Delaware

[AndrewFU21]

UD fans(or anyone else for that matter)- how are you guys shaping up for this year?

I know very little about your team. I was always an admirer of Omar Cuff, and Flacco impressed the hell out of me in the playoffs, but both are gone. What kind of team do you guys have coming back this year? What is the general feeling around the team?

I'm looking forward to our game this year. Any of you fellas coming down for the game?

[93henfan]

General consensus is the D will be improved, perhaps scary good, and the O (QB and OL) is a big ? and could dictate rather it's a playoff season or worse.

The game at Furman is going to be very interesting. It'll be our first game against a peer after playing up at Maryland and playing down at home against West Chester. On the Delaware message boards, people are really flipping the coin when picking this game.

I may head down to that one. How is the area?

[ChickenMan]

The defense could be pretty good.. they have most everyone back.. plus a couple of FBS transfers and they may need to be be.. parictually early on as the offense has question marks at both the QB and OL positions. To me the development of the OL will be key.. if they play well the new QB will have an excellent chance to be very successful. UD has everyone back from a very good receiving corp and they should be fine at RB even with Cuff gone as they return Thaxton who performed very well in a limited backup role last year as a true FR. UD also returns another RB.. Butler..a Wisconsin transfer.. who was in line for significant playing time last year prior to a preseason knee injury finishing him for '07. Also in the mix is a Notre Dame RB transfer Junior Jabbie. The special teams should be a team strength as both the punter and FG return.. the FG kicker.. Striefsky is listed on a few preseason All-America teams.

[furman94]

General consensus is the D will be improved, perhaps scary good, and the O (QB and OL) is a big ? and could dictate rather it's a playoff season or worse.

The game at Furman is going to be very interesting. It'll be our first game against a peer after playing up at Maryland and playing down at home against West Chester. On the Delaware message boards, people are really flipping the coin when picking this game.

I may head down to that one. How is the area?

http://www.2hourstogreenville.com/
http://www.iwasblownaway.com/
http://www.greatergreenville.com/

Greenville is GREAT! Downtown is a MUST DO!

I recommend staying at the Hampton Inn-TR : http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=GSPTRHX
OR Hampton Inn Downtown Greenville : http://www.hamptoninnandsuitesgreenville.com/

[Hoyadestroya85]

I think that this season For UD all depends on whether they can get over the emotional burden of replacing two of it's all-time greats. If Schoenhoft/Ritacco can emerge from Flacco's big shadow then they will be a contender, if they can't then they could be a .500 team. I think this year's Delaware team will win games it shouldn't and lose games it shouldn't. This year's Delaware team in my opinion will be a serious case of hit or miss. I just don't see offensive consistency coming from them, with that said I think their defense could be top 10 in the nation.

[93henfan]

If Schoenhoft/Ritacco can emerge from Flacco's big shadow then they will be a contender, if they can't then they could be a .500 team.

They could emerge from Flacco's shadow and poop golden eggs and we still might be .500. I remind all of our road schedule this season:

@Maryland
@Furman
@Massachusetts
@Hofstra
@JMU
@Richmond

That, my friends, is a b!tch!

[appstate38]

UD fans

What do you suppose will be the strength of your D. Run stopping or pass defense? Do you feel like they run well and show good overall speed as a unit. Do they play physical? Details People Details!!!

[Grizalltheway]

They could emerge from Flacco's shadow and poop golden eggs and we still might be .500. I remind all of our road schedule this season:

@Maryland
@Furman
@Massachusetts
@Hofstra
@JMU
@Richmond

That, my friends, is a b!tch!

Cupcake schedule. xcoffeex :p

[UDBlueLotFan]

I think that this season For UD all depends on whether they can get over the emotional burden of replacing two of it's all-time greats. If Schoenhoft/Ritacco can emerge from Flacco's big shadow then they will be a contender, if they can't then they could be a .500 team. I think this year's Delaware team will win games it shouldn't and lose games it shouldn't. This year's Delaware team in my opinion will be a serious case of hit or miss. I just don't see offensive consistency coming from them, with that said I think their defense could be top 10 in the nation.

I couldn't have summed it up better myself. With the inexperience of OL/QB, UD needs to run downhill 60-70% to set up the passing game. If not, KC will just scale down to O-scheme and it will be a looong season.

