DSU Hornets see a shift in power

Photo: DSU Hornets Head Football Coach Al Lavan

By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal

Delaware State suddenly part of MEAC's new elite

DOVER -- In about a month, there could be a first in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

None of the league's current top teams -- Delaware State (4-0 in conference play), Norfolk State (4-0) and Morgan State (3-1) -- has ever qualified for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

The trio's midseason success indicates a power shift in the MEAC.

"I would think so," said Hampton coach Joe Taylor, whose team won the past three conference titles but is 3-2 in the MEAC this year. "It will be interesting to see how they match up against one another."

The MEAC is among eight conferences whose regular-season champion gets an automatic bid to the I-AA playoffs. DSU has never made the playoffs and has not won the league championship since sharing it with North Carolina A&T in 1991.

Hornets coach Al Lavan has seen extra attention placed on his team, which is 5-1 overall heading into Saturday's homecoming game against Morgan State. The game will televised live on CN8.

"I'm not unaware more people are aware of the program, and that's good," Lavan said. "The incentive for me is to keep being successful."

It only gets more interesting for the Hornets, who rose to No. 15 in The Sports Network's Top 25 poll this week.

Photo: Hampton University Pirates Head Football Coach Joe Taylor.

In the MEAC's preseason poll, coaches and sports information directors picked Delaware State, Morgan State and Norfolk State to place third, sixth and seventh, respectively. Norfolk State earned its first national ranking this week when it debuted at No. 25.

Hampton was able to squeak by Morgan State, 24-17 in overtime, on Sept. 20. Had the Bears won, they would be in a three-way tie for first place with DSU and Norfolk State.

Morgan State is at or near the top of virtually every statistical category in the conference, including total defense (No. 1) and total offense (No. 2).

"The MEAC has year-to-year been a competitive conference," Bears coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "The teams at the top now have gained the edge by last-play performances, field goals and things of that nature. It's a swing in the luck or whatever goes with it. The ones up front are the ones that have normally fallen short in the last seconds, and now they've found ways to win it in the last seconds."

While the Hornets figured Hampton (whom DSU beat 24-17 on Sept. 29) would serve as the biggest barrier to their first playoff spot, the success of Morgan State and Norfolk State has put a new emphasis on the games still to come. DSU plays host to Norfolk State on Nov. 10, the next-to-last game of the regular season.

"It's always good when you have new teams winning," Lavan said. "It's an example of the coaching. These coaches have their teams put together. I think it leads to a stronger and more competitive conference."