Delaware Football: Recapping the Fightin’ Blue Hens 2025 Season

For the Delaware Blue Hens football team, their debut season in the FBS was nothing but a great success. Under fourth-year head coach Ryan Carty, the Blue Hens finished over .500, and won the 68 Ventures Bowl against the Louisiana Rajin’ Cajuns. They exceeded the national media’s expectations, becoming the second team in FBS history to win a bowl game in their first season as a DI school, joining Jacksonville State as the only schools to record this achievement.

With that in mind, we’re going to see what led to such a tremendous season, and recap some of the biggest moments of 2025.

Delaware Football: 2025 Season in Review

The Early Season

The season started with a win, 35-17, against in-state rival Delaware State in the ‘Route One Rivalry’. Delaware maintained their undefeated record against the Hornets, now 12-0 all time in the series dating back to 2007. However, in the first quarter, starting quarterback Zach Marker was injured on a scramble. That injury would spell the end of his season before it could even really begin. In his place came Nick Minicucci, who helped lead the Delaware to victory.

Desean Jackson, Delaware State’s head coach, was not the only former NFL star to coach against the Blue Hens in 2025, as in the next game, it was Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes matched up against them. It was a crash back to reality for Delaware, as they fell 31-7 to Colorado. Despite the disappointing final result, Delaware only put up two fewer yards than the Buffaloes. And, Minicucci impressed in his first start after coming off the bench against Delaware State. He passed for 312 yards in the losing effort.

Following the defeat, it was back-to-back wins for Delaware. That included an overtime shootout against UConn, followed by a 22-point domination against FIU. Minicucci continued to impress, throwing four touchdowns over the two games to only one interception. On top of that, he added three rushing touchdowns against UConn, including the 13-yard game winner in overtime.

Midseason

After conference play began against FIU, it continued with two losses against Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State. Western Kentucky in particular was a real heartbreaker, as another three-rushing touchdown display from Minicucci was not enough. The Hilltoppers scored 17 unanswered in the third quarter, including a pick-six from WKU linebacker Koron Hayward. It was then, that a Cam Cook takeover undid the Blue Hens and dropped their conference record to 1-2 on the year. Yet, they wouldn’t give in just yet.

It was back to winning ways when Middle Tennessee came to the First State. Minicucci threw for four touchdowns, two each for Kyre Duplessis and Sean Wilson. Dubbed, “The Blackout Game“, Delaware held on and defeated the Blue Raiders 31-28.

However, that 2-2 record would not last for long, as Evan Dickens and Liberty ran all over the Blue Hen defense. Dickens rushed for 217 yards and four touchdowns as Liberty scored 59 points in the contest. Minicucci passed for 344 yards and two touchdowns, coming up short against their opponent.

Fighting for a Bowl Spot

After their loss to Liberty, Delaware snuck by Louisiana Tech thanks to kicker Nate Reed. Reed converted an onside kick, before drilling a 51-yard field goal with time winding down to give his team a 25-24 lead in front of the Blue Hen faithful. However the consistent inconsistencies remained, as again they would follow the win with a loss against Sam Houston State, despite yet another performance from Minicucci where he threw for over 300 yards.

However, unlike with other losses, Coach Carty could not reinvigorate his team to bounce back. In fact it was quite the opposite. Going into North Carolina to face Wake Forest, the Blue Hens would take their biggest loss of the season against the Demon Deacons, falling 52-14. Carlos Hernandez caught 197 yards, and paired it with two touchdowns as Wake Forest won their 3rd on the spin, a streak Delaware would not hit all season.

Clearly something clicked with the team though after that loss, as they would respond with the biggest win of their season. In a 61-31 contest in the last game of the regular season, at home against UTEP, to finish the year 4-4 in CUSA. The Delaware defense was everywhere, intercepting five passes, with Mysonne Pollard having two of them. That would prove to be the foundation for the offense to score three rushing touchdowns, alongside Minicucci throwing for three scores of his own.

The 68 Ventures Bowl

In Mobile, Alabama, the Delaware Blue Hens faced the Louisiana Rajin’ Cajuns for the honor to hoist the 68 Ventures Bowl. Running back Jo Silver came to life in the contest. He ran for 116 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown, and Delaware concluded its first year in the FBS as 20-13 victors. They also became the second team in FBS history to win a bowl game in their first season as a division one school, joining Jacksonville State.

In the end, the first year in the FBS can’t be labelled anything other than a success for the Delaware football team. And with Ryan Carty remaining another year as head coach, expectations are sure to take a leap in 2026.