[bleedblue]

I think that this season For UD all depends on whether they can get over the emotional burden of replacing two of it's all-time greats. If Schoenhoft/Ritacco can emerge from Flacco's big shadow then they will be a contender, if they can't then they could be a .500 team. I think this year's Delaware team will win games it shouldn't and lose games it shouldn't. This year's Delaware team in my opinion will be a serious case of hit or miss. I just don't see offensive consistency coming from them, with that said I think their defense could be top 10 in the nation.


Wow you nailed it! My thoughts exactly, scary.

[bleedblue]

I think that this season For UD all depends on whether they can get over the emotional burden of replacing two of it's all-time greats. If Schoenhoft/Ritacco can emerge from Flacco's big shadow then they will be a contender, if they can't then they could be a .500 team. I think this year's Delaware team will win games it shouldn't and lose games it shouldn't. This year's Delaware team in my opinion will be a serious case of hit or miss. I just don't see offensive consistency coming from them, with that said I think their defense could be top 10 in the nation.


Wow you nailed it! My thoughts exactly, scary.

As for details about our D, our secondary 1st and 2nd string are scary fast and athletic. One of our safeties, #4 Bratton, is good against the pass but better against the run. The other safety may be a battle for a starting spot. Graves, #30, was our starter, from the Navy game on due to an injury, but he may be pushed by 4 others. Our backup(soph), a RS Fresh or last years backup QB now moved to safety. Scanlon #7 goes 6'1" 200lbs with both speed and athleticism(could be fun to watch). Not to mention the guy that started last year Aaron Hicks(SR). He was having a very good year before the injury. As for the LB and DL we do have a "good" question mark. You may know Matt Marcorelle #11 who was our best pass rusher. There has been talk of him moving all around the D. Either his normal spot DE or any of the LBer positions. The addition of a huge true FR DE(turned down offers from BC and West Vir) and a Uconn RS fresh DL, most likely a DE for UD, will free Matt up to wonder. As for the other DE APP did not really get to see Ronald Talley(ND DE xfer). He played very little and very ineffectively due to a high ankle sprain (during the Navy game). If healthy, like anyone else, he could be better than Matt this year, although much better run stopper than pass rusher. We have a nice 4 man rotation on the interior DL which will be solid. Now for LBers. If Matt ends up back there it could be a very nasty time playing UD. However, if Matt does not spend a lot of time back there we have an open spot for one of our young LBers to step up. We have 2 starters back from last year and some young guns ready to take over, but whoever plays there, unless it's Matt a lot of the time, they will be young. Our CB's are very good. We had a RS fresh on one side that could be the best CB in the nation come his SR year. He will start to get big time attention this year. The other CB I was not thrilled with but only because when he was not solid, which was not most of the time, he was bad. It was only a few games but in the CAA, as in the Socon, a few games could be the difference between playoffs and not! He may have been pushed last year by a Minnesota xfer had he not gotten injured. He's huge with wheels(JR). In spring ball he was listed at 6' 1" and 200lbs, which is big for NFL, but we have only seen him practice and that's a little different that and game time.

[Reed Rothchild]

I really don't care about the Blue Hens, so long as they never have to play UNI again!!! xbawlingx xbawlingx xbawlingx xbawlingx

[Hoyadestroya85]

I think this years Delaware team could be very similar to the 05 Nova team.. loaded with talent but had absolutely no luck and a killer schedule. (I'm pretty sure they will have a better record though).
All in all I'm pretty excited to see the Squad KC fields this year although we have to go to your place this year xnonono2x .

[PaladinFan]

It will be a fun game to watch. The Furman O v. Del. D should be the most intersting matchup. FU (and sometimes to a fault) can throw a lot of new looks at a defense. Linebackers need to be on their game. Furman implements the tightends into the passing game more than any FCS team I've ever seen.

This season none of us really know what to expect. My guess is the offense will continue in the general trend of being very balanced. We are shifting a few things around, but our coaching staff is still old school. You can usually see in the first offensive series or two how the game will go. We are still a run first team, and if that gets rolling early, we open a lot more of the offense up.

Last time an CAA team came down that early in the season the heat seemed to be a bit of a factor. You could tell Hofstra was completely gassed by the end of the game (but played their tails off making it a great deal closer than it should have been).

These are special games. Glad we get to play them.

[Ivytalk]

The great gypsy fortune-teller, Madame Hentooth, looked in her crystal ball and saw the numbers "8-4."xpeacex

[PaladinFan]

The great gypsy fortune-teller, Madame Hentooth, looked in her crystal ball and saw the numbers "8-4."xpeacex

UD and FU might have the two toughest schedules in the FCS. I can't necessarily speak for them, but if Furman ends up 8-4 we should certainly lock up a playoff spot and I'd be thrilled.

