Box Score

DOVER, Del. – Vashon Winton's 2-yard touchdown pass to Eric Sewell gave No. 10 Delaware State a 28-21 lead in overtime, and Hornets' defensive back Akeem Green sacked Casey Hansen (Norco, Calif.) on fourth down on Norfolk State's final possession as the Hornets capped a furious rally to win the MEAC football championship before a sell-out crowd of 6,682 fans on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

DSU (9-1, 7-0 MEAC) earned the MEAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs by rallying from a 21-3 fourth-quarter deficit. It is DSU's first MEAC football title since 1991, and first outright championship since 1989.

The Spartans (7-3, 6-2) had their bid for their first MEAC title end in heart-breaking fashion.

Winton started the comeback with a 6-yard TD pass to Shaheer McBride with 8:09 left in the game. Peter Gaertner's point-after cut NSU's lead to 21-10.

DSU forced the Spartans to punt on their next drive, and then drove 65 yards in three plays for another TD. The key play on the possession was a 53-yard completion from Winton to Derrick McNeil. Adam Shrewsbury's 2-yard TD run brought the Hornets within 21-16 with 3:14 remaining. After a controversial pass interference penalty against NSU on the first two-point conversion attempt, Shrewsbury plowed on the next attempt to bring DSU within 21-18.

The Hornets then forced another NSU three-and-out. DSU marched 46 yards on 10 plays, and Gaertner's 28-yard field goal on the last play of regulation tied the game at 21-all.

DSU got the ball first in OT. On its fifth play, Winton's play-action pass to Sewell gave the Hornets their first lead of the game.

Then it was the Spartans' turn. DSU forced Hansen into three incomplete passes, and on fourth down, Green's hard-charging blitz knocked Hansen to the turf, ending the game and sending the DSU crowd into a frenzy.

“This is a heart-breaking loss, to be so close to the championship,” NSU head coach Pete Adrian said. “Delaware State just made all the big plays late in the game. We've been the team making those plays all year long to win the close games, but today we didn't.”

The Spartans controlled the first three and a half quarters, moving the ball against the MEAC's top scoring defense and limiting the Hornets' offense to just three points.

NSU scored on its first two drives of the game. After forcing a DSU punt to start the game, NSU drove 83 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. Hansen found Jamar Johnson (Norfolk, Va.) for a 5-yard TD pass, and the extra point by Justin Castellat (Virginia Beach, Va.) gave NSU a 7-0 lead with 5:48 left in the first quarter. 

After holding the Hornets again, the Spartans marched 71 yards in six plays for another score. Daryl Jones (Richmond, Va.) finished the drive with a 16-yard TD run, and the point after gave the Spartans a 14-0 lead.

DSU drove deep into Spartan territory just before halftime, but Winton's pass toward the NSU end zone was intercepted by Terrell Whitehead (Virginia Beach, Va.) at the Spartans' 3.

DSU took its first possession of the second half and got on the scoreboard for the first time. Gaertner kicked a 39-yard field goal to finish a 12-play, 41-yard drive and get the Hornets within 14-3 with 6:16 left in the third quarter.

But NSU wasted no time responding. On the first play of the next drive, Hansen found tight end Dexter Bailey (Suffolk, Va.) for a 61-yard completion to the DSU 15. It was the longest reception of Bailey's career. Two plays later, Jones rumbled into the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown run, his 14th of the year, to give the Spartans a 21-3 lead with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.

NSU appeared on the verge of salting the game away when Andre Twine (Chesapeake, Va.) forced Shrewsbury to fumble the ensuing pooch kickoff, and NSU's Dustin Johnson (Hampton, Va.) recovered at the Hornets' 36. But DSU's Reggie McCoy sacked Hansen and forced him to fumble, and Green recovered at the NSU 37.

The Hornets out-gained NSU 413-243 in total offense, with 221 of those yards coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Spartans had just 22 yards in the same time frame. Winton completed 28-of-44 passes for 245 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 61 yards.

Jones led the NSU offense with his sixth 100-yard game of the season. He finished with 24 carries for 108 yards and two scores. In the process, he became the first Spartan to top the 1,000-yard mark since Angelo Todd's school-record 1,467 yards in 1998. Jones (2,365 career rushing yards) also passed Todd for fourth place on the all-time NSU rushing list. He now has 1,097 yards on the season.

Hansen was 7-of-17 for 147 yards and one TD. Johnson had a team-high four receptions for 58 yards.

Four Spartans tallied double figures in tackles, led by Marquez Davis (Newport News, Va.) with 14, including one for a loss and half a sack. Maguell Davis (Newport News, Va.) had 13 tackles, Anthony Olumba (Washington, D.C.) 12 and Don Carey (Norfolk, Va.) 11, one for a loss.

Ronn Spinner, Russell Reeves and Tyron Hurst had six tackles apiece for the Hornets, who cap their season next Saturday by hosting Howard. DSU will open play in the 16-team FCS playoffs the weekend of Nov. 23-24.

The Spartans conclude their finest Division I football regular season next Saturday when they host Winston-Salem State at 1 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium. The game has been designated Military Appreciation Day and Veterans' Day, and will also be the final home game for the NSU senior class.

“I feel especially bad for our kids. They played very hard today,” Adrian said. “But this team has accomplished a lot this season. No one expected us to be in the championship game, so we have a bright future.”