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Sport in Seriousness
It looks like Delaware State will make it after all – albeit after some significant travel issues.
The Hornets football team is en route to Honolulu ahead of its season opener in Hawaii, despite missing its scheduled flight on Tuesday due to a shuttle bus delay. No changes have been made to the game’s scheduled time, which is set for 6 p.m. HT Saturday, or midnight Sunday on the East Coast.
Derek Inouchi, Hawaii’s director of media relations, told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday that the Rainbow Warriors’ athletic department is working with Delaware State to adjust practice times, but that there have been no discussions about rescheduling the game itself.
Here’s everything you need to know about Delaware State’s travel issues ahead of their game against the Rainbow Warriors.
Did Delaware State make it to Hawaii for Saturday’s game?
Not yet, but the Hornets are on their way. The Delaware News Journal (part of the USA TODAY Network) reported that the football travel party left Wednesday morning and is expected to arrive in Honolulu Wednesday afternoon. Although the Hornets originally wanted to avoid connecting flights, their trip on Wednesday will now require three separate flights.
How could Delaware State miss its flight to Hawaii?
Because the distance from Philadelphia or Baltimore to Honolulu is nearly 5,000 miles, Delaware State preferred a direct flight. The closest flight connections were from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, which required shuttle buses. The company contracted to transport the Hornets group, Wertz Motor Coaches, said in a statement to HBCU GameDay on Tuesday that there was “an internal scheduling error” in its reservation system that caused a delay in picking up Delaware State’s traveling group.
The Hornets therefore missed their scheduled flight and had to spend Tuesday night in a New York hotel while alternative travel plans were made.
When the team was in the national news due to its travel issues, the players seemed to take advantage and lighten the mood by posting videos on their social media accounts.
“It was unfortunate with the bus company, but that’s a different matter,” DSU President Tony Allen told the News Journal on Wednesday.
“I can tell you, these are resilient guys,” Allen added. “These things happen. They’ve got it. I know they’re going to be totally focused on the game.”
How much money is at stake in the Delaware State-Hawai’i game?
According to a sporting event contract obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the University of Hawai’i is obligated to pay Delaware State $180,000 to play in the game. The contract was signed by the presidents and athletic directors of both universities in late February and is fairly typical for Hawai’i when it plays FCS programs to fill its schedule. For comparison, a similar sporting event contract also obtained by USA TODAY Sports shows the university is obligated to pay Northern Iowa $165,000 for a game scheduled to take place on Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. HT.
Under the agreement, Hawaii is required to pay Delaware State no later than 60 days after the conclusion of the game. The agreement also specifies that Hawaii will pay “round-trip airfare for a traveling party of 100 people, not to exceed $1,400 per flight,” but also notes that “all rebooking fees shall be paid by the visiting team.” Hawaii will also pay for hotel accommodations and transportation to and from the airport, hotel, practice facility and stadiums.
The agreement also includes provisions for cancellations, forfeitures or no-shows. Should either party breach the agreement, the offending party would be forced to pay the other program “a lump sum of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($750,000).” This amount represents the estimated attendance revenue for the game. “The parties further agree that the amount provided for herein is a reasonable estimate of the damages that would be incurred as a result of the breach of the agreement and is not a penalty,” the agreement states.
However, the contract provides protection in the event that a cancellation, forfeiture or no-show is due to a “force majeure event”, which includes mitigating circumstances such as “strikes, work stoppages or any labour dispute or problem involving the parties”.
What you should know about the Delaware State-Hawai’i football game
The Hornets had a 1-10 record last season and finished last in the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference after losing all five conference games. Delaware State scored 18 points per game last season, which ranked the program 102nd out of 122 possible FCS teams.
The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a 5-8 season and finished eighth (3-5) in the Mountain West Conference. Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager led the Mountain West in passing yards (3,542) and passing touchdowns (26) in 2023. The Rainbow Warriors have won their last 20 games against FCS opponents.
How to watch the Delaware State-Hawai’i football game
For local audiences, the game will be broadcast on pay-per-view by Spectrum Sports. Those outside of Hawaii can stream the game on the Team1 Sports app by searching for “Hawai’i Football” in the channel tab.
The game is scheduled to take place at the Clarence TC Ching Complex on the campus of the University of Hawaii.
Contributors: Steve Berkowitz
