Delaware State football coach DeSean Jackson and ex-Eagles teammate Michael Vick have another reunion this week at Lincoln Financial Field.
Nostalgia and friendship aside, Jackson would likely prefer to see his Hornets just get reacquainted with winning.
DSU (4-4) was soundly beaten in its MEAC opener Oct. 23 by visiting North Carolina Central 31-12.
Vick’s Norfolk State team (4-4) also lost its first league game 22-6 at defending champ South Carolina State. That’ll make the loser of the 3 p.m. matchup Oct. 31 in Philadelphia likely out of the running for the MEAC title before November arrives.
Last year’s 27-20 DSU win over the Spartans was among the highlights of an 8-4 season and second-place MEAC finish.
It also brought attention to and stirred passions for Historically Black Colleges and Universities such as DSU and Norfolk State.
“Wins and losses obviously is the nature of our game,” Jackson said at a recent press conference in Philadelphia touting the game. “But it’s a brotherhood that we built and we get to go lead our teams in front of the world.
“Blessed to be in this position, hopefully we can do this year in and year out and make this a real classic. Obviously, I’m up on the scoreboard right now. We won [in 2025] but it’s always gonna be competitive.”
That fanfare will return Saturday, though this year’s game is not nationally televised like last year’s Thursday night prime-time duel was. It will be streamed on ESPN+.
“It’s gonna be a fun weekend,” Vick said. “Most importantly we gotta go down there and find a way to win the game. At the same time, this is an opportunity to celebrate HBCUs and DeSean and I get to clash again and bring something special to the city of Philadelphia.”
The second annual One Philly HBCU Week, a six-day event celebrating those schools and their graduates, was expanded to include a game the night of Oct. 30 between Division II Virginia Union and Lincoln University.
“Knowing that DeSean is on one side and I’m on the other sideline,” Vick said, “I think that’s gonna get a lot of hype in the city in Philadelphia.”
But it will certainly be a business trip the former quarterback added and Jackson, the wide receiver who caught many of his NFL passes, would likely agree. Jackson did not appear during the weekly press availability with MEAC coaches Oct. 26.
DSU is last in the MEAC in rushing defense while allowing 157.4 yards per game. The Hornets particularly struggled against North Carolina Central, which piled up 272 of its 427 total yards on the ground. Freshman Gino Anderson strafed the Hornets for 214 yards.
The Eagles possessed the ball for 37 minutes and 18 seconds compared to DSU’s 22:42, as the Hornets totaled just 257 yards.
While DSU enjoyed its best season in 18 years last fall, Norfolk State struggled through a 1-11 season in Vick’s debut.
This year, Norfolk State has been much better, though three turnovers helped to foil its shot at upsetting South Carolina State.
“Our team’s confident, our team’s disciplined,” said Vick. “We gotta play the game in between the lines and last year was flags all over the place.”
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: DeSean Jackson, Michael Vick reunite as MEAC hopes hang in balance