Quick Hits (8/31)

Nothing of that much importance in the headlines for the Blue Hens today, so here are a few of the minor story lines of the day:

The Full Keeler Presser - at Navy

WDEL was at the press conference today and posted video of the full interview with Coach Keeler.  One big piece of news that was revealed in this video was that the starting quarterback knows who he is already.  Keeler had not only made his decision as to who will play, but had told both Sasek and Donnelly his decision.  It will be interesting to see if any of the on-site reporters can read the body language in the players to determine who Keeler has picked as his starter.  These are two players who have seen an equal number of first team action in preparation for this game, and you would think that the starter would receive more as the matchup approaches, but in this case, Keeler must keep things as 50/50 as possible to avoid revealing his choice before game-day.  Either way, I'll trust in Keeler for now, but I would love to ask him if the starter against Navy will be the starter for the year or if this is a game-by-game basis.

Continue on to grab the video link...

FCS Bracketology - Pt. 1

Last season's FCS Bracketology done by The Sports Network was a hit, because it was an attempt at predicting the finish line, not what the bracket would be if the playoffs began today.  Today was Craig Haley's first projection of the season. What follows is the link and analysis of Delaware's current projection.

Keeler Knows His QB

Martin Frank is a 76ers/NBA writer for the Delaware News Journal, but he also covers other sports too, including the Blue Hens.  Apparently he was able to get some information out of Coach Keeler at today's press conference and posted the twitter status you see above.  I believe it, and I believe it is going to be Sasek over Donnelly, just due to experience.  However, starting Donnelly if the two are really that close in skill, would be more beneficial because there is little footage of his play while Sasek has a good amount of playing time under his belt in relief of Devlin last year.  Either way, I will promise that it will not be a transfer for the first time in a long time. 

Keeler's Presser - at Navy

Coach Keeler's first press conference was pretty straight forward.  With the offensive threat that Navy has, there really is no way to simulate exactly what the defense will face come Saturday.  The other factor in all of this is the "Service" men that Coach mentioned (the practice squad's kinder title).  Some of these players have been fighting for spots in the starting roster and now have to adjust to their new role and get their head right to help out the rest of the team.  Coach also mentioned that the defensive players will be in full pads through Thursday due to all of the cut-blocking.  If the defense looks tired, this could end up being why.


I'll be honest.  Coach has me worrying about seeing a 76 on the scoreboard.  I really hope this is just the "give them no bulletin board material" logic and not "we might have no answer to this guy".  Either way, I'll be in attendance cheering on the Hens! Will you be there too?

Delaware Colors Day

I believe this is pretty self-explanatory.  This Friday, September 2nd, wear your Blue and Gold.  Yes, this is a corporate thing put together by Collegiate Licensing Company so you buy something new to wear on that day just as the semester gets started, but do you ever need an excuse to wear the colors?  No. So when you head to work, wear a Blue & Gold tie, a UD lapel pin, shirt, hat, whatever you already have in your closet.  It's that simple.

Here's the link to the UDaily article: College Colors Day 2011

The Price of a National Championship

When you see a team like Georgia State taking on Alabama, it's a money thing.  The big school is willing to pay the small school to come in and play them in order to generate revenue.  So then why does a program like Delaware, making more money playing home games than they would get against FBS teams, still schedule these matchups against the top division schools?  K.C. Keeler does not understand it either and he had put an end to it. Sort of.

CAA FB Teleconference (8/29)

Today marked the first CAA Football Teleconference of the year.  The 11 coaches of the toughest conference in the FCS take their questions in 10-minute segments and most of them had some good information to share, including our on K.C. Keeler.

Here are my thoughts on today's teleconference and VIDEO of Coach Keeler's segment:

6-for-6 vs. the FBS???

This weekend of college football features six CAA teams taking on teams from the FBS, including Delaware at Navy on Saturday.  Here's the full list of games:

• Villanova at Temple
• New Hampshire at Toledo
• James Madison at North Carolina
• William & Mary at Virginia
• Richmond at Duke
• Delaware at Navy

TheFightinHens.com put up the challenge of ranking these matchups in order of potential CAA victory.  Each one has it's own ups and downs, so here's my ranking:

15 Yards for High-Stepping

With the new season about to start, a few new tweaks were added to the NCAA Football Rule Book.  One is a rule borrowed from the NFL that involves penalties in the final minute of each half.  Teams will now be given the option of including a 10-second runoff with the penalty being assessed, or decline both the penalty and the runoff.  I've always loved this rule because a defensive penalty that stops the clock for a team that is down in the game will take time away from any potential comeback.  There is no way anyone can complain here, though I feel like it should begin at the two-minute warning so there's a better time boundary in place.  However, there are a few new rule tweaks that I have major questions about.

Hurricane Cahill

In all seriousness, I hope everyone stays safe through the brunt of the storm.  But when I think Delaware and hurricanes, the first thing that comes to mind is the game I lovingly call "Hurricane Cahill."

Sing it Out: A Challenge to the Fans

Every home football game at Delaware Stadium has the band play the same three songs (plus the other non-sense in there too): The National Anthem, The Fight Song, & The Alma Mater.  I personally like to sing the Star-Spangled Banner as the band plays, and everyone claps for the Fight Song, but no one is taking advantage of the greatest line in the Alma Mater.

This is my challenge to every Blue Hen in attendance at UD Football games this season: when the time comes at the end of the Alma Mater, I want you to scream that last line out with everyone else...

Alma Mater

"...We lift our voices now to sing

All hail to Delaware!"

I never liked the idea of a blog.  To me, it was always just someone who wanted a place to share their opinion and hope that someone out there cares enough to read what they type up from the comfort of their homes.  Then I met a friend who writes a sports blog (and get's paid for it).  The blog he writes and the other blogs on the main site turned out to be 100% legit.  Maybe their opinions aren't in line with my views, but the news features on these pages were impressive, creating a "best of the web" for their team with a little fan-dom mixed in.  However, there's one major flaw in this blog-o-sphere: no one is representing the Hens. I will.