[93henfan]

Last time an CAA team came down that early in the season the heat seemed to be a bit of a factor.

I think this is less of a factor for UD because we have swamp weather here too. We've have several 90+F and 90%+ humidity days this summer and already topped 100F a few times. It's not like we're up north or in the mountains or anything.

[Tribe4SF]

I don't see the heat being a factor for the Hens. If you were playing Maine, UNH, Northeastern, UMass or URI it might be. Northeastern came to Williamsburg on a hot October day in 2002 ranked #15 and they were done by halftime. Liam Ezekial heaved on the field several times.

[AndrewFU21]

I may head down to that one. How is the area?

Greenville is nothing particularly special, but has some bright spots. Downtown is nice, with some good bars and restaurants on Main Street and the Reedy River park. FU's campus is really nice, and you will definitely want to spend some time walking around before the game. The mountains aren't too far away either, if you're looking for things to do and making a weekend out of it.

[ericsaid]

You'll be hearing the name Aaron Love a lot.

[Syntax Error]

methinks no playoffs and breaking .500 will be tough

[OL FU]

Greenville is nothing particularly special, but has some bright spots. Downtown is nice, with some good bars and restaurants on Main Street and the Reedy River park. FU's campus is really nice, and you will definitely want to spend some time walking around before the game. The mountains aren't too far away either, if you're looking for things to do and making a weekend out of it.

Actually compared to the vast majority of non-tourist middle sized towns, Greenville is exceptionalxeyebrowx xrotatehx

[Syntax Error]

Furman is pretty

[UDBlueLotFan]

Furman is pretty

Move this to the Lounge and prove how pretty it is. xwhistlex :p I don't believe you for one minute! xsmiley_wix

[OL FU]

Furman is pretty

Unfortunately, you didn't get to see Downtown Greenville. you were too busy getting lost on the roads and then typing on your computer. xlolx


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y100/Skyliner25/MainStreet_22.jpg
Main Street

http://www.realestatewebmasters.com/blogs/uploads/Image/Falls%20Park2%20Resized.jpg

the Falls

[PapaBear]

I don't see the heat being a factor for the Hens. If you were playing Maine, UNH, Northeastern, UMass or URI it might be. Northeastern came to Williamsburg on a hot October day in 2002 ranked #15 and they were done by halftime. Liam Ezekial heaved on the field several times.

How'd the Black Bears do in your nasty heat two years ago down in Williamsburg? xwhistlex :D xnodx

[furman94]

You got me started now! xsmiley_wix

[furman94]

A little bite of FU for all you Hens...

[Tribe4SF]

How'd the Black Bears do in your nasty heat two years ago down in Williamsburg? xwhistlex :D xnodx

They did fine. Wasn't that hot, and the game was at night.

That was the game that told us we didn't have a very good football team that year.xbawlingx

[PaladinFan]

If you are going to visit a SoCon city as a visiting fan, I'd imagine Charleston would be tops on the list, but Greenville would be a close second.

Look on the bright side, it isn't Statesboro.

The heat may or may not be a factor. Furman's team is stocked with Georgians, many of whom have played their entire careers in 95 degree heat. Conditioning is more of a factor than the heat itself. A large part of Hofstra's problem seemed to be the heat combined with Furman's power game. There's a difference in playing in hot weather, and playing in hot weather with a team running the power option at you all day :)

[93henfan]

Delaware gets a healthy dose of the option every year playing Navy. Generally speaking, the approach is to score on every drive and hope to stop them once or twice. That worked in 2007, as evidenced by the score:

http://www.gohens.net/images/Game%20%208%20-%20Navy/Navy0076.jpg

[PaladinFan]

I doubt you'll see much of that from us this year. We never looked much like Navy. Last year we lined up in the "I" and ran a 230 lbs quarterback optioning the ball to a 215 lbs tailback running behind Jerome Felton (at 245 lbs) and Joel Bell (320 lbs).

Really no razzle dazzle, just one of those "button up yo chinstrap" type plays. Very rarely do we break it open, but its a punishing four yards.

[OL FU]

I doubt you'll see much of that from us this year. We never looked much like Navy. Last year we lined up in the "I" and ran a 230 lbs quarterback optioning the ball to a 215 lbs tailback running behind Jerome Felton (at 245 lbs) and Joel Bell (320 lbs).

