By Andy Walter

NEWARK — A college football team is a small army of players and coaches.

But, for the Delaware football program at the moment, no one person seems to hold the key to the Blue Hens’ success more than quarterback Nolan Henderson.

The Smyrna High grad’s season-ending injury four games into the fall campaign is considered one of the main reasons Delaware finished just 5-6 after falling to Villanova, 21-13, on Saturday.

And Henderson’s expected return is one of the biggest reasons that coach Danny Rocco is excited about trying to get back on track in the fall.

Rocco said he met with Henderson on Sunday.

“He is extraordinarily motivated,” Rocco said on Monday as he talked with reporters.

Rocco said that Henderson might even have two more seasons of eligibility remaining if he is granted a medical waiver after he missed the last seven games following abdominal surgery.

“Recognizing that Nolan Henderson, our quarterback, may be here for two more seasons, there’s a lot of excitement I think in that,” said Rocco.

Delaware did go 10-2 with Henderson as the starter this calendar year. The Hens were 2-5 without him.

On the other hand, most people agree that it’s going to take more than just Henderson’s return to make Delaware a playoff contender again.

The Hens have now finished with losing records in five of the last 10 seasons, including two of the past three. They’ve made the NCAA FCS Division I playoffs just twice since playing in the 2010 national championship game.

Still, the Hens will return many of the players who went 7-1 and reached the FCS semifinals in the spring. Rocco, who is starting the sixth and final year of his current contract, thinks that experience is what motivates this group.

“I don’t know, I think these guys are kind of like, ‘Things didn’t work out for us this fall,’” said Rocco. “‘We didn’t play as well as we could have or should have. We had some adversity. We lost some key guys. It is what it is. We want to get back to that moment (in the playoffs).’

“And the best way to get back to that moment is getting back to basics and us focusing on the best version of us that we can be. Because a lot of these guys have that taste in their mouths and we all want to get back to those moments.”

With COVID protocols having a big impact on offseason workouts since March 2020, Rocco said he believes Delaware really needs to “get back to the grind.”

“We’ve got to get back to doing the things in the offseason that you have to be able to do to build your culture and chemistry,” he said. “I’m excited about that.”

Before Saturday’s game, the Hens had 13 players honored as seniors. Nine of them were starters in the contest.

Rocco said he expects almost everyone else to return, including marquee players like linebacker Colby Reeder, receiver Thyrick Pitts and Henderson.

The veteran coach, though, did agree that the NCAA’s transfer portal leaves the door open for players to look at other programs. Rocco won’t have individual meetings with his players until next week.

“It’s just going to be the new reality for us,” Rocco said about some players at least looking into transfer possibilities. “But I feel really good about who we have coming back.

“I talk about the trip to Jacksonville State (in the spring FCS quarterfinals) and just how real that experience was. These guys got a taste of something that is so unbelievably exciting. It’s just something you want to do again.”

Rocco agreed that Delaware has to be able to score more points. The Hens averaged only 19.3 ppg while giving up 23.4 ppg.

Delaware failed to score more than 20 points in six of its last eight contests. That often left the Hens with little margin for error.

Besides Henderson, Delaware also lost offensive lineman Carter Lynch, who left the program in preseason, and center Mickey Henry, who played in only two games because of a back injury. Rocco said other offensive linemen were hampered by injuries but were able to play through them.

But Rocco did say the Hens have to have better answers if Henderson is sidelined again. He said Zach Gwynn, who started the last seven games, and running quarterback Anthony Paoletti are “light years ahead of where they were six weeks ago.”

“Obviously, like with everything, you’ve got to take a giant step back and say, ‘Well, who’s in the wings that really becomes that next catalyst for us?’ ” said Rocco. “Maybe Zach’s not going to be the next catalyst, he still might be backup quarterback. But who are the other guys on the roster? We have some other guys worth looking at.”

For the moment, however, Henderson is the man. He’s determined that next season can be different — both for him and the Hens.

“His first thing was, ‘Coach, I’m going to be healthy, I am going to be strong and I am going to be big and fast,’” Rocco said Henderson told him on Sunday. “‘And I can’t wait to go out there and take control of our offense again.’

“He wants to run the ball, he doesn’t want to be protected. He wants to be able to make 75-yard touchdown runs on called run plays. ... It sparks everyone in the stadium, let alone the team.”

Extra points

Along with matchups with Navy and Delaware State, Rocco said he believes the Hens’ other non-conference date next season will be with Morgan State in October. ... The seniors who were honored before Saturday’s game included starters Frank Burton, Dae’lun Darien, Nijuel Hill, Andrew Palowski, Ben Trent, Gene Coleman, Tommy Walsh, David Kroll and Dejoun Lee. The other four players not expected back are Henry, Matt Palmer, Tyler Boyd and D’Juan Moore. ... Villanova and James Madison were the only CAA teams to make the FCS playoff field on Sunday but both earned first-round byes. The league has had multiple playoff teams in 31 straight years. ... The All-CAA team is slated to be released on Tuesday afternoon.