Blue Hens blast Towson but get leapfrogged by pair in FCS Top 25, stay at No. 5

Delaware did not earn a promotion in the Football Championship Subdivision national rankings Monday, despite two teams ahead of the Blue Hens losing Saturday while Delaware was whipping Towson.

But it’s clear that No. 5-ranked Delaware has again ascended to the FCS elite as it pursues an 8^th regular-season win, something it hasn’t gotten since the 2010 NCAA runner-up season, this Saturday.

Elon, which whipped Delaware 27-7 last year in North Carolina, stands as a formidable obstacle in that quest, especially with Delaware’s two starting quarterbacks nursing injuries.

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Ryan O’Connor missed the last two games after starting the first six. Zach Marker started the last two, though he left Saturday’s game before halftime with an apparent shoulder injury after setting a UD record by completing his first 16 passes.

“We’re still not sure about any of our injuries to be honest with you,” Delaware coach Ryan Carty said Monday. “So we’re gonna feel it out during the week and we’re gonna play whoever’s ready. Whoever is healthy and ready, we’ll have him prepared to go out there and give Elon a fight.”

Elon (4-4 overall, 4-1 CAA) was open this past weekend, giving it an extra week to prep for the Blue Hens. Kick-off is at 1 p.m. Saturday at Delaware Stadium, where Elon has not won in two tries.

The Phoenix are one of four CAA teams with one loss in league games – Richmond, Villanova and Albany are the others -- and, therefore, could put themselves in title contention with a win at Delaware. Elon’s lone league loss was 21-0 against Villanova but it has beaten North Carolina A & T 27-3, Campbell 28-24, William & Mary 14-6 and Monmouth 28-26.

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“It really doesn’t matter who the quarterback is, whether it’s O’Connor or Marker,” Elon coach Tony Trisciani said. “They've got so many explosive skill players around him. They can throw it short and take it long. Almost half their yards receiving are yards after the catch so he’s got some talent to distribute the ball to.”

The two teams ahead of Delaware in last week’s Top 25 that lost Saturday were No. 2 Montana State 24-21 against No. 9 Idaho in the Big Sky Conference and No. 4 South Dakota 37-3 versus No. 1 South Dakota State in a Missouri Valley Football Conference collision.

Idaho leapfrogged to the No. 3 spot and Montana went from seventh to fourth after a 40-0 romp over winless Northern Colorado.

Delaware (7-1 overall, 5-0 CAA) will apparently have to do more to earn its own promotion. But with six straight wins they’ve certainly earned their national status.

“It’s fun to coach,” Carty said, “when you have guys that you know you can throw anything at them mentally and then, when they go out there and perform it, they can get it done and process fast and do all that stuff on Saturdays. So it’s been really fun to watch the way that we play together.”

Elon features Jalen Hampton, who ran for 136 yards on 32 carries against Delaware last year. The Virginia Tech transfer is averaging 84.3 rushing yards per game, fifth in the CAA, this year.

Delaware will again strive to have its preparation lead to a strong performance.

“They’re okay with doing the little things over and over again and not getting bored with them,” Carty said of his team, “because when it comes to winning late in the season, you really need to make sure that you don't take those things that feel monotonous and just be like ‘Well, they’ve worked out OK for the first eight weeks. I'm going to let it slide this week.’

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“That’s how you start to get a little bit complacent, maybe lose a game that you shouldn't down the stretch. So how do you continue to enjoy the process? Our guys really have kind of bought into our core values, our goals and our standards that we've set.”

Hen scratch

Colin Gallagher, a linebacker from Middletown South High in New Jersey, became Delaware’s seventh Class of 2024 high school recruit when he verbally committed Sunday. He joins Kaeden Singleton, DE/TE, Canon-McMillan (Canonsburg, Pa.); Braden Streeter, QB, Christ Presbyterian Academy (Nashville, Tenn.): Jackson Whitacre, DL/TE, Shore Regional (West Long Branch, N.J.); Greg Spiller, DB/WR, John Champe (Aldie, Va.); Nick Tyree, WR, Thomas Dale (Chester, Va.); and Tyler Burnham, OL, Red Bank Catholic (N.J.).

Marcus Yarns was CAA co-offensive player of the week after getting 168 all-purpose yards at Towson. He had a career-best 105 receiving yards, highlighted by a 75-yard catch and run for a touchdown on Delaware’s first play, and 63 rushing yards with four more TDs. The five TDs equal the second highest single-game total in school history, topped only by Omar Cuff’s seven at William & Mary in 2007.

Blue Hen Touchdown Club MVPs from the Towson game were tight end Braden Brose on offense, cornerback Tyron Herring on defense and kick-off taker Alex Schmoke on special teams. Wide receivers coach Terrence Archer will speak at Friday’s noon club luncheon at the Carpenter Center along with former Blue Hens All-American cornerback George Schmitt.

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com 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: Delaware Blue Hens blast Towson Tigers but leapfrogged in FCS Top 25