By Tim Mastro

DOVER — Esaias Guthrie sure knows how to start off on the right foot.

Guthrie returned an interception 87 yards for a Delaware State touchdown in Saturday’s season opener. During the abbreviated spring season, the Middletown High product also recorded a pick-six.

“Same thing as the spring, with the same guy and on the same sideline,” said DSU coach Rod Milstead with a chuckle. “Really felt a little like deja vu.”

Guthrie provided a pair of interceptions, highlighting a six-turnover day for the Hornet defense in a 32-24 victory over Bowie State in a nonconference matchup at Alumni Stadium. The win was the second-straight in an opening contest for Delaware State, which started the spring season with a home win over Howard.

It marked the first time Delaware State won consecutive season openers since the 2011 and 2012 seasons, when the Hornets defeated Virginia Military Institute in back-to-back years.

Sy’Veon Wilkerson took care of most of the scoring for the Hornets. The freshman, who debuted in the spring, received the start at running back Saturday and scored three touchdowns.

“My attitude was it’s just another game,” Wilkerson said. “Football is football at the end of the day so I just went out there and tried to do what I normally do with the help of the o-line.”

Delaware State led by as much as 26-3 at halftime when Guthrie grabbed onto a tipped pass and scampered 87 yards the other way.

“I knew it was going to be tipped so I had to play the ball and not the man,” Guthrie said. “I read it right, came through and it was a long run.”

But Bowie State, ranked No. 18 nationally in Division II, gave the Hornets a tough test in the CIAA program’s first game since 2019. The Bulldogs’ 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and they elected not to play in the spring.

After a slow start, Bowie State gave the Hornets a scare in the second half as quarterback Ja’Rome Johnson tossed three touchdowns. The Bulldogs made it a one-possession game at 32-24 with 3:03 remaining before Wilkerson ensured the score would stay that way, picking up some key first downs to run the clock out.

Bowie State came up empty-handed on several trips into Delaware State territory due to turnovers. Guthrie had his two interceptions and Hodgson Vo-Tech grad Daniel Douglas recorded one while Romell Harris-Freeman also picked off a Bowie State pass.

The Hornets also turned the Bulldogs over via two fumbles, highlighted by Ronald Holmes, who forced and recovered a fumble.
“Our defense has been a bunch of crazed dogs since the spring,” Milstead said. “We’re a very attacking defense. We don’t wait. We take the fight to you.”

Tylik Bethea started at quarterback for the Hornets, playing a full game for the first time since 2019. He was injured in the first game of the spring season and did not return for the rest of the spring. The sophomore accounted for one DSU touchdown Saturday on a quarterback-sneak from a yard out.

While Milstead was satisfied by the win, he said there were plenty of mistakes to be cleaned up before Delaware State’s next contest Saturday, Sept. 11 against Georgetown in Dover at 2 p.m.

“We got a lot of work to do. This shows us we’re not where we want to be yet,” Milstead said. “But I think we’re on the right track.”