Delaware will begin its 2024 football season against one of its potentially least challenging foes and end it with a game that, recent history shows, can be a nightmare for the Blue Hens.
An 11-game slate is on tap as Delaware plays its final season as a member of the Coastal Athletic Association and the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Delaware is just a week into preseason football camp and, like everyone it will play, in the process of deciding who should start and who should provide important depth on offense, defense and special teams.
Next year’s move to Conference USA and the Football Bowl Subdivision will substantially raise the degree of difficulty for the Blue Hens. This year’s schedule is quite tame in comparison and, it appears, possibly one of Delaware’s easiest ever.
It can be premature in early August to assess the strengths and weaknesses of future foes, though recent performance certainly helps shape those evaluations. Here are those 11 games, ranked in reverse order from which might be the least difficult for the Blue Hens to what shapes up as the hardest:
11. Sacred Heart, 3:30 (Sept. 28)
Sacred Heart has had some strong teams, winning five Northeast Conference titles and making four FCS playoff appearances, including one that tested the Hens in a 2021 spring first-round game won by Delaware 19-10. But the Pioneers haven’t had a winning record since, going 2-9 each of the last two years. They also now find themselves as FCS independents after leaving the Northeast Conference for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which does not sponsor football. That does not make them appear very imposing, and they'll likely have to cope with a vocal sellout Parents Day crowd at Delaware Stadium.
CHIEF HENS:Six UD players to watch when 2024 season starts
10. Maine, 1 p.m. (Oct. 12)
Maine and Delaware have had some great football duels over the years, Delaware winning just 23 of the 34 games. But the Hens have now won three straight after losing four in a row to the Black Bears, though this is their first meeting since the 2021 fall opener in Orono. Maine has been a very uncharacteristic 2-9 each of the last two years and was 13th in the CAA preseason poll for 2024, its third season under coach Jordan Stevens. Every year a lowly regarded CAA team emerges as one of the league’s top teams, and Maine will hope to fill that role in 2024.
9. Bryant, 7 p.m. (Aug. 29)
Bryant, located in Smithfield, Rhode Island, is a first-year CAA member, though this is a nonconference game scheduled before the Bulldogs joined. This is just the school’s 26th year of football. Bryant made NCAA Division II playoff appearances in 2006 and 2007 and began transitioning to FCS the next year, playing in the Northeast Conference from 2009-21 and then the Big South the last two years. Bryant was 6-5 overall and 4-2 in Big South/OVC play last year. While the Bulldogs certainly have the potential to eventually build into a CAA contender, they appear a bit overmatched in this first matchup with Delaware though opening games always include mystery.
CLIMB CLOSERA year from entering FBS, Delaware sure it's making smart move
8. Campbell, 1 p.m. (Nov. 16)
Delaware played one of its most thorough and dominant games last November in Buies Creek, crushing the first-year CAA member Camels 45-7. They ended up 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the league, not a bad debut. Campbell has a new head coach this year in Braxton Harris, who’d been on the Campbell staff in 2022 and 2023. He was then head coach at FCS Houston Christian in 2023, steering the Huskies to a 6-5 record, their first above .500. This will be Delaware’s final home game as an FCS school, so the Hens will want to put on a good show.
7. at North Carolina A&T, 1 p.m. (Sept. 14)
Truist Stadium and the Aggies’ passionate fans can make this a pesky road trip, though it should be one that the Blue Hens handle. North Carolina A&T was 1-10 overall and 0-8 in its first season CAA last year. The Aggies put up a good fight but were plagued by turnovers last year in a 21-6 loss at Delaware Stadium. But this is a program that won five MEAC titles in six years from 2014-19 so the potential is there for significant improvement, especially with coach Vincent Brown entering his second season and having his systems in place.
EIGHT QUESTIONS:Blue Hens open football practice for unusual 2024 season
6. at Monmouth, 1 p.m. (Oct. 5)
Monmouth had been a frequent title contender and FCS playoff participant in the Northeast Conference and Big South but has found CAA residency more difficult the past two years. The Hawks were 3-5 in CAA games each year and 9-13 overall, including a 49-17 loss at Delaware in 2022. It’s a short road trip, but playing away does increase the challenge some for the Blue Hens, who, nonetheless, appear to be the superior outfit.
5. Penn, 6 p.m. (Sept. 21)
Delaware had to thwart Penn’s late 2-point try to secure a 28-27 win in the Quakers’ 2019 visit, which was emblematic of the trouble top Ivy League teams are capable of giving on the football field. Penn was 6-4 overall and 3-4 last year with four excruciating losses by 16 total points with two going to overtime. Receiver Jared Richardson is a Payton Award Watch List player who’ll test the Hens. Penn will be playing its opener whereas Delaware has already had two games, which benefits the visitors.
FCS OUTCASTS:2024 football season important for Blue Hens
4. Rhode Island, 1 p.m. (Nov. 9)
While its inability to win the league title or make the NCAA Tournament now stretches across 38 years, Rhode Island has been more of a handful for foes in Jim Fleming’s nine years as coach. The Rams have certainly given Delaware periodic trouble, winning three of the last six since 2015. Delaware nosed out the Rams for a playoff spot in 2022, aided by a win there. But Rhode Island’s four straight winning seasons are their most since the early 1980s.
3. Albany, 3 p.m. (Oct. 26)
Albany is coming off a historic 2023 season in which it shared its first CAA title and made its deepest FCS playoff run, getting to the semifinals in an 11-4 finish. A formidable offensive line and a proven back in Griffin Woodell will certainly be critical in the Great Danes’ quest to continue that success. Standout quarterback Reese Poffenbarger’s transfer to Miami (Fla.) certainly leaves a big hole to fill for offensive coordinator Jared Ambrose, who previously held that position at Delaware and would like nothing better than to get a win in his first trip back on what happens to be the Hens' homecoming. Wisconsin transfer Myles Burkett is now among the QB candidates.
BEST FOR LAST:Marcus Yarns hopes to add to prolific Delaware career
2. at Richmond (Oct. 19)
This is also Richmond’s last year in the CAA, though the Spiders remain eligible for the league title and playoffs because they’re staying within FCS in the Patriot League. They’ll fit in nicely in that collection of fellow smaller, private schools. But Richmond remains a CAA force, as it often has been, after sharing the title last year with Albany and Villanova and making its second straight playoff appearance. The Hens were mauled 51-27 in their last visit to Richmond in 2021 and then suffered an excruciating 21-13 loss at Delaware Stadium in 2022. This game will help show how ready Delaware is for its FBS climb next year.
1. at Villanova (Nov. 23)
Villanova has the best team in the CAA entering 2024, led by quarterback Connor Watkins, the preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Since Delaware can’t even beat the Wildcats when they’re mediocre, this shapes up as, like all games against the Wildcats, an extremely tough task for the Blue Hens. Villanova has won 16 of the last 18 between these longtime rivals. Certainly, emotions will be high and both will be determined to get a win in what will likely be their final football duel, especially if Villanova needs a win to make the playoffs. A year before they enter the FBS, the Battle of the Blue will be Delaware’s bowl game and give it the chance to, ironically, earn possible permanent possession of that trophy.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
