No one has to tell DeSean Jackson about Delaware State’s struggles against the University of Delaware.
The Hornets’ new head football coach will make his debut Thursday night at UD, who begins a new era of their own as a member of Conference USA, leaving the Football Championship Subdivision behind.
“You’re going to play against teams that are better than you,” Jackson said during Monday’s MEAC Coaches’ Conference. “But does that mean that you go into that game thinking you’re going to lose or not carry yourself like you won’t do the best you can to win the game?”
The Hornets and Blue Hens finally met for the first time in the 2007 FCS playoffs then have had an on-and-off series over the years. Delaware State has never beaten UD, sporting an 0-11 mark in the “Route 1 Rivalry.”
“We understand it’s going to be tough; yes, they have the better team, yes, they have the streak. That stuff doesn’t matter to me,” Jackson said. “I’ve played a lot of football, and I’ve been on a lot of teams where we weren’t the best team, but we could still go out there and potentially get a victory.”
A victory of this magnitude would be huge and would also equal DSU’s win total of each of the last two seasons. The Hornets finished 1-10 in 2023 and 1-11 last year.
Jackson announced that Sacramento State transfer Kaiden Bennett will start Thursday’s game at quarterback.
“Kaiden is doing a great job leading this team and making the right decisions,” Jackson said before adding that “Kaiden’s our guy, but we also have guys behind him that can step up.”
His first game as Delaware State head coach promises to be a challenge, but Jackson’s main concern is how his team performs Thursday night and beyond.
“It’s never been about anybody else but ourselves,” he said. “At time times, you get caught up in who your opponent is. At the end of the day if we take care of our responsibilities, Delaware State’s going to come out on top.”