Delaware State travel issues, explained: What to know about situation, game and more

It looks like Delaware State will make it, after all — albeit after some significant travel issues.

The Hornets football team, ahead of its season-opening game at Hawai‘i, is on its way to Honolulu despite missing its scheduled flight Tuesday because of a shuttle bus delay. No changes have been made to the scheduled time of the game, which is set for Saturday at 6:00 p.m. HT, or midnight Sunday on the east coast.

In fact, Hawai‘i director of media relations Derek Inouchi told USA TODAY Sports 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 its game against the Rainbow Warriors.

Did Delaware State make it to Hawai‘i 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 traveling party left Wednesday morning and is expected to arrive in Honolulu Wednesday afternoon. Although the Hornets initially wanted to avoid connections, their trip Wednesday is now requiring three separate flights.

How did Delaware State miss its flight to Hawai‘i?

Because the trip to Honolulu, from Philadelphia or Baltimore, is nearly 5,000 miles, Delaware State preferred to take a direct flight. The closest options were from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, requiring shuttle buses. The company contracted to shuttle the Hornets contingent, Wertz Motor Coaches, said Tuesday in a statement to HBCU GameDay that it had "an internal scheduling malfunction" in its reservation system, which led to a delay in picking up the Delaware State traveling party.

The Hornets, therefore, missed their scheduled flight, and had to spend Tuesday night in a New York City hotel while it arranged alternate travel plans.

As the team garnered national news coverage for its travel issues, players appeared to take advantage and keep the mood light, posting videos to their social media accounts.

"It was unfortunate with the bus company, but that’s another matter," DSU president Tony Allen told The News Journal Wednesday.

"I can tell you these are resilient guys," Allen added. "Things like this happen. They got it. I know they’ll be uber-focused on the game."

How much money is at stake in the Delaware State-Hawai‘i game?

According to an athletic event agreement contract obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the University of Hawai‘i is obligated to pay Delaware State $180,000 to participate in the game. The agreement was signed by the presidents and athletic directors of both schools in late February and is fairly typical for Hawai‘i when it plays FCS programs to fill out its schedule. By comparison, a similar athletic event agreement contract also obtained by USA TODAY Sports shows that the University is obligated to pay Northern Iowa $165,000 for a game set to take place September 21 at 6:00 P.M. HT.

As part of the agreement, Hawai‘i is required to pay Delaware State no later than 60 days following the completion of the game. The agreement also stipulates that Hawai‘i cover "round trip airfare for a travel party of 100 not to exceed fourteen hundred dollars ($1,400) per fare," but also notes that "all change fees shall be paid by Visiting Team." Hawai‘i also covers hotel lodging and transportation to and from the airport, hotel, practice facility and stadiums.

There is also language in the agreement that concerns cancellations, forfeitures or non-appearances. If either party were to commit a breach of contract, the offending party would be forced to pay the other program "a liquidated sum of Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000)." That sum represents the estimated attendance revenues for the game. "The Parties further agree that the sum provided for herein is a reasonable estimate of the damages that would be incurred as a result of breach and is not a penalty," the agreement reads.

There is, however, protection in the agreement if a cancellation, forfeiture or non-appearance is caused by a "Force Majeure Event," which includes extenuating circumstances like "strikes, slowdowns, or labor disputes or troubles involving the Parties."

What to know about Delaware State-Hawai‘i fooball game

The Hornets went 1-10 last season and finished dead last in the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference, losing all five of their conference games. Delaware State scored 18 points per game last season, which ranked the program 102nd out of a possible 122 FCS teams.

The Rainbow Warriors are coming off of a 5-8 campaign and an eighth place finish (3-5) in the Mountain West Conference. Hawai‘i quarterback Brayden Schager led the Mountain West in 2023 in passing yards (3,542) and passing touchdowns (26). The Rainbow Warriors have won their last 20 games against FCS opponents.

How to watch Delaware State-Hawai‘i football game

For local audiences, the game will be broadcast on Spectrum Sports pay-per-view. For those outside of Hawai‘i, the game can be streamed through the Team1 Sports app, by searching "Hawai‘i football" in the channels tab.

The game is scheduled to take place at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, on the University of Hawai‘i's campus.

Contributing: Steve Berkowitz