Delaware State is suddenly a story in the MEAC, and DeSean Jackson is the reason why. The first-year head coach has the Hornets off to a 3–1 start, capped by a 39–10 win over St. Francis that looked nothing like the undisciplined group that opened the year. “The first three games we had 14 consecutive penalties week in and week out…when you’re giving up that many yardage and you’re penalizing yourself, it’s almost like you’re working backwards, right?” Jackson admitted. “This week, they did a hell of a job…mentally if a guy pushes you over the edge, hey, you got four quarters of football, man, get them the next play. And it showed this [past] Saturday.”
The win has energized a program that has been searching for an identity. Jackson has made it clear the Hornets will be defined by physicality, starting with the run game. “We literally got four running backs, maybe five possible running backs that could be starting on other teams. And we realize that…this offense will be ran through our run game.” That’s not just talk, Delaware State leads the FCS with nearly 300 yards per game on the ground. Jackson laughed off the idea that he’d rely on his wide receiver pedigree. “I didn’t want to have the cliche thing come down to, ‘Coach Jack’s a wide receiver and he’s going to be passing 70% of the time.’ I realize to have a successful offense, it has to start with the run game. It has to start with the trenches. It has to start with a great mindset at the quarterback position.”
For Delaware State, the stakes rise again today with a road trip to Sacred Heart, a team that rushed for over 200 yards against Norfolk State last week. Jackson knows it will come down to discipline and execution. “We have our objective to do here, you know, which is play physical, play fast, play strong, and be violent in all three phases of the football game. It always comes down to ourselves. We look at every opponent, we respect them, but once we do what we need to do and we’re confident and focused on our job…that’s how we respect our opponents.”
Delaware State Coach Desean Jackson celebrate Philadelphia Eagles win over the Rams with WR AJ Brown pic.twitter.com/ewWtqOYcU8
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Inside the locker room, accountability has become a new standard. “At the end of the day, the best teams and the championship teams are player-led. If you see one of the players slacking or not holding up to their potential, you got guys getting on them, man, even before I get on them.” Jackson believes that culture shift will keep the Hornets on track as conference play looms. “Everything we have to do is the standard, right? In my eyes, we have a stretch here…but one thing I will say, this team is nowhere near our peak and we’re going to keep getting better week in and week out.”
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