Box Score

DOVER, Del. – Takeem Hedgeman rushed for a career-high 132 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Chris Walley passed for a career-high 327 yards and accounted for three more scores as Norfolk State extended its winning streak to four with a 38-21 victory over Delaware State on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

The Spartans (5-1 overall, 3-0 MEAC) racked up a season-high 526 yards of total offense en route to their third consecutive win over the Hornets (2-4, 0-2).

NSU jumped out to a 24-0 lead midway through the second quarter. DSU rallied and got as close as 10 in the final quarter, but the Spartans used late interceptions by Marcus Cooperwood and DeVonte Reynolds to seal the win.

Hedgeman got NSU on the board on the Spartans' second play from scrimmage, scampering 58 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest run of his career and his first score of the year.

The Spartans added to their lead late in the first quarter on a 22-yard TD pass from Walley to Victor Hairston with 28 seconds left in the quarter. Walley made it 21-0 with a 6-yard TD run on the Spartans' first drive of the second quarter, capping an eight-play, 75-yard march.

The NSU defense had a hand in the team's next score. Nose guard Josh Turner forced a fumble from DSU running back Jaashawn Jones, which defensive lineman Joey Christine pounced on at the Hornets' 30-yard line. Six plays later, Ryan Estep connected on a 24-yard field goal to extend NSU's lead to 24-0.

DSU got on the board with 36 seconds left in the half on a 15-yard scoring pass from Nick Elko to Justin Wilson, cutting NSU's edge to 24-7 going into the half.

Walley helped NSU engineer a 10-play, 78-yard drive for the only score of the third quarter. He hooked up with Xavier Boyce on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 3:26 left in the third quarter, making it 31-7.

The Hornets staged a fourth-quarter rally thanks to a pair of scoring strikes from Elko to Darius Jackson, covering 7 and 10 yards. The latter cut NSU's advantage to 31-21 with 7:28 remaining in the game.

DSU got the ball back with 4:58 left in the game, but the Spartan defense sealed the Hornets' fate. Elko was sacked by Chad Battles on first down, and was intercepted by Cooperwood on second down at the DSU 18. Hedgeman carried on the next three plays, scoring from 5 yards out with 3:01 left to cap the scoring.

Reynolds intercepted an Elko pass on the ensuing drive, and NSU ran out the clock.

Boyce had career highs of 10 catches for 124 yards for the Spartans. Derrick Demps had a career-high three receptions for 72 yards, and Hairston had four grabs for 48 yards.

Elko finished 30-of-48 for 339 yards and three scores for DSU. Jackson (11-124) and Wilson (10-118) both topped the 100-yard receiving mark for the Hornets, but DSU was held to just 28 rushing yards on 25 carries.

The Spartans put their winning streak on the line next Saturday against rival Hampton in the State Farm Battle of the Bay. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium.