FBI PSU (minus the "F")

[Bluewyn Gold]

Great post Big R. While I saw nothing positive about the game as did Carty, perhaps individual UD players did take something from that game.

Apparently, few injuries, so that's a HUGE positive. Delaware did its part by accepting the butt-kicking they were paid for. The comparatively paltry $400k will pay some of the AD's bills and, make no mistake, that's exactly why the game was scheduled. If we were still drawing 20K every week, we wouldn't HAVE to play Penn State.

You can't LOVE FCS football and, at the same time, expect the AD not to do everything in its power to balance the books, including buying losses like they did on Saturday. The days are over for consistently drawing 20K fans to the Tub, especially considering the FCS competition we're bringing in. Very few are willing to pay for that these days.

Saturday's game against a Top 10 team will do little towards damaging its FCS goals for 2023. It is what it is.

[Hens79]

" Until we can decisively win in the CAA, we have no right to express disparaging comments about how watered down the league has become. I say that even though I personally feel the same way. Only winning can justify those sentiments. "


I'm with you Colorado but you're going to hurt feelings with that kind of talk and the rebuttals will be bouncing off the margins .

The rabid posters on here have never faced the reality of the true direction our program has been headed for close to 20 years. Winning IS the only measure of on field accomplishment and that includes the continuity that comes with a very good program.

Since 2005 we have won our conference exactly twice. Forget everything else and document that specific accomplishment and KC & Dan could only manage it once each.

We make excuses and put up deflecting defenses but the fact still remains. So, should we really care who the heck we play in the CAA when we can't even win the trophy?

Note, you need to start your list in 2005 solely because you're you and that means you get to not count the two other times KC won the conference (in 2003 and 2004).

As for the CAA and becoming a watered-down conference, we also need to remember that's a relatively recent phenomenon. There was no argument that the CAA was the premier I-AA/FCS conference from about 2003 to at least 2010, and after that it was still pretty good until about 2015 or 2016. JMU finally got good and propped it up from then until they left, but there's been a real quickening of diminishing the conference over the past 2-3 years with Monmouth, NC A&T, and Campbell being added, and with Bryant still to come. Hard to ignore those facts.

Of course GF, all the above should be undeniable for almost anyone. But alas ….

And who with a working brain thinks UD football was in a “drought” in Frisco in January 2011? Staggering anyone could think it let alone type it with their fingers.

Anyway, hope the Hens get better soon so when the inevitable and likely very soon exit from the CAA and FCS comes, they are as ready as they can be.

[Caribbean Hen]

Great post Big R. While I saw nothing positive about the game as did Carty, perhaps individual UD players did take something from that game.

Apparently, few injuries, so that's a HUGE positive. Delaware did its part by accepting the butt-kicking they were paid for. The comparatively paltry $400k will pay some of the AD's bills and, make no mistake, that's exactly why the game was scheduled. If we were still drawing 20K every week, we wouldn't HAVE to play Penn State.

You can't LOVE FCS football and, at the same time, expect the AD not to do everything in its power to balance the books, including buying losses like they did on Saturday. The days are over for consistently drawing 20K fans to the Tub, especially considering the FCS competition we're bringing in. Very few are willing to pay for that these days.

Saturday's game against a Top 10 team will do little towards damaging its FCS goals for 2023. It is what it is.

Exactly

Let’s bring in Holy Cross and Fordham, both better than MAC Buffalo …… are fans going to want to pay for that slop after a few Tuesday nights?

Who knows

[Gannonfan]

" Until we can decisively win in the CAA, we have no right to express disparaging comments about how watered down the league has become. I say that even though I personally feel the same way. Only winning can justify those sentiments. "


I'm with you Colorado but you're going to hurt feelings with that kind of talk and the rebuttals will be bouncing off the margins .

The rabid posters on here have never faced the reality of the true direction our program has been headed for close to 20 years. Winning IS the only measure of on field accomplishment and that includes the continuity that comes with a very good program.

Since 2005 we have won our conference exactly twice. Forget everything else and document that specific accomplishment and KC & Dan could only manage it once each.

We make excuses and put up deflecting defenses but the fact still remains. So, should we really care who the heck we play in the CAA when we can't even win the trophy?

Note, you need to start your list in 2005 solely because you're you and that means you get to not count the two other times KC won the conference (in 2003 and 2004).

As for the CAA and becoming a watered-down conference, we also need to remember that's a relatively recent phenomenon. There was no argument that the CAA was the premier I-AA/FCS conference from about 2003 to at least 2010, and after that it was still pretty good until about 2015 or 2016. JMU finally got good and propped it up from then until they left, but there's been a real quickening of diminishing the conference over the past 2-3 years with Monmouth, NC A&T, and Campbell being added, and with Bryant still to come. Hard to ignore those facts.

Of course GF, all the above should be undeniable for almost anyone. But alas ….

And who with a working brain thinks UD football was in a “drought” in Frisco in January 2011? Staggering anyone could think it let alone type it with their fingers.

Anyway, hope the Hens get better soon so when the inevitable and likely very soon exit from the CAA and FCS comes, they are as ready as they can be.

Yup, we weren't in any competitive drought in 2011. Heck, to say we were in a drought starting in 2005 is just classic pettiness on that poster's part - how many FCS teams were considered to be in a "drought" when they would then go on to play in two national title games just 2 and 5 years later after the "drought" began? Heck, even our program had never had that level of national success at this level so to say we were in a drought at the same time we were achieving perhaps the highest this program has ever been isn't just petty, it's delusional. But par for the course with that poster, he'll never accept reality.

I think we are getting better. A game against a Penn State-type will never be a barometer for that, of course, so we'll have to see in two weeks when we play UNH and then at the end of the year when we face nova yet again. But hopefully the exit from FCS is being worked on feverishly.

[Hensfansince03]

Great post Big R. While I saw nothing positive about the game as did Carty, perhaps individual UD players did take something from that game.

Apparently, few injuries, so that's a HUGE positive. Delaware did its part by accepting the butt-kicking they were paid for. The comparatively paltry $400k will pay some of the AD's bills and, make no mistake, that's exactly why the game was scheduled. If we were still drawing 20K every week, we wouldn't HAVE to play Penn State.

You can't LOVE FCS football and, at the same time, expect the AD not to do everything in its power to balance the books, including buying losses like they did on Saturday. The days are over for consistently drawing 20K fans to the Tub, especially considering the FCS competition we're bringing in. Very few are willing to pay for that these days.

Saturday's game against a Top 10 team will do little towards damaging its FCS goals for 2023. It is what it is.

This year's team I'm not convinced is going to be that great yet in FCS, yet alone play well against an FBS national title contender or even FCS title contender LOL. We should however win the CAA, make the playoffs and get an additional home game where we beat a MEAC or Patriot team by 50 then get rolled by 50 in the Midwest. We should follow what JMU did as closely as possible, and it appears that is kind of where we are going. The right moves are being made off the field for the program, the on the field stuff takes the right coach and some time. Brock and Ziady set us back 3 decades. Rocco set us back a few years.

With that being said, I hope the FBS games continue, and they don't cancel 2027 in happy valley. If we are truly going to attempt and FBS move within the next 5 to 10 years, by 2027 we may have an additional 18 scholarships, a more experienced staff, and a better team on the field that would make it more of a game. I don't think most of us fans want FBS games taken off the schedule indefinitely. We actually would want more of them.

When we have a good team or the FBS team we schedule isn't good, they can be exciting and an awesome road trip. The trips to MD, Pitt, Navy, and VA Tech over the years were pretty fun games to go too. Each of those games we had a mediocre FCS team and we still beat Navy, came within one score at Pitt and MD, and were in the game against VA Tech until the fourth quarter. I would not take those experiences back.

[BlueHenBobby]

Great post Big R. While I saw nothing positive about the game as did Carty, perhaps individual UD players did take something from that game.