Really no razzle dazzle, just one of those "button up yo chinstrap" type plays. Very rarely do we break it open, but its a punishing four yards.


I agree. Not a year that you will see much option from Furman. It should be interesting. Quarterback may have an Ingle Martin type arm but not his overall athleticism. Offensive line should be good enough to give him protection and open holes for the running backs. Even without Felton gone, I think the RBs in total may be as good as we have seen in a while. Receiving core should be strong especially if Webb has recovered.

I would be surprised if FU doesn't average over 30 per game. The question is will we need to average 35 to win?xeyebrowx

[SunCoastBlueHen]

The heat may or may not be a factor. Furman's team is stocked with Georgians, many of whom have played their entire careers in 95 degree heat. Conditioning is more of a factor than the heat itself. A large part of Hofstra's problem seemed to be the heat combined with Furman's power game. There's a difference in playing in hot weather, and playing in hot weather with a team running the power option at you all day :)

September 20th average temperatures per Weather.com -

Newark, DE

Hi 77
Low 55

Greenville, SC

Hi 80
Low 60

I really don't think climate will be much of a factor. xwhistlex

[OL FU]

September 20th average temperatures per Weather.com -

Newark, DE

Hi 77
Low 55

Greenville, SC

Hi 80
Low 60

I really don't think climate will be much of a factor. xwhistlex

I agree. I think people are making much too much of the heat factor. It was certainly a factor in the Hostra game. I was there but I honestly don't know if it was conditioning, difference in heat in geography or lack of substitutions. And remember, in 2005 we ended up being one of the best teams in the country and Hofstra gave us a real run for our lives.

[Eaglesrus]

The defense could be pretty good.. they have most everyone back.. plus a couple of FBS transfers and they may need to be be.. parictually early on as the offense has question marks at both the QB and OL positions. To me the development of the OL will be key.. if they play well the new QB will have an excellent chance to be very successful. UD has everyone back from a very good receiving corp and they should be fine at RB even with Cuff gone as they return Thaxton who performed very well in a limited backup role last year as a true FR. UD also returns another RB.. Butler..a Wisconsin transfer.. who was in line for significant playing time last year prior to a preseason knee injury finishing him for '07. Also in the mix is a Notre Dame RB transfer Junior Jabbie. The special teams should be a team strength as both the punter and FG return.. the FG kicker.. Striefsky is listed on a few preseason All-America teams.

Until you started naming names I would have sworn that you had gotten side-tracked into talking about GSU; amazing similarity to our situation.

[RadMann]

September 20th average temperatures per Weather.com -

Newark, DE

Hi 77
Low 55

Greenville, SC

Hi 80
Low 60

I really don't think climate will be much of a factor. xwhistlex

Agreed. Also, I think some of the southern teams do have an advantage over New England teams for early season games down there for the humidity factor. New England has much less humidity than the mid-atlantic region or further south. For anyone who has ever lived in the mid-Atlantic region with all of the bodies of water (Chesapeake and Delaware Bays), there are not a lot of places much more humid than the Delaware area in summer. You have two big bodies of water that heat up very warm in the summer and the area is like a sauna.

[UDChE89]

As a former Greenville resident and a UD grad, I'm contemplating heading down for the game (if work will permit). I loved living there in the early 90's when downtown was just coming alive again (although I did miss eating lunch at the Woolworth's counter downtown). I've been back a few times and it still amazes me how much has changed.

As far as climate, it won't be a problem. At least there's a breeze down from the mountains occasionally to take the edge off. You're not going to find that in Delaware.

[PaladinFan]

My point was to say, if you watched Furman and Hofstra play a few years ago, it was obvious to everyone (especially to Hofstra) that the heat took a toll on the Pride. By overtime, when they were gettin Jerome Felton 5 times in a row, there was nothing left. At each timeout every Pride player on the field had their helmet off and was on a knee. I'd never seen a team look that gassed.

Will that matter against Deleware? Probably not.

[Maroon&White]

I don't see the heat being a factor for the Hens. If you were playing Maine, UNH, Northeastern, UMass or URI it might be. Northeastern came to Williamsburg on a hot October day in 2002 ranked #15 and they were done by halftime. Liam Ezekial heaved on the field several times.

Have you ever lived in New England during the summer?

[93henfan]

This weekend's forecast high temps from Weather.com:

Today
Newark - 93
Greenville - 90

Tomorrow
Newark - 96
Greenville - 94

Sunday
Newark - 93
Greenville - 97

Let's face it. Both places are remarkably hot in the summer!