Delaware has the nation’s leading tackler.
Saturday visitor Monmouth arrives with the No. 1 rusher in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
It’s a welcomed challenge for the Blue Hens’ takedown artist, fifth-year senior linebacker Johnny Buchanan.
The Brick, New Jersey, resident will be going against some players he knows from a school, less than 45 minutes from home, that recruited and offered him scholarships twice. The first was as a St. John Vianney High senior. The second was last fall when Buchanan briefly entered the NCAA transfer portal after Delaware fired coach Danny Rocco.
Buchanan stuck with the Blue Hens and has been sticking it to opposing ballcarriers and pass catchers all season, his 102 tackles and 12.8 per game each No. 1 in FCS. That’s already the 32nd-best single-season tackle total in UD history, with at last three games left.
He’s likely to have an opportunity to perhaps make some hits in the NFL next year.
“That’s something I want to pursue with everything I have,” said Buchanan, whose great uncle, the late Joe Auer, was an NFL running back who scored the first touchdown in Miami Dolphins history in 1966 on a 95-yard kick return.
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Delaware coach Ryan Carty said NFL scouts coming through to look at Buchanan are certainly sizing up his potential “and measurables and all that stuff,” but his on-field production certainly holds considerable weight.
“He’s done it at a high level here, in a legitimate conference that’s a physical conference, and I think that’s something that really sparks their interest,” Carty said.
Buchanan’s only concern right now is Monmouth, however. The 18th-ranked Blue Hens (6-2 overall, 3-2 CAA) and Hawks (4-5, 2-4) kick off at 1 p.m. at Delaware Stadium. NBC Sports Philadelphia will televise.
Monmouth arrives No. 1 in the Colonial Athletic Association in points (39.9) and yards (480.9) per game. The Hawks rank seventh in FCS in each category.
One of the main reasons is Jaden Shirden, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound third-year sophomore from West Haven, Connecticut.Jirden’s 1,365 yards and 151.7 per game each lead FCS. He is averaging 8.7 yards per carry and has scored 11 touchdowns.
“He just keeps banging away, and all he really needs is a crack and he’s got very good speed,” said Kevin Callahan, Monmouth’s coach since the program’s first season in 1993.
Delaware counters with a defense that’s No. 1 in the CAA in fewest yards (265.6) and points (13.9) permitted per game, both No. 3 in FCS. It features a pair of Buck Buchanan Award candidates for the best defensive player in FCS – Buchanan and safety Kedrick Whitehead.
“If you give him space he takes off,” Buchanan said of Shirden before also complimenting other Monmouth backs and its offensive line.
After being gouged for 321 yards, including 179 on the ground, in Saturday’s 27-7 loss at Elon, Delaware’s defense will aim to bounce back.
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The Blue Hens have been more susceptible to the run than the pass, ranking first in CAA pass defense (120.3 ypg) but seventh against the run (145.4).
“We need to tackle better,” Buchanan said. “We need to be a little bit tougher at the line of scrimmage. But it’s nothing to panic about.”
Buchanan has spent the week viewing video clips of himself, Delaware’s defense and Monmouth’s offense in an effort to improve. It’s a habit he picked up at age 6 when his father John, who played at Rutgers, would record Johnny’s flag football games for analysis.
“We used to sit and watch the flag games and I’d hear about any type of, like, misplay,” Buchanan said of his days on the Brick Dragons. “It’s helped my game a lot. I used to hate it in the moment but I learned to love it and now it’s still a huge part of my life. It’s awesome my dad set that foundation for me.”
“He is a unique individual in how focused he is,” Carty said, adding Buchanan also has physical tools suitable for the next level. “He has one mission and it’s to be a great linebacker.”
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