Now it gets serious.
Delaware dispatched Morgan State 38-7 on Saturday in front of 16,375 homecoming witnesses, bouncing back from a loss in its last game at William & Mary Oct. 8.
The lopsided outcome was expected, though it took Delaware longer than expected to put away the Bears.
The 13th-ranked Blue Hens (6-1) did score twice in the first 7 minutes and 14 seconds at Delaware Stadium. But their halftime lead was just 14-7 and they failed to convert a couple third-quarter chances also before scoring 17 fourth-quarter points.
WORK TO DO:Delaware scores quickly but inconsistently, QB hurt in homecoming win
They’ll need their offensive firepower to ignite more consistently now as a difficult season-ending stretch looms beginning at Elon on Saturday.
Five takeaways from Delaware’s win over Morgan State:
Missed opportunity
Delaware put up 38 points against Morgan State. The Hens could have scored at least 58.
It looked like they might after those two quick touchdowns, which required just 10 plays. But missed opportunities plagued Delaware once again.
Delaware got into Morgan State territory three more times in the first half without scoring and a long Nolan Henderson pass from the UD 41 was picked off at the Bears’ 9.
HOME BODY:With big-time offers in hand, Middletown lineman picks Hens
As coach Ryan Carty pointed out, it was first down when Delaware was stopped on the 1-yard line as first-half time expired, so the clock was also a culprit there.
Likewise, in the third quarter Delaware didn’t score after Drew Nickles’ interception put the Hens at the MSU 24 and after starting the next series at the MSU 30, with Garrett Bennion missing a 28-yard field-goal try.
For the day, Delaware was 9-for-17 on third downs and 4-for-6 on red-zone opportunities, areas where it has to get better.
Offensive line changes
Fintan Brose was moved from guard to tackle with Dover High graduate Bradly Anyanwu stepping in at guard as Delaware shuffled its offensive line, with James Prince also seeing duty at the guard spot.
“Hopefully that one week of reps and film and getting coached up by coach [Chris] Rodgers will get us a little bit more consistent next week,” Carty said of the group.
Delaware quarterback Nolan Henderson was the team’s leading rusher with 65 yards on 10 carries, despite one sack. But he suffered an apparent left non-throwing shoulder injury and had to leave the game early in the fourth period on a 4-yard keeper up the middle, with his future status uncertain.
Nobody else gained more than Kyron Cumby’s 28 yards on eight carries, though 11 different players carried the football and Delaware did average 5.1 yards per carry.
Henderson has thrown for at least 200 yards in the last six games, tying Pat Devlin (2010) for the third-longest streak in school history. He passed for 206 Saturday against a Morgan State secondary that earned high praise from Carty.
Good numbers
Delaware’s defense had three interceptions – by Liam Trainer, Drew Nickles and Nic Ware – and four sacks and seven tackles for loss.
Morgan State totaled just 158 yards and averaged 2.8 per play.
CAA STANDINGS: Hens in second-place deadlock
Tough stretch
Delaware (6-1) probably needs to win two of its final four games to make the FCS playoffs for the third time in five years. Though whom they beat and whom they don’t could also factor in and leave Delaware on the bubble at 8-3.
That stretch begins Saturday at Elon (5-3, 3-2), which lost at first-place New Hampshire Saturday.
Then come home games against Monmouth (4-4, 2-3), which lost a 7-overtime thriller to Rhode Island 48-46, and Richmond (5-2, 3-1), which handled Hampton.
A visit to Villanova (4-3, 2-2), which squeaked by Albany 31-29, closes the regular season Nov. 19. The 24-team FCS playoff field is announced the next day.
Bossard lauded
Few endeared themselves to teammates, players, fellow coaches and friends like Bryan Bossard, which was evident this week in the many expressions of fondness on social media after his death.
Delaware held a pregame moment of silence Saturday for Bossard, the former Blue Hens player and assistant coach who died Monday at age 55 after a recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and subsequent complications.
Bossard, a Dover High grad, starred as a UD cornerback from 1985-88. He quickly demonstrated his coaching pedigree and ability to relate with players on Dave Scott’s staff for Division I state champ Glasgow High in 1989.
He then embarked on a college coaching career that included four stops over 12 seasons at Delaware under head coaches Tubby Raymond, K.C. Keeler and Dave Brock, including the 2003 NCAA title team.
Bossard also coached on the staffs at Morehouse, West Chester, Bucknell, Army, Wyoming, Maryland and Pitt before a brief return to high school coaching at Caesar Rodney and then a spot on the Delaware State staff. Bossard was the
Hornets’ offensive coordinator this year and relished his return to Delaware Stadium for the Sept. 10 game against the Blue Hens. His illness was diagnosed soon after.
“I was honored that a coach with Bryan’s experience and accomplishments agreed to join our staff,” DSU coach Rod Milstead said in the school’s announcement of Bossard’s death. “He made a big difference in our program during his time with us, helping me to become a better coach, in addition to raising the skill level of our players.”
Many can vouch for that, with President Biden even urging the Hornets to “Win one for Coach Bo” during his speech on campus Friday.
Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.
