The University of Delaware’s football team started its new era in FBS football with a win over its in-state rival, the Delaware State Hornets. The team took down the new look Hornets with their new head coach, former Philadelphia Eagles wideout DeSean Jackson, 35-17 on Thursday.
Blue Hens lead by 11 at the end of the first half.
Delaware opened with the ball after DSU deferred to the second half, and they had an 11-play drive that went 24 yards before three straight incompletions derailed their momentum and forced them to punt.
After the Hornets went three and out, the Blue Hens’ drive would end after nine plays, with senior running back Jo Silver fumbling the ball at Delaware State’s three-yard line. DSU’s senior safety, Samuel Korpoi, forced the fumble, and senior safety Dasheen Jackson recovered the rock at the team’s 22-yard line.
The first score of the game came from the Hornets in the second quarter as the team drove 50 yards on 13 plays to stall out Delaware’s 23-yard line. The team got on the board when their sophomore kicker, Patrick Fisher-Butler, booted a 40-yard field goal through the uprights, giving his team a 3-0 edge with 6:46 left in the first half. The highlight play of this scoring drive came on the second play at their own 27-yard line, where senior running back Marquis Gillis ran for 31 yards to set his team up at Delaware’s 42-yard line.
Delaware did not take long to respond, as on their next drive, they went 75 yards on six plays, which ended with junior quarterback Nick Minicucci keeping the ball himself and taking it in the endzone for an eight-yard rushing touchdown to give his team a 7-3 lead with 3:44 left in the opening half. Senior wideout Kyre Duplessis was Minicucci’s favorite target during this possession, hauling in three catches for 53 yards, which included a 29-yard reception on the third play of the drive.
Two possessions later, the Blue Hens would be back putting points on the scoreboard, as they marched 77 yards in 11 plays, which ended with Minicucci finding Duplessis for a four-yard touchdown reception to give their team a 14-3 advantage at halftime. Duplessis continued to be a reliable target for Minicucci on this drive by catching four balls for 36 yards.
Delaware leads by 11 at the end of the third quarter.
The Hornets would get the ball to start the second half and wasted no time finding the endzone in their opening possession by going 60 yards on 11 plays, which ended with senior quarterback Kaiden Bennett rushing 23 yards for the touchdown to cut the deficit to four points (14-10) with 10:20 remaining in the third quarter.
Delaware punched right back by flying 34 yards down the field in seven plays, to end with Nick Minicucci finding the junior wideout Ja’Carree Kelly for a nine-yard touchdown reception to give their team a 21-10 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Blue Hens take home a 35-17 win!
The next score for UD came in the form of their defense in the fourth quarter on the fifth play of Delaware State’s first drive in the period. Junior safety Kahlil Ali would intercept DSU’s junior quarterback Jayden Sauray at the Hornets 45 45-yard line and take it all the way back for a touchdown to increase the Hens’ edge to 28-10 with 10:44 remaining in the game.
DSU would still have some fight in them as they responded right back with a six-play, 61-yard drive, which ended with Kaiden Bennett finding Marquis Gillis for the 39-yard touchdown reception to tighten the score to 28-17 with 8:10 left in the game.
The Blue Hens sealed the win when Nick Minicuccu found senior wideout Jake Thaw for the 50-yard touchdown on their next possession to take the score to 35-17.
Stats & Standouts:
The offensive standouts in the game for Delaware were quarterback Nick Minicucci and wideouts Jake Thaw, Kyre Duplessis, and Ja’Carre Kelly.
Minicucci completed 28 of his 36 passes for 251 yards for three touchdowns in the win. He also rushed for a touchdown in the game.
Thaw had seven receptions for 92 yards with one touchdown in the win.
Duplessis had seven receptions for 89 yards with one touchdown in the victory.
Kelly had two receptions for 22 yards with one touchdown in the game.
On the defensive side, junior linebacker Gavin Moul led the team in tackles in the win with 11. Delaware had two sacks in the game, with senior linebacker Dillon Trainer having one, and senior defensive end Q’yaeir Price had 0.5, and senior defensive tackle James Yelbert Jr. had 0.5.
The team had two interceptions in the game, one from Kahlil Ali and the other was recorded by KT Seay. Ali returned his interception for a pick-six.
Team Stats
| Team Stats |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 21 | 26 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 6-14 | 8-13 |
| 4th down efficiency | 2-2 | 2-2 |
| Total Yards | 349 | 409 |
| Passing | 149 | 272 |
| Comp/Att | 13/26 | 31/44 |
| Yards per pass | 5.7 | 6.2 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 0 |
| Rushing | 200 | 137 |
| Rushing Attempts | 41 | 26 |
| Yards per rush | 4.9 | 5.3 |
| Penalties | 13-109 | 6-55 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 0 |
| Possession | 31:53 | 28:07 |
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