Apparently, few injuries, so that's a HUGE positive. Delaware did its part by accepting the butt-kicking they were paid for. The comparatively paltry $400k will pay some of the AD's bills and, make no mistake, that's exactly why the game was scheduled. If we were still drawing 20K every week, we wouldn't HAVE to play Penn State.

You can't LOVE FCS football and, at the same time, expect the AD not to do everything in its power to balance the books, including buying losses like they did on Saturday. The days are over for consistently drawing 20K fans to the Tub, especially considering the FCS competition we're bringing in. Very few are willing to pay for that these days.

Saturday's game against a Top 10 team will do little towards damaging its FCS goals for 2023. It is what it is.

I'll respectfully differ with you about what that loss will mean towards playoffs. Finish 8- 3 and likely we are in. Finish 7-4, forget it. Probably the only thing that saved us last year was the win at Navy and probably some politics and $. I know that is conjecture on my part, but probably pretty accurate based on recent playoff selections.

[Henzone]

" Until we can decisively win in the CAA, we have no right to express disparaging comments about how watered down the league has become. I say that even though I personally feel the same way. Only winning can justify those sentiments. "

I'll post the original statement again since there seems to be the usual confusion from my twin shadows. The discussion from Colorado is about winning the CAA NOT anything else regardless of the strength of the conference. The numbers say that since 2005, when I suggest our stock started sinking, we have a losing record and only 2 trophies. Now you can look up the individual coaches if that helps the pain but our record is indeed a losing one. So doesn't that confirm that we haven't decisively won in the CAA? Trips to the playoffs sandwiched in doesn't change the validly of the original concern.

Hurt feelings don't change facts.

[Bluewyn Gold]

Finish 7-4, forget it.

The loss to Penn State in no way precludes the Hens from running the schedule from here on out. That's my point; not if, if, if... Sorry to disagree.

There shouldn't be more than two additional losses with the schedule with this seemingly weak remaining schedule. Three losses with the remaining schedule probably means the team isn't built for national championship contention anyway.

[Gannonfan]

" Until we can decisively win in the CAA, we have no right to express disparaging comments about how watered down the league has become. I say that even though I personally feel the same way. Only winning can justify those sentiments. "

I'll post the original statement again since there seems to be the usual confusion from my twin shadows. The discussion from Colorado is about winning the CAA NOT anything else regardless of the strength of the conference. The numbers say that since 2005, when I suggest our stock started sinking, we have a losing record and only 2 trophies. Now you can look up the individual coaches if that helps the pain but our record is indeed a losing one. So doesn't that confirm that we haven't decisively won in the CAA? Trips to the playoffs sandwiched in doesn't change the validly of the original concern.

Hurt feelings don't change facts.

Nope, no confusion, you remain petty and delusional - it's just who you are.

And yes, we can bemoan the state of the conference regardless of the part we're playing in the conference. We have 4 conference titles since 2003, and one of those was in the COVID year, and three national title game trips since 2003 (winning that year). We had that brutal stretch from 2013-2019 where we just weren't a good football program at all. Now it looks like we might be turning it around. But again, none of that has any bearing on whether we get to say if the conference is watered down or not. They're not connected at all. Fact is, the CAA now is a shadow of the conference it was during its halcyon days in the 2000's. Pettiness doesn't change facts.

[bluehenbillk]

Finish 7-4, forget it.

The loss to Penn State in no way precludes the Hens from running the schedule from here on out. That's my point; not if, if, if... Sorry to disagree.

There shouldn't be more than two additional losses with the schedule with this seemingly weak remaining schedule. Three losses with the remaining schedule probably means the team isn't built for national championship contention anyway.

STFrancis - it's a W
UNH - leaning to a L
Duquesne - win
NC A&T - win
@Hampton - win
@Towson - should be a win
Elon - should be a good game - 50/50
@ Campbell - Leaning to a L
Nova - we never win , so a L

[HensRock]

Rich,
Thank you for this write-up. I was also encouraged by our ability to run on PSU. I didn't think we would be able to do that at all!
We also share the same opinion with regard to the 2014 opener at Pitt. This was different and our boys fought to the very end in this one!

