| 2020Delaware 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 |
| Division | North Division |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 5 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 5 |
| Record | 7–1 (4–0 CAA) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Jared Ambrose (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Manny Rojas (1st season) |
| Base defense | 3–3–5 |
| Home stadium | Delaware Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4Delaware x$^ | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18Rhode Island † | 2 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16Villanova | 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. 3James Madison x^ | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15Richmond | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William & Mary | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elon | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2020 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented theUniversity of Delaware as a member of the North Division of theColonial Athletic Association (CAA) during the2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coachDanny 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 theNCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, the Fightin' Blue Hens beatSacred Heart in the first round andJacksonville State in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual national runner-up,South Dakota State, in the semifinals. The team played home games atDelaware Stadium inNewark, Delaware.
On July 17, 2020, the CAA announced that it would not play fall sports due to theCOVID-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.
Delaware originally had a game scheduled againstDelaware State (November 21), but it was canceled on July 16 due to theMid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)'s decision to cancel fall sports due to theCOVID-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. 20New Hampshire | No. 12 | FloFootball | Canceled | [5] | ||||
| March 27, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 18Rhode 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. | atDelaware State* | No. 8 | ESPN2 | W 34–14 | |||||
| April 17, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 10Villanova | 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. 8Jacksonville State* | No. 5 |
| ESPN3 | W 20–14 | ||||
| May 8, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 2South Dakota State* | No. 5 |
| ESPN | L 3–33 | ||||
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| 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) |
The University of Delaware's football game at New Hampshire on Saturday has been called off because of COVID-19 protocols at UNH