UD Pride Patrol

The Pride Patrol does some tailgating at the Richmond game

Flacco Postgame Interview

Joe Flacco discusses the Ravens 34-3 win over the Browns.

Blue Hen Scrimmage

Get an early look at this year's squad.

Follow Us on Twitter

Blue Hen Country is now on Twitter.
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Joe Flacco: NFL Fantasy File - Behind the Scenes

Joe Flacco: NFL Fantasy File Commercial

Vote Flacco!

Joe Flacco is up for NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 1 of the NFL season.

Go vote for him here: Rookie of the Week

Say Goodbye To West Chester?

As the Blue Hens prepare to renew their lopsided rivalry with West Chester this weekend, Coach Keeler seems to be leaning towards removing them from the schedule altogether as soon as possible. The hens have games scheduled against the Rams through the 2012 season. I'm all for this. The West Chester game is completely useless. Keeler also seems to be in favor of not playing FBS teams either. This I disagree with. Games against the likes of Maryland and Navy are great exposure for the program and frankly are winnable. In a perfect world, in my opinion, we would be playing FBS teams every week. You got me? Take the leap already.

Click here for the article about Coach Keeler's scheduling priorities

Let's Go Flacco!

That's what the crowd was heard chanting as Joe Flacco led the Ravens to a 17-10 victory in his first NFL start. Flacco threw for 129 yards and ran for a 38 yard touchdown. As usual, Joe was not intimidated by the big stage. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a long and successful career. Click the below link to see video of some post game comments from Flacco and coach John Harbaugh, who was also making his NFL debut as a head coach.

Video: Ravens Post Game Interviews

Click here for a full article:
ESPN

Future Is Now for Flacco

And then there was one. The Baltimore Ravens have announced that Joe Flacco will be the starting QB for their season opener against the Bengals this Sunday. Ozzie Newsome has called Flacco the future of the franchise, but didn't realize that the future would be upon him so soon. With Kyle Boller out with a shoulder injury and Troy Smith unavailable with a tonsil infection it falls to Flacco to get under center. You really never know how you're going to get your shot. Let's hope Joe takes advantage of this early opportunity and doesn't relinquish the starting job.

Hens vs. Terps

First off, it was great to see the Hens on national TV. This was a result of Hurricane Gustav forcing the LSU/App. St. tilt to start at 11AM. Great exposure for the program and they certainly put on a good show. They legitimately had a chance to win this game despite having newcomers in so many key positions. I've never been one to say that a loss is good, but this is one case where I will. It's obvious that we can hang with solid FBS teams, so why not make the move? Let's parlay this exposure and the plan for upgraded facilities into a brand new stadium and a leap to the FBS. OK, I've said my piece. Next up is West Chester on Sept. 13. And oh by the way. even with the loss to Maryland, the Hens moved up to #6 in the TSN poll.

New Official Blue Hen Sports Site Coming

I was hoping the UD Athletics site was on the verge of an overhaul after seeing the recent redesign of the main UD site. The above image is all the info. available, but I'm hoping the new site will launch prior to this Saturday's big matchup with Maryland in College Park.

BlueHens.com will be the new address for the site.

Cuff an Under-the-Radar Favorite

That according to CBS Sports. Here's what Clark Judge had to say about Omar in an article listing the top 12 under-the-radar draft prospects:

Omar Cuff, RB/KR, Delaware: A first-team All-American choice, he ran for 1,984 yards last season and produced a nation-high 39 touchdowns -- including a CAA-record seven in one game. Good, huh? Now hear this: He had a team-record 73 scores while at Delaware, a school that recruited him as a defensive back.

The guy works hard, has decent speed, is elusive and is an effective receiver -- with 55 catches in 2007, including three games with seven each. Some people like to compare him to Brian Westbrook because of his Division 1-AA background, but Westbrook was a third-round draft choice. Cuff won't be as fortunate.

Check out the article here: CBSSports.com

UD Commissions Athletic Facilities Study

Delaware has hired HOK Sport to put together a study to discover the best way to improve UD's sports facilities.

Read the article here: delawareonline.com

If they're looking for opinions, here's mine: Tear down the Tub. Build a brand new Delaware Stadium with increased seating and all the finest amenities. Then parlay the excitement of a new stadium into a jump to the FBS. Real simple, right?

Omar Cuff in SI.com

Omar got a nice picture and write-up from a fan as part of SI.com's "Fans' Overlooked Draft Prospects" list.

Check out the page here: SI.com

Flacco Buzz Continues

With the NFL Draft a little over two weeks away, the press machine is starting to ratchet up once again. This week's SI has a small piece on Joe Flacco and how his stock has continued to rise.

Check out the article here: Sports Illustrated

Mason Takes CAA Tourney Crown

George Mason will look to re-create some of the magic they made a couple years back as they go dancin' with the CAA automatic bid. I had higher hopes for the Hens after handling Drexel in the first round. But a beat down at the hands of UNCW ended any hopes for a miracle run, and ended the season. But overall, I believe we'll look back and say this was the season that turned this program around. Monte has his kids believing in themselves and more importantly going out and competing at a high level every single night.

Let's compare some numbers:
2006-07 Final Overall Record: 5-26
2007-08 Final Overall Record: 14-17

2006-07 Final CAA Record: 3-15
2007-08 Final CAA Record: 9-9

9 more wins overall is a great effort. I was really hoping for 10, but I'll take it.

So I want to congratulate this team for righting the ship. Next year we move into the upper echelon of the CAA...I hope.

It's Tourney Time

Well the brackets are set for the men's tournament in Richmond this Friday, March 7th. I was hoping we would roll into the tourney on a nice little won streak after the impressive win at Toledo and at home against Hofstra. But after getting dropped at Towson to end the regular season that just didn't happen. Regardless, I strongly feel that the Hens have a shot at making a run to the finals and facing VCU there. And who's to say that we can't catch a break and have someone upset VCU. That's the beauty of the conference tourneys. Anything can happen. Now it's time to start thinking about our old friends Drexel.

Here are the first round matchups:

Friday, March 7

Game 1: No. 8 Hofstra vs. No. 9 Towson (Noon)

Game 2: No. 5 William & Mary vs. No. 12 Georgia State(2:30 p.m.)

Game 3: No. 7 Delaware vs. No. 10 Drexel (6 p.m.)

Game 4: No. 6 Northeastern vs. No. 11 James Madison (8:30 p.m.)

This is really my favorite time of the year. Two weeks, 31 automatic bids up for grabs. It just doesn't get any better.

For schedules for all of the conference tourneys click here: ESPN

Rutgers Poaches Hens Offensive Coordinator

UD's offensive coordinator, Kirk Ciarrocca has accepted a position as wide receivers coach at Rutgers University. Best of luck to Kirk. But I wouldn't mind him regretting this decision if it means that UD and/or the CAA makes the leap to the FBS. I can dream, can't I?

Check out the full story here: delaware online

Update: Brian Ginn has been promoted from WRs coach to offensive coordinator/QB coach.
Check out that story here: delaware online

2007 Football Attendance

This is interesting if you're into this kind of thing. Delaware ranked 3rd overall in the FCS in 2007, behind App. St. and Montana.

Check out the full list here: FCS Attendance Report