I still say this is more of a "rebuilding" year because I don't care who you replace 9 starters on Defense with - they are still replacements. This is a team game and it takes time for the players to gel and to learn to trust each other so they can be effective. Hopefully that can happen sooner rather than later.

[Henzone]

" Until we can decisively win in the CAA, we have no right to express disparaging comments about how watered down the league has become. I say that even though I personally feel the same way. Only winning can justify those sentiments. "

I'll post the original statement again since there seems to be the usual confusion from my twin shadows. The discussion from Colorado is about winning the CAA NOT anything else regardless of the strength of the conference. The numbers say that since 2005, when I suggest our stock started sinking, we have a losing record and only 2 trophies. Now you can look up the individual coaches if that helps the pain but our record is indeed a losing one. So doesn't that confirm that we haven't decisively won in the CAA? Trips to the playoffs sandwiched in doesn't change the validly of the original concern.

Hurt feelings don't change facts.

Nope, no confusion, you remain petty and delusional - it's just who you are.

And yes, we can bemoan the state of the conference regardless of the part we're playing in the conference. We have 4 conference titles since 2003, and one of those was in the COVID year, and three national title game trips since 2003 (winning that year). We had that brutal stretch from 2013-2019 where we just weren't a good football program at all. Now it looks like we might be turning it around. But again, none of that has any bearing on whether we get to say if the conference is watered down or not. They're not connected at all. Fact is, the CAA now is a shadow of the conference it was during its halcyon days in the 2000's. Pettiness doesn't change facts.

CAA record 27-34 even with Flacco & Devlin in house from 2005 until the door hit him in his butt. That's not brutal or reek of a downward trend? Why is this always about saving face for Keeler. Shall we have a celebration when Sammy finally scores a TD this season? This is not your father's Blue Hen football anymore .

[HENJOHN]

That door may have hit him in the Butt as you like to say, but he has nothing to be ashamed of. KC brought many exciting seasons to the Delaware Football fans. I for one have alot of respect for what he did

[Hens79]

" Until we can decisively win in the CAA, we have no right to express disparaging comments about how watered down the league has become. I say that even though I personally feel the same way. Only winning can justify those sentiments. "

I'll post the original statement again since there seems to be the usual confusion from my twin shadows. The discussion from Colorado is about winning the CAA NOT anything else regardless of the strength of the conference. The numbers say that since 2005, when I suggest our stock started sinking, we have a losing record and only 2 trophies. Now you can look up the individual coaches if that helps the pain but our record is indeed a losing one. So doesn't that confirm that we haven't decisively won in the CAA? Trips to the playoffs sandwiched in doesn't change the validly of the original concern.

Hurt feelings don't change facts.

Nope, no confusion, you remain petty and delusional - it's just who you are.

And yes, we can bemoan the state of the conference regardless of the part we're playing in the conference. We have 4 conference titles since 2003, and one of those was in the COVID year, and three national title game trips since 2003 (winning that year). We had that brutal stretch from 2013-2019 where we just weren't a good football program at all. Now it looks like we might be turning it around. But again, none of that has any bearing on whether we get to say if the conference is watered down or not. They're not connected at all. Fact is, the CAA now is a shadow of the conference it was during its halcyon days in the 2000's. Pettiness doesn't change facts.

CAA record 27-34 even with Flacco & Devlin in house from 2005 until the door hit him in his butt. That's not brutal or reek of a downward trend? Why is this always about saving face for Keeler. Shall we have a celebration when Sammy finally scores a TD this season? This is not your father's Blue Hen football anymore .

I do hope you are alive when our only 1-AA/FCS national championship coach and three times participant is inducted into the CF HOF and his bust is placed in the north end zone ring of fame. You will be the one with the … but, but his CAA record over selected years sign. Folks will just shake their heads like we do now about the crazy old man.

Oh, and it isn’t about “saving face”. It is about acknowledging reality.

[tenn hen]

will this boring sparing go on forever. it's childish and meanspirited, but it seems many on here appear to thrive on this middle school chatter- excuse me- is face book and the others like this