Delaware repeatedly proved it was up to the task in its first Conference USA season at the Football Bowl Subdivision level in 2025.
The Blue Hens went 4-4 in the league, 7-6 overall and won a bowl game.
If there was any exception, it came in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Nov. 1.
Liberty lashed the Blue Hens 59-30 in the first meeting between the schools while piling up 561 total yards, including 217 rushing by Evan Dickens. A failed fake punt early in the game was among Delaware’s many mishaps.
“There were a lot of differences between the two teams that day,” Delaware coach Ryan Carty recalled this week. “Execution was the main one. We went out there and got our butts kicked, and there was really no way around it. All three phases and, in particular, in coaching. I thought we didn’t do a good enough job preparing.”
It’s no wonder that Delaware welcomes the coming rematch, as daunting as it can still be facing a foe such as Liberty, which is CUSA’s best-funded athletic operation.
The Blue Hens (2-2) and Flames (3-1) collide in the CUSA opener for both on Friday night, October 2, at Delaware Stadium. Kickoff is at 7.
It’s Parents and Family Weekend and the game is sold out, though tickets can likely be found on secondary sites. The game is also being televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.
“Obviously, that doesn’t score a point for them on Friday night,” Carty said of Liberty’s 2025 win, in which the Flames also benefitted from having 2½ weeks to prepare.
“And so, thank God, we don’t carry that over. We’d be foolish not to learn from it though, and the things that they did well offensively, in particular, because they do have a new defensive coordinator.”
Liberty didn’t win again last year while finishing 4-8, the last three defeats coming in overtime. This year they are coming off a 34-17 road win against Coastal Carolina a week after Delaware beat the same team at home 22-14.
Delaware is coming off a 42-3 loss at Virginia. Starting quarterback Nick Minicucci left that game in the second quarter with a knee injury and didn’t return.
Delaware has not revealed the extent of the injury nor Minicucci’s status. Braden Streeter has twice stepped in when Minicucci got hurt this year and would be the presumed replacement, though others could also appear.
Liberty is 77th and Delaware 108th in the ESPN College Football Power Index of the 138 teams in FBS.
“Learning from it was probably the biggest thing,” Delaware center Steven Demboski said of last year’s humbling defeat. “It happened last year, so like coach Carty said it’s a clean slate this year. So we’re not really thinking about last year. We watched the tape, we learned from it. So I think making corrections for this game is the biggest thing.”
The Flames are No.1 in CUSA in scoring offense (30.5 points per game) and rushing offense (189.8 yards per game). Nobody has more running plays per game in the league than Liberty. Cam Davis is third among CUSA rushers with 77.5 yards per game and is averaging 6.6 yards per carry.
But they also have a dual-threat quarterback in Wake Forest transfer DeShawn Purdie, who leads the league in pass efficiency with seven TDs and zero interceptions. His top target is Makai Jackson, a transfer who played in four early games last year at national champion Indiana and at Sacred Heart and Appalachian State before that.
Delaware’s defense welcomes the test, said bandit linebacker Blake Matthews.
“Whatever they come out there and try to do,” Matthews said. “Run the ball on us, pass the ball, spread us out. We’re going to be ready for whatever they do.”
Contact Kevin Tresolini at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Blue Hens relish Conference USA opener vs. Liberty despite 2025 rout