Noah Brannock knew Walter Zable Stadium long before he walked onto the field Saturday wearing Delaware State colors. The former William & Mary quarterback returned to Williamsburg and nearly produced one of the most dramatic HBCU football comebacks of the young season.
With Delaware State trailing William & Mary 22-0 with 12:20 remaining, Brannock took control of the offense. He immediately led the Hornets on a six-play, 65-yard scoring drive and finished it with an 11-yard touchdown run. Less than seven minutes later, Brannock scored again from two yards out, cutting a three-score deficit to 22-15 with 3:04 left.
Delaware State got the football back with 2:06 remaining and still had an opportunity to finish the comeback. Brannock helped move the Hornets near midfield before a fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 1:06 left. William & Mary escaped with a 22-15 victory, but the former Tribe quarterback had turned what looked like a comfortable win into a final-minute fight.
Noah Brannock returns to William & Mary
Brannock’s fourth-quarter appearance carried more significance because of his history with William & Mary. During the 2025 season, he completed 14 of 27 passes for 188 yards while appearing in eight games as the Tribe’s backup quarterback. His most extensive action came against Virginia, when he threw for 111 yards and added 35 rushing yards during the second half.
He transferred to Delaware State and entered the 2026 season as part of a quarterback room led by Ui Ale. Head coach DeSean Jackson named Ale the starter before the season opener after a preseason competition. HBCU Gameday previously detailed how Ale separated himself late in camp before earning the job in its coverage of Delaware State’s quarterback decision.
Brannock technically appeared before the fourth quarter Saturday. Delaware State used him for a designed five-yard run late in the second quarter, then returned to Ale. However, the actual quarterback change came after William & Mary extended its advantage to 22-0 early in the fourth quarter.
Brannock responded by giving Delaware State football a different look. He finished with 54 passing yards and added 45 rushing yards, while both Delaware State touchdowns came on his runs. The passing numbers were modest, but his mobility and energy helped change the rhythm of an offense that had gone scoreless through three quarters.
Delaware State football created its own problems
The comeback provided the drama, but the statistics explain why Delaware State needed one. The Hornets outgained nationally ranked William & Mary 366-187 and finished with 26 first downs compared with 10 for the Tribe. Delaware State also rushed for 174 yards and held the football for more than 33 minutes.
Those numbers normally belong to the winning team. Instead, Delaware State committed six turnovers and was penalized 11 times for 94 yards. The Hornets threw three interceptions, lost three fumbles and also surrendered a blocked punt that helped William & Mary repeatedly work with favorable field position.
The mistakes were especially costly because Delaware State proved it could move the football. Several productive possessions stalled because of turnovers or penalties, including mistakes around William & Mary scoring territory. Rather than forcing the Tribe to defend long drives from beginning to end, Delaware State repeatedly gave away possessions or erased its own progress.
That was a major difference from the season-opening victory over Stony Brook. Delaware State also made mistakes in that game, but the Hornets survived an 18-point lead disappearing and eventually won 41-34. Jackson said afterward that his team remained far from where he expected it to be, a warning that became more meaningful one week later against stronger competition. Read HBCU Gameday’s Delaware State-Stony Brook analysis.
Delaware State defense keeps the Hornets alive
While the offense struggled with turnovers, the Delaware State defense continually gave the Hornets another opportunity. William & Mary finished with only 187 total yards, including 98 through the air and 89 on the ground. The Tribe converted only one of 12 third downs, while Delaware State produced seven sacks and consistently disrupted the William & Mary offense.
The most impressive sequence came after an interception gave William & Mary possession at the Delaware State 4-yard line late in the third quarter. Instead of allowing the Tribe to turn a 19-0 advantage into a four-score game, Delaware State forced a fumble near the goal line and recovered it. The defense had been handed a nearly impossible situation and still prevented William & Mary from scoring.
Another interception gave William & Mary possession at the Delaware State 25 early in the fourth quarter. Again, the Hornets defense refused to surrender a touchdown and forced the Tribe backward before Max Lipinski kicked a 51-yard field goal. That score made it 22-0, but the defensive stand gave Brannock and the offense just enough room to make the final minutes interesting.
HBCU football expectations are changing at Delaware State
The loss also reinforced something that has become clear under Jackson at Delaware State. The standard around the program has changed. Simply competing against a ranked FCS opponent is no longer enough when the Hornets can look at the film and identify so many opportunities they created for themselves.
That was part of the question entering Williamsburg. After surviving Stony Brook, Delaware State faced a William & Mary team that offered a stronger measuring stick for Jackson’s Year Two program. HBCU Gameday examined that challenge before the game and focused on whether Delaware State’s growing confidence could hold up away from home in its Delaware State-William & Mary preview.
Saturday provided part of the answer. Delaware State football was not physically overwhelmed, and the Hornets actually controlled several of the game’s most important statistical categories. However, competing with good teams and finishing against them remain two different stages of program development.
The official numbers make that distinction difficult to ignore. Delaware State produced nearly twice as many yards as William & Mary and dominated third-down defense, but six turnovers and 11 penalties created too large a deficit. The complete statistical picture is available in the official William & Mary box score.
Brannock gives Delaware State another quarterback option
One fourth quarter should not automatically become a Delaware State quarterback controversy. Ale earned the starting position during preseason camp, and Brannock entered under circumstances that required the Hornets to attack aggressively. Still, Jackson and his offensive staff now have another piece of evidence to evaluate.
Delaware State had zero points when Brannock took over full-time with 12:20 remaining. His first complete series ended with a touchdown, and another scoring drive followed later in the quarter. Brannock also brought a running threat that created additional pressure on the William & Mary defense.
That does not necessarily mean Delaware State needs a new starting quarterback. It does mean Brannock has made himself part of the conversation. For a program trying to take another step in the MEAC and the larger HBCU football picture, having another quarterback capable of changing a game could become valuable as the season develops.
Delaware State leaves Williamsburg with a different lesson
Brannock did not get the storybook ending against his former team. William & Mary stopped Delaware State’s final possession and improved to 2-0, while the Hornets fell to 1-1. Still, the final quarter changed the feeling surrounding a game that had appeared decided.
The former William & Mary quarterback returned to his old stadium, took over with Delaware State down 22 points and scored twice against his former team. More importantly, he gave the Hornets the football with a chance to tie the game in the final minutes. That made the finish far more dramatic than the first three quarters suggested.
For Delaware State football, however, the larger lesson extends beyond Brannock. The Hornets showed they can compete physically with a nationally ranked FCS opponent, but turnovers and penalties remain capable of erasing that progress. If Delaware State can clean up those mistakes, Saturday’s near-comeback may ultimately be remembered as another step toward becoming the program Jackson believes it can be.