Dover, Del. --- Delaware State and East Tennessee State of the Division I FCS Southern Conference have agreed to a two-year football series beginning in 2021.

Under the agreement, the Hornets and Buccaneers will meet for the first time ever on Sep. 18, 2021 at ETSU’s William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium in Johnson City, Tenn. The second contest is set for Sep. 24, 2022 at Delaware State’s Alumni Stadium.

The addition of East Tennessee State to Delaware State’s 2021 and ’22 football schedules fills a void created by North Carolina A&T’s decision to leave the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for the Big South Conference following the 2020-21 academic year.

Delaware State and North Carolina A&T are charter members of the MEAC and have met each year since the conference was formed in 1971.

East Tennessee State was a member of the Southern Conference before dropping football following the 2003 season. The program was revived in 2015 as an FCS Independent and joined the South Conference in 2016. The Buccaneers competed in the 2018 NCAA FCS playoffs, falling to Jacksonville State 34-27 in a first round contest.

ETSU was 3-9 overall and 1-7 in the Southern Conference during the 2019 season.

The Hornets have faced just one Southern Conference school in its football history. DSU defeated SoCon member VMI on the road in 2011 (24-21) and at Alumni Stadium in 2012 (17-10).