Delaware State quarterback Kaiden Bennett was ejected from the college football game against Sacred Heart on Saturday, much to the surprise of head coach DeSean Jackson. It is very possible that his absence proved to be the difference between an undefeated season and the Hornets’ first loss.
Losing a starting quarterback in the first quarter has a big impact on the offense and overall psyche.
Officials often make poor judgement calls in college football. This was one of the worst.
Delaware State is off to a hot start.
Former NFL wide receiver DeSean Jackson is best known for his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl champion and three-time Pro Bowler was one of the best deep threats in league history. He still holds the record for most career touchdowns over 60 yards and most career touchdowns over 80 yards to this day. His time at Cal was equally as successful.
Jackson ultimately retired from the NFL in 2022. The 38-year-old was named as the head football coach at Delaware State University in December after one season as the offensive coordinator at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, California.
It was an uphill battle from the jump.
The Hornets went a combined 22-84 from 2015 through the end of last season and their roster was completely depleted. Jackson was desperate to add approximately 30 players to the team just three months prior to his first game.
Despite all of the initial challenges, Delaware State started at 3-0 with wins over Albany, Bowie State and St. Francis. And then it lost a close game to Sacred Heart by a final score of 35-31 on Saturday.
Starting quarterback Kaiden Bennett was ejected for excessive celebration.
The Pioneers are a strong presence on the FCS level over the last few years. For the Hornets to hang tight is impressive. To do so without their starting quarterback is even more so.
Kaiden Bennett was thrown out of the game in the first quarter for two counts of excessive celebration.
The first egregious and excessive incident (sarcasm) took place after a touchdown. Bennett’s momentum took him into a fence along the end zone so he reached out his hand to high-five some of the opposing fans, including several kids. He did not initiate violent contact. Nor did he taunt.
Delaware State QB Kaiden Bennett was ejected in the first quarter for excessive celebration after this TD run against Sacred Heart. Game officials also ruled that he didn't hand the ball to one of the refs following the score.
— HBCU Sports (@HBCUSports) September 27, 2025
Read more about it here: https://t.co/UVHHNdHwki pic.twitter.com/NCJnYgBrzy
Bennett’s behavior was not impolite. Nor was it excessive.
However, the side judge who witnessed the behavior apparently disagreed. He penalized the Delaware State quarterback for unsportsmanlike contact because he did not get the ball back to the head referee in a timeline manner. Kaiden Bennett was ejected.
Here’s the thing. An ejection typically results in a second infraction of this nature. Not the first.
As it would turn out, the entire Hornets sideline received a blanket unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for unsavory behavior earlier in the first quarter. Bennett was not exempt from the initial punishment so the touchdown celebration resulted in his second penalty of the game and his ouster.
DeSean Jackson could not believe it.
The first-year head coach spoke about the incident upon return home to Delaware. He would not even consider reprimanding his quarterback for the behavior that got him ejected.
“In all my years playing football and now my second year of coaching, first year being head coach,” Jackson said, “I would never get mad at a player for shaking a hand after you score a touchdown. I mean, that’s not unsportsmanlike conduct. I’ve never seen nothing like that in all my years of football.”
DeSean Jackson was not happy with the call and subsequent ejection.
“You can’t do that man,” he said. “This kid is working hard. We’re working hard. We’re trying to do everything we can to win a football game. I can understand if he did something blatantly or disrespectful for us. But all he did was shake the hand and go back and hand [the football] to the white hat… went back to the sideline and the referee just threw him out the game. That was crazy.”
Jayden Sauray actually played pretty well in relief of Kaiden Bennett but a starting quarterback is still a big loss. For him to be ejected for something so mundane is frustrating.