Blue Hens open 2024 football season Thursday night against Bryant at Delaware Stadium.
Blue Hens open 2024 football season Thursday night against Bryant at Delaware Stadium.
The Blue Hens have taken a 34-10 into halftime in their season-opening football game against Bryant at Delaware Stadium.
Ryan O’Connor got the defense to commit on what appeared would be a fourth-and-2 keeper before throwing 11 yards for a touchdown to Cornell transfer Nick Laboy.
It was the fifth straight possession on which the Blue Hens scored. Michigan transfer Jake Thaw’s 27-yard punt return put the Hens in position.
O’Connor is 19-for-25 passing for 157 yards with three TDs at halftime. Eight Hens have caught passes.
However, the start of the second is delayed as the stadium was evacuated due to lightning in the area.
Changing voices
Some disapproving voices were heard at Delaware Stadium tonight, though they were quickly replaced by more favorable sounds.
Bryant’s 6-play, 75-yard TD drive ending in a 5-yard scoring pass from Jarrett Guest to Marc Taglieri cut Delaware’s lead to 21-10 and brought some boos from the home faithful.
Delaware then marched 72 yards on 14 plays, Jo’Nathan Silver scoring from the 1 as Delaware went up 27-10 with 5:12 to go in the second period.
Delaware had previously gone ahead 21-3 as a 6-play, 56-yard series culminated in Ryan O’Connor’s 3-yard TD pass to Marcus Yarns with 13:30 left in the second quarter.
Blue Hens fall behind, go ahead
Bryant scored first. Delaware scored fast and furiously and twice.
The Blue Hens have taken a 14-3 in the 2024 football opener at Delaware Stadium tonight.
Phil Lutz scored on a 16-yard pass from O’Connor on the Hens’ second possession, closing a 9-play, 78-yard drive.
K.T. Seay’s 38-yard interception return then set up Yarns’ 1-yard TD run as Delaware went up 14-3 with 2:12 left in the second quarter.
Bryant had gone up 3-0 on Bryce Soli’s 25-yard field goal on its second possession.
Personnel advantage
Delaware enters the 2024 football season tonight with a distinct advantage over its 11 foes because of what is happening in 2025.
The Blue Hens have 75 scholarship players, roughly halfway between the 63 they were permitted as an FCS team and the 85 presently allowable in the FBS, where they arrive next year as Conference USA members.
Delaware will be required, by an agreement with the Coastal Athletic Association, to not use more than 63 scholarship players in league games. But Delaware rarely used that many in a game last year anyway.
“Honestly, it’s not too much of a difference,” coach Ryan Carty said, “when you get into the actual numbers of people that are playing. It’s not going to be a crazy difference from one game to the next.”
The larger number of scholarship players will, however, allow Delaware to dip a little deeper when choosing whom to play.
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Bryant no patsy
The agreement does not apply to the opener against Bryant, which kicks off at 7 p.m. at Delaware Stadium. Though Bryant is a first-year CAA member, this is a nonconference game scheduled before the Bulldogs’ addition.
“We’re excited about this one,” Coach Carty said. “This is going to be a good game. These guys are extremely, extremely well coached.”
Carty singled out Bryant defensive coordinator Anthony Barese, adding that Bryant defensive players “are in the right spots at all times.” Bryant’s 24 takeaways last year ranked 10th in FCS.
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Bryant was 6-5 overall and 4-2 in the Big South/OVC last year, both league losses coming by one point in overtime.
“That’s a good football team that they put on tape last year,” Carty said. “… They’re gonna come in here ready to roll, I have no doubt about that.”
The Bulldogs are boosted this year by the addition of transfer quarterback Jarrett Guest, who started several games in five years at Coastal Carolina. He completed 80 of 127 passes for 1,243 yards and 10 TDs there and is a running threat also.
“They play hard,” Carty added. “Hopefully we can match that.”
Grad students abound
While it remains to be seen who actually starts for the Blue Hens against Bryant, it’s certain Delaware has an older, experienced team by looking at the pregame depth chart.
At least eight of Delaware’s 11 offensive starters are likely to be graduate students, including the entire offensive line.
Four of the 11 projected defensive starters are likely to be graduate students.
A record 3,534 college football players have already received their undergraduate degrees and are continuing their schoolwork, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced this week. That includes 22 Blue Hens.
That is partial fallout from the 2020-21 school year, during which eligibility did not count due to lingering impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. That means there are many fifth-year and, due to redshirting, sixth-year players.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
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Publish date : 2024-08-29 11:46:00
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