Questions answered as Delaware Blue Hens set to open football season

Preseason practice is over, with one Blue Hen player loudly expressing his delight to soon tangle with players in different colored jerseys at the outset of one recent session.

Those outfits will likely be red and belong to Stony Brook when Delaware opens the 2023 season Thursday at 7 p.m. on Long Island.

It’s Delaware’s second season under coach Ryan Carty, the former UD back-up quarterback who hopes to improve on last year’s 8-5 season that ended in the FCS playoffs round-of-16.

Considering the numerous veteran players from that squad are no longer here, it will be a challenge. But Carty, his roster bolstered by freshmen and transfer-portal additions, is confident.

“There was a lot of experience and production that left our program,” he said. “Whether or not we’ve replaced it, we’ll find out on Thursday.

“I think there’s certainly 108 capable players in our room to have the similar success, if not more than we had last year, and we just have to put it together.”

Questions about the Blue Hens will begin to be answered Thursday. Here are a few final preseason queries:

How will Delaware do this year?

It’s been 13 years since Delaware won more than seven regular-season games. For a program that won at least eight in 27 of the 43 seasons from 1968 to 2010, that’s quite a drought.

How Ryan O’Connor and Zach Marker, who will each see action at quarterback, perform and how quickly a rebuilt defense comes together will determine if Delaware can meet its annual goal of making the FCS playoffs for just the fourth time since 2010.

“If you’ve got 11 hats going toward the ball and running hard and playing fast, you got a shot,” Carty said of that defense as long as its alignments, adjustments and communications are in synch.

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In Stony Brook, Delaware has a potentially difficult opening-night test – despite the Seawolves’ uncharacteristic 2-9 finish last year – and can ill afford a setback.

The Blue Hens were pegged to place fourth in what’s now a 15-team CAA. That would be a worthy accomplishment. Excluding their 2021 spring CAA championship in a limited schedule, Delaware hasn’t done better than 5-3 in league games the past 11 years. Its best finish was a third-place tie in 2018.

Seven wins put Delaware in the FCS playoffs the last two times it made the fall bracket (2018 and 2022), though eight is a much clearer guarantee. That seems entirely possible. It’ll come down to the Hens’ three November games, all of which appear difficult now – home against Elon Nov. 4, at Campbell Nov. 11 and home against troublesome Villanova Nov. 18.

What is Delaware’s best position area?

Delaware has wide receivers who may have a hard time getting on the field but could probably start for some of their opponents.

The competition at that position, with 16 players, has been fierce. There was one recent drill during which quarterbacks were throwing long passes to receivers running downfield and every one was caught, including some that appeared difficult.

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Carty’s offense is pass-oriented, though the running game still matters greatly, and depends on receivers getting open in space, catching the football and eluding pursuers.

Delaware’s depth at the position should allow a nuanced approach in which plays can be run to fit the personnel on the field. This appears to be an expansive playbook that will keep defenses guessing, often the key to moving it downfield.

Where must Delaware be better?

Delaware was fourth in the CAA last season in total offense, getting 408.7 yards per game, and ranked third with 48 touchdowns. But as the field got smaller Delaware’s efficiency frequently waned.

The Blue Hens finished 113th among the 123 FCS teams nationally in red-zone offense, scoring on 66.7 percent of their forays inside the 20.

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Kicking troubles played a role, and transfers Nate Reed and Alex Schmoke should remedy that. But Delaware’s offense sometimes also failed to make the plays it needed to, with the Richmond loss being the primary example.

The Hens have to be better this year at capitalizing on the opportunities it will most certainly earn.

Where will Delaware be better?

Only two CAA teams gave up more than Delaware’s 29 sacks last year. That number must – and should – come way down considering the experience the starting offensive line possesses.

That group consists of center Brock Gingrich, guards Bradly Anyanwu and Patrick Shupp and tackles Fintan Brose and Blaise Sparks, with several able-bodied reserves.

How must Delaware be its old self on defense?

Last season Delaware tied for 21st in FCS with 22 takeaways. The Hens’ knack for forcing turnovers must continue.

Who is Delaware’s best pro prospect?

Jackson Taylor didn’t have the necessary academic record to play Division I football coming out of Abington (Pa.) High despite some interest. He rectified that by doing very well and graduating from West Chester while also becoming a top Division II football player.

The linebacker was a two-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year and a 2022 second-team All-American while being a busy tackler and forcer of turnovers.

That talent now lurks in the Delaware defense, which was one of the best in FCS the last three seasons but has lost nearly all the contributors to that success. Taylor’s addition will allow that unit to maintain a measure of its ferocity and perhaps earn him a chance to continue his football career.

“I certainly think he’ll have a shot at the next level,” Carty said. “But, obviously, same thing I would tell him if he was sitting next to me: He’s got to go do it at our level first.”

Who is a newcomer to watch on defense?

There are plenty of candidates here, including the aforementioned Taylor. But noseguard Keyshawn Hunter, the Old Dominion transfer, looks to be a particularly reliable and impactful addition and has also become a key leader.

The Washington, D.C., resident said his mindset will include being “fast off the ball, dominant at the point of attack, [having] a relentless motor and you gotta keep your feet going.”

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Questions answered as Delaware Blue Hens set to open football season

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