NEWARK — It’s been 14 months since the Delaware football team played an actual game.
So while the Blue Hens have done plenty of work — both mentally and physically — since …
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By Andy WalterNEWARK — It’s been 14 months since the Delaware football team played an actual game.
So while the Blue Hens have done plenty of work — both mentally and physically — since Nov. 23, 2019, nobody’s quite sure what to expect when they get back on the field for real.
All Delaware coach Danny Rocco knows is that his players are looking forward to it.
“We’re excited to get back together and play,” Rocco said on Wednesday in a CAA teleconference previewing the spring season.
“I think we’ve done a really good job keeping them focused, keeping them motivated. This group is very committed to playing this spring. I have a lot of really good leaders on this team. I’ve had opportunities to have a lot of meaningful conversations about the significance of this spring season.”
A genuine spring football season is unprecedented, of course. Almost every college football program in the country outside the FBS level decided not to play in the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Even now, some schools have opted not to play again until next fall.
Delaware has begun workouts in preparation of a seven-game season that the Hens open on March 6 by hosting Maine at noon. There will be a Colonial Athletic Association champion and NCAA Division I FCS playoffs, just like a standard fall season.
But it remains to be seen how teams will approach the spring.
Some say they’re going to use the season to look at young players and get ready for the fall. Some schools weren’t able to do much with their practice sessions this past fall.
The Hens, though, were able to get in all 28 sessions — 14 skills and drills and 14 regular practices.
“We got a lot done in the fall,” said Rocco.
At the same time, Rocco also said he’d be managing how much contact the Hens have in practice with an eye toward next fall. Delaware is slated to end the spring regular season on April 17.
“You want to be managing all those things now,” said Rocco. “If you start thinking about and managing the volume of physicality when you get into June and July, it’ll be too late.
