2020 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team
| 2020 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football | |
|---|---|
 | |
CAA champion CAA North Division champion | |
NCAA Division I Semifinal, L 3–33 vs. South Dakota State | |
| Conference | Colonial Athletic Association |
| North Division | |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 5 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 5 |
| Record | 7–1 (4–0 CAA) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Jared Ambrose (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Manny Rojas (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Delaware Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Delaware x$^ | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Rhode Island † | 2 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Villanova | 2 | – | 2 | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maine | 2 | – | 2 | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stony Brook | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Albany † | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Hampshire † | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 James Madison x^ | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Richmond | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William & Mary | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elon | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2020 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as a member of the North Division of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Danny Rocco, the Fightin' Blue Hens compiled an overall record of 7–1 with a mark of 4–0 in conference play, winning the CAA and CAA North Division titles. Delaware advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, the Fightin' Blue Hens beat Sacred Heart in the first round and Jacksonville State in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual national runner-up, South Dakota State, in the semifinals. The team played home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.
On July 17, 2020, the CAA announced that it would not play fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the conference allowed the option for teams to play as independents for the 2020 season if they still wish to play in the fall,[1] the Blue Hens postponed their season until spring 2021.
Schedule
[edit]Delaware originally had a game scheduled against Delaware State (November 21), but it was canceled on July 16 due to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)'s decision to cancel fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The CAA released its spring conference schedule on October 27, 2020.[3]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 6, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. | Maine | No. 25 | FloFootball | W 37–0 | |||||
| March 13, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. | Stony Brook | No. 19 |
| FloFootball | W 31–3 | 1,800 | [4] | ||
| March 20, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 20 New Hampshire | No. 12 | FloFootball | Canceled | [5] | ||||
| March 27, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 18 Rhode Island | No. 11 | FloFootball | W 35–21 | |||||
| April 3, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. | Albany | No. 8 |
| FloFootball | Canceled | [6] | |||
| April 10, 2021 | 6:00 p.m. | at Delaware State* | No. 8 | ESPN2 | W 34–14 | |||||
| April 17, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 10 Villanova | No. 7 | FloFootball | W 27–20 | |||||
| April 24, 2021 | 7:00 p.m. | Sacred Heart* | No. 5 |
| ESPN3 | W 19–10 | ||||
| May 2, 2021 | 3:00 p.m. | at No. 8 Jacksonville State* | No. 5 |
| ESPN3 | W 20–14 | ||||
| May 8, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 2 South Dakota State* | No. 5 |
| ESPN | L 3–33 | ||||
| ||||||||||
Coaching staff
[edit]| Name | Position | Year | Alma mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Rocco | Head coach | 4th | Wake Forest (1984) |
| Jared Ambrose | Offensive coordinator | 4th | Shepherd (2007) |
| Bryan Stinespring | Assistant head coach/offensive line | 1st | James Madison (1985) |
| Levern Belin | Defensive line coach | 4th | Wake Forest (1991) |
| Holman Copeland | Cornerbacks coach | 2nd | Clarion (2006) |
| Jalen Kindle | Defensive assistant coach | 3rd | Delaware (2017) |
| Dave Legg | Outside Linebackers/special teams coordinator | 2nd | |
| Greg Meyer | Running backs coach | 3rd | Buffalo State (2009) |
| Bill Polin | Tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator | 4th | Colby (2000) |
| Alex Wood | Wide receivers coach | 3rd | Iowa (1978) |
| Tony Palmieri | Video coordinator | 4th | North Florida (2009) |
| Carl Kotz | Director of football operations | 4th | Clemson (2003) |
| Chris Stewart | Strength and conditioning | 4th | Western Carolina (1998) |
References
[edit]- ^ Singelais, Mark (July 16, 2020). "Reports: CAA football won't play this fall". Times Union. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "MEAC suspends all fall sports for indefinite period". ESPN.com. July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ Kelley, Kevin (October 27, 2020). "CAA releases Spring 2021 football schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ "2021 Delaware Spring Football" (PDF). University of Delaware. March 13, 2021. p. 6.
- ^ Tresolini, Kevin (March 17, 2021). "No football game Saturday for University of Delaware due to COVID-19". The News Journal.
The University of Delaware's football game at New Hampshire on Saturday has been called off because of COVID-19 protocols at UNH
- ^ "UAlbany Football Opts Out Of The Remainder Of The Season". Colonial Athletic Association. March 31, 2021.
- ^ "Delaware Blue Hens Schedule 2020". ESPN. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "2020 Football Schedule". Delaware Blue Hens. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "2020 Delaware Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020.