The Blue Hens enter their open date coming off the first loss of the football season, a helpful reminder that adjustments and improvements are necessary to ensure FCS playoff qualification.
Saturday’s 27-21 setback at William & Mary demonstrated Delaware has work to do in several areas. But, considering how Delaware appeared overmatched early before putting itself in position to win in Williamsburg, the potential is certainly there.
Two second-half turnovers and one touchdown-erasing penalty ultimately doomed Delaware.
“We had some good things but a few too many major mistakes,” first-year coach Ryan Carty said Monday. “Hopefully, we can learn from them through this bye week and get better.”
The Hens slipped from sixth to 13th in Monday’s Stats Perform national FCS media Top 25 poll, with William & Mary climbing from 16th to 11th.
Delaware returns to action Oct. 22 with a nonconference game against Morgan State (2-3), a 3:30 Homecoming Day kickoff.
“I feel bad for them,” Delaware tight end Braden Brose said, “because we have a lot of fuel coming into this next game. We have a lot to fix up going into this so we’re going to be ready.”
That’s followed by four potentially perilous Colonial Athletic Association matchups that will determine Delaware’s postseason fate – at 14th-ranked Elon Oct. 29, home against Monmouth Nov. 5 and 21st-ranked Richmond Nov. 12, and at 17th-ranked Villanova Nov. 19.
NOT QUITE:Delaware rally falls short at William & Mary
“Sometimes those corrections that we’re making are a little more poignant after a loss,” Carty said.
Here are eight key themes for focus and improvement as the Blue Hens embark on the rest of the season:
1. Master the basics
Asked Monday where he’d particularly like to see the Blue Hens improve, Carty said “our fundamentals.”That was magnified, he added, by the loss at William & Mary.
“We had three drops in the game,” Carty said of passes receivers couldn’t hold onto. “We missed more tackles this week than we missed in the previous five weeks. A couple missed assignments here and there. We misfit some gaps on defense.”
Delaware has the talent, Carty added, to compete with everyone on its schedule. Failing to succeed at the game’s finer points can often be decisive.
2. Stay healthy
Delaware has been fortunate so far in that it has not lost a key player to injury, though Blue Hen hearts certainly sank Saturday when quarterback Nolan Henderson, the player Delaware can least afford to lose, was attended to by trainers and helped off the field after getting hurt trying to retrieve a bad snap.
William & Mary recovered the football. Henderson, who had 20- and 23-yard runs on that possession, did return to direct Delaware’s two subsequent series, though his ability to run may have been compromised.
Carty said “All signs are pointing to we hope so” regarding Henderson’s ability to practice this week.
3. Protect the QB
As elusive as he is, Henderson was sacked three times at William & Mary.
While some sacks are inevitable with an offense like Delaware’s, the Hens have allowed 16, second most in the CAA.
The offensive line and running backs in pass protection need to continue to work at this.
4. Be better against the run
William & Mary pounded the football for 266 ground yards Saturday, with Bronson Yoder getting 114 on 20 carries and Donavyn Lester 77 on 17 rushes.
The Tribe had 57 carries and gained five or more yards on almost half – 28 of them.
CAA STANDINGS: Two unbeaten in league
Certainly, William & Mary is among the CAA’s best running teams. But Delaware still has to play Monmouth and Villanova, which are each as good if not better. Monmouth is averaging 6.6 yards per carry and Villanova 5.8 this season compared to William & Mary’s 5.4.
“It’s extremely important to stop the run,” Delaware safety Kedrick Whitehead said Monday, adding William & Mary used a couple plays similar to those used successfully by others. “That’s one of our core values defensively. You can’t really win many football games if you don’t stop the run.”
5. Pressure the QB
Delaware’s defense is not built to get sacks. The Hens are eighth among CAA teams with eight. But they don’t need to make their tackles behind the line of scrimmage to be consistently effective while getting after people in the open field the way they do and if they’re covering well.
The Blue Hens do need to take advantage of the opportunity when it exists. And though they pressured the elusive Darius Wilson on occasion Saturday, putting four quarterback hurries on the stat sheet, they were not able to sack him.
Each of the remaining CAA teams on Delaware’s schedule has an extremely capable quarterback and any little bit of additional pressure the Blue Hens can put on those guys would be beneficial, perhaps even decisive in games likely be determined by such details.
6. Run well as a complement to the pass
Rushing statistics can be deceiving. Delaware had 128 yards on 24 rushing attempts at William & Mary.
FIVE TAKEAWAYS:After loss at William & Mary, uphill climb for Delaware in tough CAA
But take away the three sacks, a kneel down and the three yards lost on the bad snap, Delaware netted 151 yards on 19 carries. That’s a very healthy 7.9 yards per carry buoyed by five double-digit yardage gains.
Delaware’s is a pass-oriented offense. But it also relies on the running game to keep defenses guessing, control the clock and make use of its big-play ability on the ground.
It does need to be a little more consistent and able to move the team down the field with moderate gains. Delaware had nine running plays at William & Mary that netted three yards or less.
7. Take advantage of opportunities
Delaware ranks 11th among the 13 CAA teams in red-zone offense scoring 68.2 percent of the time. Delaware is 15-for-22, with 14 touchdowns and a field goal.
Certainly, the Blue Hens know how to get there, as those 22 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line are tied for fourth best. Among CAA teams, William & Mary, Monmouth and Richmond rank 1-2-3.
The clever approach Delaware employs on offense with unique formations and plays aimed at creating space and fooling the defense is also an advantage. That was evident when Kyron Cumby ran 38 yards for a touchdown on a reverse pitch from Henderson at William & Mary.
But they’re likely going to need to get there a little more and find the end zone more often in those last four CAA games to beat good teams.
8. Improve the kicking game
Delaware has made just one field goal in four tries this year, Garrett Bennion’s 24-yarder against Towson. That’s the fewest makes and tied for the fewest tries in the CAA.
Andrew MacMillan missed from 47 yards against Towson and Brandon Ratcliffe from 44 yards at Navy and 39 against Delaware State.
Bennion’s missed extra point at William & Mary was the first errant PAT try of the season for Delaware.In kickoffs, which Ratcliffe and MacMillan have mostly handled, Delaware ranks 12th in the CAA in net yardage (37.9), which factors kick distance and return yardage, and is also 12th with just two touchbacks.
Experience is certainly a factor as Ratcliffe is a third-year team member seeing his first action and Bennion and MacMillan are both true freshmen, so improvement is likely. Knowing Delaware has at least a chance to make a field goal will certainly allow for more options when it comes to offensive decision making.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.
