Hens glad that lineman Brown changed his mind

By Andy Walter

NEWARK — Delaware’s football coaches had given up on landing Stevon Brown.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to recruit the big lineman from Glen Burnie, Maryland. Indeed, he had been at the top of their recruiting board a couple years ago.

But when Brown verbally committed to NCAA Division I FBS East Carolina, UD’s coaches figured that was that.

“He kind of disappeared,” said Blue Hens coach Danny Rocco. “When he showed back up, we were kind of excited to jump back down there and get it on him.

“I really felt like he is, and was, and still is my kind of guy, so to speak. He’s got his priorities in line.”

As the story goes, of course, Delaware did end up with Brown. When East Carolina hired a new head, Brown decided he wanted to go to school closer to his mom, who lives by herself.

Now, after a couple years of apprenticeship, Brown is starting to contribute for ninth-ranked Delaware (2-0 CAA, 3-1 overall), which plays a big CAA game at No. 18 Rhode Island (2-0 CAA, 4-0 overall) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

After starting all eight games in the spring, Brown is back at left guard after being sidelined with a minor knee injury in pre-season.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder didn’t get on the field at all in 2018 and ‘19. He said, however, he was happy to wait his turn and learn from the veteran offensive linemen.

“I would literally take everything that they taught me, and just use it,” said Brown. “I was just getting better and better. I feel like that was the biggest part — just having a good relationship with the older guys. When they left, I would be prepared.”

“He’s a really, really neat person,” said Rocco. “He’s got all the talent in the world. I feel really good about him in our program and as an ambassador for our program.”

Brown was a good enough athlete that he played basketball in high school. Despite his size now, that athleticism still comes in handy.

“Basketball is a sport that you have to be light on your feet,” said Brown. “Me playing that sport helped with my conditioning and my agility. Then, when it came to football season, I just felt like those two sports came together for me.”

The Hens ran for a season-high 208 rushing yards in Saturday’s 20-15 win over Albany. That was Delaware’s most yards on the ground since putting up 361 in a 35-21 win at URI in the spring.

At the same time, Delaware has also given up 12 QB sacks this fall.

“I just feel like it’s more us having to get better at everything at this point,” said Brown. “I feel like we all have to improve and we all know that.”

QBs on the mend

Rocco said he doesn’t believe that either of his top two quarterbacks, Nolan Henderson and Zach Gwynn, suffered long-term injuries in the Albany game.

That being said, though, both QBs came away from the contest with their share of bumps and bruises.

Henderson started but left the game early in the second quarter after taking a hard hit on a sack. He did return in the fourth quarter.

Zach Gwynn, who replaced Henderson, was dealing with a rib injury and seemed to be limping on the sidelines. He was kept out of practice on Sunday.

“The most difficult thing to manage is just the imaging and the responses from the doctors and the trainers as to what’s the best way to move forward,” said Rocco. “I do know that on Sunday, he (Henderson) didn’t look real good or feel real good.

“I think there are some more broader options and discussions that are going on as we continue to manage Nolan’s injury.”

Beyond Henderson, Delaware has a few different quarterback options. Gwynn and wildcat QB Anthony Paoletti both saw action on Saturday while even sophomore Cade Pribula started warming up on the sidelines.

“As we sit here today. ... we’re going to want to make sure Zach gets a lot of good work, make sure Cade gets some good work and make sure Anthony has a good volume of options and plays,” said Rocco.

Spruill out

On the other hand, the injury news wasn’t as good for running back Khoury Spruill, who injured a foot/ankle against Albany. He’s expected to miss some time with the injury.

Spruill is second on the team with 130 yards on 33 carries. Just as importantly, he’s considered the best pass blocker among Delaware’s running backs.

Quincy Watson is among those who should get more playing time with Spruill sidelined. Watson has 70 yards on 13 carries.

Penn State transfer Joey Bruno and Marcus Yarns are also in the picture at running back.

Just for kicks

Ryan Coe has given the Hens something every football team wants — a reliable placekicker.

Coe has hit two field goals in each of Delaware’s first four games, going 8-for-8 on the season so far. After also getting four touchbacks on five kickoffs on Saturday, he was named the CAA Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday.

“That’s a weapon that is very real,” said Rocco. “I think we minimize it a little bit. When you look at the kicking game, I think sometimes we fail to understand that it’s those moments that really do create momentum.

“You never use the word ‘automatic.’ It’s silly to say that. But he’s consistent. And he’s creating options that are allowing you to make good decisions. That’s what you want to have.”

Big-play problem

With Albany hitting a 75-yard touchdown pass in the final four minutes on Saturday, Delaware has given up a scoring play of at least 59 yards in each of its four games this year.

Rocco said, on Saturday, the Blue Hen defender on the play just bit on a double move by the Great Dane receiver.

“We actually sent them out there with the instructions of, ‘Don’t bite on the double move,’” said Rocco. “I think the takeaway is, instead of saying that, say, ‘Get deep and stay square.’ That probably would have been a better way to get the result we would have wanted.”

Senior cornerback Nijuel Hill said Albany’s long TD pass came on the same play that South Dakota State used for a touchdown in the NCAA FCS semifinals last spring. The player who missed the coverage, though, wasn’t on the field at South Dakota State.

“It’s always a learning experience,” said Hill. “I know he’ll be there to make that play next time. One thing I love about our defense is that we’re a brotherhood. Our defensive coordinator, Coach (Manny) Rojas has complete faith in us.

“He doesn’t really care if we mess up, as long we mess up at full speed. And he knows we’re going to learn from our mistakes.”