kinsey had six solo stops and an assist for DSU.
Delaware State held to 37:27-to-22:33 advantage in time of possession and did not allow a sack in the contest.
The Hornets will return to action next Saturday (Nov. 16) at home against Norfolk State. The Hall-of-Fame/Champions Weekend contests is set for 2:00 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.
