DOVER — Kenny Carter is still looking for that first win of his collegiate head coaching career.

And with his home debut this weekend, Carter has a chance to make a solid first impression on the Delaware State University crowd.

The Hornets (0-2) need to rebound from a 45-13 rout at Kent State last Saturday. It was a sluggish offensive performance for DSU, which could only muster one first down and had negative 33 total yards.

It was a far cry from the Hornets’ opening loss of the year at No. 14 Liberty, when they at least showed flashes of strong play despite falling 32-13 to one of the better teams in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Carter hopes the first game at Alumni Stadium will light a spark under the team to help turn the season around. DelState hosts Chowan, a Division II school, Saturday at 2 p.m.

“We’re excited about playing at home,” Carter said. “We’re eager to play at home no matter what level the other team is. You open against the 15th-ranked team in the country, then go play a team that’s markedly better than they were the previous year, that’s a good test for you.

“But when you get to wake up in the morning and not ride eight hours on a bus to go play an oppenent, your family is there and everyone gets to see you compete, that’s a fun thing and our guys are very excited about that.

“We’re just excited about playing another game” Carter added. “When you start 0-2, you’re hungry. That first win is very important.”

To improve on their offensive numbers, the Hornets are going to have to be better on the offensive line.

Against Kent State, the Hornets rushed for negative 38 yards, on 28 attempts. They surrendered seven sacks as DSU completed just 3-of-10 passes for a total of five yards combined between quarterbacks Esayah Obado and Gilbert Rivera.

Carter was quite blunt in assessing the offensive performance.

“We played horrible on offense,” Carter said.

But Carter did like the fight the Hornets showed.

They scored their final touchdown late in the fourth quarter when Terrick Colston returned a fumble for 72 yards. Colston also forced a fumble and recorded 15 tackles.

“Our kids didn’t stop playing,” Carter said. “They played right there toward the end when we had a couple of stands on defense and moved the ball a little bit on offense.”

New video board to be unveiled

The fan experience at Delaware State’s Alumni Stadium will soon reach a whole new level. Hornet fans attending this weekend’s events at the stadium will be treated to a new state-of-the-art Daktronics multi-media display system, featuring a high definition screen and scoreboard.

The 18x24-foot board will be in operation for the Hornets’ women’s soccer contest against UMBC Friday at 7 p.m. and for the football home opener.

The new multi-media board is the centerpiece of improvements at the stadium this school year. Other upgrades include new screening and signage, along with more diverse food offerings.