Delaware Blue Hens visit Liberty Flames in Conference USA football
Blue Hens visit Flames in nationally televised Nov. 1 Conference USA football matchup
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Delaware will see what it’s up against in its Conference USA future in a football game at Liberty on Nov. 1.
Liberty is an economic powerhouse, thanks partially to its faith-based allure and national reach of its on-line academic offerings. Both helped fuel its athletic might.
Liberty’s nearly $70 million athletic budget, according to Equity in Athletics Data Analysis, dwarfs those of Delaware and other CUSA schools, though Delaware at $48 million is among the closest.
A homecoming day crowd will likely pack 25,000-seat Williams Stadium as the Blue Hens (4-3 overall, 2-2 CUSA) and Flames (3-4, 2-1) tangle.
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. with the game airing on the CBS Sports Network.
Coach Ryan Carty understands the magnitude of the test Delaware faces but also believes in the Blue Hens’ potential to pass it.
“There are obvious factors in college football that kind of separate some people who have stuff and some people who don’t,” he said. “In our defense, I think we were that team in FCS football that had something that other people didn’t.
“We’re working to continue to be that team that can hopefully have the economic structure around our program and around our athletic department and our university to put us on the same path as that.”
As a first-year FBS-level and CUSA member, Delaware’s progress will be measured against the Flames.
“There’s certainly some things that teams like Liberty have,” Carty added, “and a couple other Group of 5 teams have, that some of us don’t.
“That’s all right. On Saturday it’s about who shows up and who plays really hard, who plays tough and who plays the cleanest and who doesn’t turn the ball over. Those are the things that are going to help us win on Saturday.”
Hen scratch
Delaware defensive coordinator Manny Rojas was an All-Big South linebacker and team captain at Liberty who then coached there under former Delaware coach Danny Rocco . . . Liberty is 17th nationally in pass defense and hasn’t allowed a 300-yard passer since the 2023 Fiesta Bowl . . . Hens QB Nick Minicucci, set to go after missing the last two series against Middle Tennessee Oct. 22, is No. 8 nationally with 295.7 passing yards per game . . . Delaware is 23-0 under Carty when scoring at least 30 points and 21-0 when winning the turnover margin . . . LB Gavin Moul’s 9.0 tackles per game rank 24th in FBS.
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Contact Kevin Tresolini at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
