DOVER, Del. (October 30, 2021) – The Howard University football team made some key mistakes at some inopportune times and proved to be costly as the Bison dropped a tough 30-23 decision to Delaware State (DSU) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game at Alumni Stadium before 1,776 spectators. 
 
The loss drops Howard to 2-6 on the season (1-2 in the MEAC) while the Hornets improve to 4-4 and 1-1 in the league.
 
The Bison got off to a good start, marching 66 yards on six plays that was culminated by a 37-yards TD pass from junior quarter Quinton Williams (Upper Marlboro, Md.) to senior wideout Antoine Murray (Miramar, Fla.).
 
Delaware State wasted little time and answered less than a minute later on the first of four TD passes from Jared Lewis, this coming from 59 yards to Trey Gross. DSU's quarterback finished with 246 passing yards on the afternoon.
 
The Hornets upped the margin early in the second quarter on a 15-yard strike to Bizett Woodley from Lewis. The extra kick failed as the Hornets led, 13-7.
 
Delaware State threatened to increase the lead on its next possession when it drove down to the Howard three-yard line, but the Matt Knoll 30-yard field goal attempt failed.
 
On the ensuing possession, Howard put together a nice drive of 70 yards in 12 plays, but it stalled and had to settle for a Faraji Woodson (Greensboro, N.C.) 43-yard field goal.
 
Then, the Hornets put together their best drive of the game, going 88 yards in 14 plays while taking 3:25 off the clock. Lewis tossed his third TD pass, this time to Jarrod Halsey from 35 yards on fourth down. The Bison made a costly mistake of jumping offsides to keep the drive alive.
 
Despite the 20-10 halftime deficit, the Bison, who have been fighting from behind all season never panicked as they went into the lock at intermission.
 
The offense sputtered through most of the third quarter until Williams engineered a 10-play, 81-yard drive that he finished off with a three-yard scamper to get his team to 20-17 at the 2:10 mark.
 
Delaware State added a Knoll 41-yard field goal to make it, 23-17 early in the fourth.
 
Then, Howard got the ball into the hands of its best playmaker of late, junior tailback Ian Wheeler (Houston).
 
The speedy back, who finished with a career-high 121 yards on 13 carries, burst through the Hornets line of defense and 65 yards later, the Bison were back on the board, with a chance for the lead. But the PAT attempt was blocked and they had to settle for a 23-23 tie.
 
Then, Delaware State went on what would prove to be the deciding score, taking nine plays to go 62 yards as Lewis hooked up with Gross again, this time from 14 yards. The Bison had a chance to hold the Hornets to a field goal, but a key roughing-the-passer call on third down kept the Hornets' drive alive.
 
"We just gave up too many big plays on defense, especially on the back end," said Howard head coach Larry Scott, alluding to the Delaware State passing game. "It's about the discipline of doing the little things the right way at the right time."
 
The Bison only committed seven penalties, but they were costly.
 
To that, Scott said. "We came into the game the least penalized team in the conference. The jumping offsides and the holding penalties were the ones I was most disappointed with, but I am never going to stop my kids from playing aggressively."
 
Williams tossed for 205 passing yards and a TD.
 
Wheeler, who had a big game against Norfolk State, including a 97-yard kick return, accounted for 180 all-purpose yards. He is rapidly becoming a threat in the Bison's arsenal.
 
"He's had a really good training camp," said Scott of Wheeler. "He had a setback in the Richmond game and had to miss a few games with an injury. He had to sit out a few weeks and now he's coming back and he's healthy. He is now doing things we expected him to do."
 
It doesn't get any easier for Howard as they go back on the road, this time to Orangeburg, S.C., where they will take on the Bulldogs, who are undefeated in MEAC play and were picked to win the league in the preseason.
 
"At the end of the day, it's still about us and building the program," Scott said. "We're going to do it the right things with the right guys."
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.