Good evening, and please lower your voices. This is a library. Kidding. Shout all you like. I'm Hen Lofland, short for Henrietta, and I spend my days at a circulation desk in Newark and my nights thinking about the buck sweep. I believe every good argument needs a footnote, every good season needs a second chapter, and every good Tuesday night needs the Blue Hens on television.
This Tuesday, we get exactly that. But first, I owe you an honest book report on last week.
Part 1: A Page-Turner With a Sad Last Chapter
Delaware lost 33-30 at Middle Tennessee last Tuesday night. I won't pretend otherwise. We're 2-4 and 0-2 in Conference USA.
But oh, what a story it was. Tucker Smack opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal. Middle Tennessee answered with a field goal and a safety and took a 12-3 lead early in the second quarter. Then Kaderris Roberts ran one in from 11 yards. And with 24 seconds left in the half, George Mullins intercepted Roman Gagliano, per AP. Then Bryson Graves threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Bell. Yes, our quarterback caught a touchdown. Shelve that one under "Plot Twists."
Bell played the whole night in place of Nick Minicucci, who AP says missed his second straight game. Bell went 22 of 36 for 306 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He hit Josh Humes for a 33-yard score in the third quarter, and his 23-yard touchdown pass to Kaderris Roberts gave Delaware a 30-26 lead with 9:57 left. Donovan Lewis caught six passes for 83 yards. Gavin Moul made 10 tackles, with 1.5 tackles for loss.
Then Middle Tennessee went 93 yards in 10 plays, and Gagliano threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Neo Clifton with 3:06 to go. That was the final chapter.
Here's my librarian's note in the margin. The two teams were nearly even in yards, 396 to 391, per ESPN's box score. But Delaware ran for 70 yards on 30 carries and was flagged 13 times for 101 yards. We lost by three. You can find those three points in the penalty column. We'll fix our citations and try again.
Part 2: The Bears Come to Newark
Tuesday, 7 p.m. Eastern, ESPNU, Missouri State at Delaware.
First, a kind word for our guests. Missouri State has some good pages in its book this year. Isaiah Myers has 554 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 27 catches. Henry Belin IV threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns against Kennesaw State last Wednesday, and Myers caught both. Then Yousef Obeid kicked a field goal as time expired to win it 24-21. AP called it the Bears' first win over an FBS team under coach Casey Woods. Congratulations. Truly. I'd put that one on the "New Arrivals" shelf.
Now, the reference desk is open, and I've pulled AP's preview.
Missouri State's defense ranks 127th in FBS, allowing 430.8 yards a game. Its pass defense ranks 120th, at 254.3 yards a game, and its run defense ranks 108th, at 176.5. It allows 30.5 points a game, which ranks 116th. And opponents convert 44.4% of third downs against the Bears, which ranks 120th. That isn't a defense. That's a library with no late fees. Everybody just walks right out with whatever they want.
Meanwhile, Delaware's passing game ranks 29th in FBS, at 271.0 yards a game. Sean Wilson has 25 catches for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Our run game ranks 135th, at 94.0 yards, which my wing-T heart has read with great sorrow. But against a run defense ranked 108th, this may be the week the buck sweep gets checked out again.
And the Bears' road record has some overdue notices. Missouri State lost 50-0 at Texas A&M, 34-24 at SMU and 34-13 at Western Kentucky. It's 0-3 away from Springfield. Its red zone offense ranks 106th in FBS, scoring on 80.0% of trips. Delaware's red zone defense ranks 55th.
I'll be honest about our side, because librarians don't hide books. Our pass defense ranks 125th, allowing 259.2 yards a game, so Myers is the chapter I'm worried about. Blake Matthews has 4.5 sacks, and he'll need to visit whoever plays quarterback for the Bears early and often. AP's preview lists Skyler Locklear as their season passing leader, and Belin threw for 300 last week. Our home record is 2-1, with wins over Merrimack, 42-7, and Coastal Carolina, 22-14.
And this is a first edition. CollegeFootballData.com lists no previous meeting between these programs. So let's write the first page properly.
Tales From Two Towns
Newark. Wikipedia says Newark was founded in 1694 by Scots-Irish and Welsh settlers and got its charter from King George II in 1758. A grammar school moved here in 1765 and became the Newark Academy, and three of its early graduates signed the Declaration of Independence. We had a school turning out founders before there was a country. Tradition holds that the Battle of Cooch's Bridge, just outside town, was the first time the Stars and Stripes flew in battle. The Curtis Paper Mill was the oldest paper mill in the United States until it closed in 1997, which is the most librarian sentence I've ever written. And Newark is a center of figure skating, with national, world and Olympic champions who trained at the University of Delaware's club.
Then there's our name. Wikipedia says one story of the Blue Hen goes back to the Revolutionary War, when Captain Jonathan Caldwell's company, recruited mostly in Kent County, carried blue game chickens with a fearsome reputation. The Blue Hen became Delaware's state bird in 1939, and the university still keeps a small flock. We are, quite literally, the birds of a revolution.
And Delaware Stadium? It opened on Nov. 15, 1952, with a 13-12 win over Lafayette. On a typical home game day, per Wikipedia, the stadium becomes the fourth-largest city in the state. The field was named in 2002 for longtime coach Harold "Tubby" Raymond. Wikipedia says the wing-T, built on the run and deceptive fake handoffs, was the identity of Delaware football for nearly 50 years, and it credits Dave Nelson with bringing it and with bringing the winged helmet, designed by his old coach Fritz Crisler. Six national titles, too: 1946, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1979 and 2003. Rich Gannon and Joe Flacco played here. Check the card catalog, friends. It's full.
Springfield. Springfield, Missouri, is a pleasant city of 169,176 in the Ozarks, per Wikipedia. Its nicknames include "Queen City of the Ozarks" and "The Birthplace of Route 66." That's right: Springfield's claim to fame is a road out of Springfield. It's also the headquarters of Bass Pro Shops, so one of its best-known companies is devoted to helping people go somewhere else and sit quietly in a boat. And Wikipedia notes that Springfield is known for its own local variations of cashew chicken. I'm a Blue Hen, and frankly, I find that a little threatening. Newark had a paper mill making pages for centuries. Springfield made a chicken dish. I rest my case, quietly, because we're in a library.
Hen's Reading List for Tuesday
1. Fewer flags. Thirteen penalties is a whole overdue shelf. 2. Run the ball. A 108th-ranked run defense is an open invitation to the buck sweep. 3. Protect the secondary's homework. Keep a safety over Myers and make the Bears go the long way. 4. Get after the quarterback. Matthews, please pay a visit.
Tuesday night in Newark, under the lights. Bring your library card and your loudest voice. This is the one night I won't shush you.
My call: Delaware Blue Hens 29, Missouri State Bears 24.