By Andy Walter

NEWARK — When they last left the field, on Nov. 23, 2019, Delaware’s football players had no way of knowing it’d be March 6, 2021 before they played another game.

But the prolonged, unprecedented off-season apparently hasn’t done anything to dampen the Blue Hens’ enthusiasm for the game.

“We’re just excited — it’s pure excitement,” said senior running back Dejoun Lee. “The team can’t wait. I mean the confidence in this team is something that’s second to none.

“I think this team has something special going on so we’re just ready to show everybody what we’ve got.”

Of course, it’s anybody’s guess what Delaware will look like when it opens its seven-game spring season Saturday by hosting Maine at noon.

The contest is closed to the general public due to COVID-19 restrictions but can be seen on Flosports for a subscription fee.

Both teams will probably be missing some key players because of COVID-19 protocols. And neither squad has played a genuine game in 15 months.

Lee, for one, thinks the layoff won’t hurt the Hens, though.

“I think we practice hard enough to where the game’s just going to be the same thing,” he said. “We understand that what we do in practice is going to correlate to the field. We kept that game-day mentality day-in and day-out. I think we’ll be ready.”

UD coach Danny Rocco said he’s tried to anticipate what issues there might be after the long break. He’s looked at some of the games that have already been played over the past couple weeks.

“I’ve watched a couple FCS games just to kind of see the flow and the rhythm,” said Rocco. “There’s a lot of constants. One of them is players get tired. Players get worn down. Players get nicked. You’ve got to roll players, you’ve got to get guys in the game.

“I think the most common thing you’ve seen is penalties and maybe missed tackling as you watch other games,” he added. “There hasn’t been as much opportunity to tackle (in practice). ... I even told the guys, when you run down on that opening kickoff, you’re going to be winded — because you’re going to have so much adrenaline. You just are.”

As Delaware gets ready to play its first game in 469 days, there’s a feeling that today’s game will have a much different look to it.

Along with having no fans and the fact that it’s March, the Hens are expected to wear all-black uniforms for the first time. The renovations to Delaware Stadium, topped off by a new luxury/press box, have been completed since the last game.

And Delaware hasn’t even faced Maine since 2017 because of the CAA schedule.

But, at the heart of it all, it’s still football. And even though COVID-19 protocols have made a lot of things seem like they’ve changed, the game is still the same.

“Everything that’s happening in the locker room and off the field is different,” said Rocco. “But as far as when you get on the field, in order to win, all the things remain the same.”

Strange ending

While they haven’t waited nearly as long as UD’s football team to play another game, Delaware’s men’s basketball players will try to come back from an unprecedented gap in their season.

After not playing since Jan. 31 due to various COVID-19 issues, the Hens will get thrown into the CAA quarterfinals on Sunday morning. Fifth-seeded Delaware (7-7) is slated to face No. 4 Hofstra (12-9) at 11 a.m. in the tournament being played at James Madison.

“I told our group, we had a great February — we went undefeated,” joked UD coach Martin Ingelsby.

“That hasn’t changed,” he said about trying to win the CAA title. “Our senior guys — driven by Ryan Allen, Kevin Anderson and Dylan Painter — that has been their focus all year. I almost feel like they’re hungrier now, as this time of year is upon us, to really lead this group. I think we’re going down there really confident, really loose and ready to let it rip.

“We know we have a heck of a challenge on Sunday morning against a really good, talented Hofstra team. But we’re not going to shy away from our focus — we’re going down there to win a championship.”

At times, the Hens were so limited over the past month that they could only play three-on-three in practice. Delaware had eight straight games canceled.

The Hens actually won their last three games before the long layoff. Every other team in the league has missed games, too.
There’s also no guarantee that some squad suddenly might not be able to play this weekend because of positive virus test results.

Tough ending

Considering there were 10 seniors on this year’s Delaware State women’s basketball team, it was pretty disappointing when the Hornets had to cancel the rest of their season on Wednesday.

DSU made the announcement shortly before the Hornets were supposed to face Morgan State “due to coronavirus health and safety protocols.”

DelState was slated to play two games against Morgan before taking on Coppin State in a play-in game for the MEAC Tournament. The Hornets finished with a record of 2-8 in the MEAC, 3-12 overall.

“The team was excited about the chance to finish the regular season on a high note and play their way into the main MEAC Tournament field,” coach Dave Caputo said in a statement. “I’m extremely proud and thankful to the ladies for their effort and commitment to the university and the program through it all.”

Wesley in action

Wesley College may be closing its athletic department after this school year, but the Wolverines are still playing a few final ‘fall sports’ games this spring.

Wesley’s football team will host Montclair State Saturday at 1 p.m. in a scrimmage before hosting Salisbury next Saturday.

Wesley’s men’s basketball team is playing four games this month. The Wolverines fell to Marymount, 90-76, on Wednesday and host Christopher Newport on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The Wesley women’s volleyball team fell to Gwynedd-Mercy, 3-1, on Wednesday in what was the program’s only scheduled match.
The Wolverines also have four games slated in field hockey, beginning with a contest on March 12 at Immaculata.

Notes

Kickoff for UD’s football game at Delaware State on April 10 has been set for 6 p.m. ... Dover High grad Bradly Anyanwu, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman at Delaware, is listed second on the depth chart at left guard.