Seven Takeaways From The Battle With NDSU

Okay, fine, yes. No. 18 Delaware football lost to No. 1 North Dakota State Saturday afternoon. So have the last 23 teams that played the Bison. They've won seven out of the last eight FCS national championships, regularly beat FBS opponents, and churn out NFL quarterbacks like Carson Wentz.

Delaware football is certainly on the rise, seeking a second consecutive playoff appearance, and is already on top of the Colonial Athletic Association standings after a dramatic win at Rhode Island last weekend. And while the day may soon come that the Blue Hens are competing at the elite FCS level, it's probably unfair and unrealistic to compare the two programs in this exact moment.

But I don't want to talk about any of that. I would like to discuss the anatomy of a safety, one of football's rarest and most beautiful spectacles, and the glorious, shining moment where the Blue Hens held a 2-0 lead on the nation's best team.

North Dakota State started on its own 25-yard line after freshman kicker Ryan Coe, with Delaware Stadium buzzing with energy around him, booted the opening kickoff through the end zone. The first play from scrimmage, NDSU quarterback connected with Adam Cofield in the flat, where sophomore cornerback Justis Henley (the guy who made an interception in the end zone to seal Delaware's triple overtime win over Rhode Island on the Blue Hens' previous play from scrimmage this season) made a perfect open-field tackle. No gain.

Cofield gained four yards on a rush on second down to bring up 3rd and 6. That's when Delaware Stadium got loud. Loud enough that the Bison, the team that plays in the insanely loud FargoDome, a venue that deafens and disorients opponents, jumped before the snap for a false start penalty. 3rd and 11. Lance lofted a pass towards Josh Babicz along the right sideline, but sophomore safety Kedrick Whitehead was there to slap the ball away, forcing the Bison to punt.

The Blue Hens overloaded the A-gap, and as Garret Wegner's foot connected with the ball, redshirt sophomore Luke Frederick burst through the line, effectively punching the ball and reversing its trajectory 20 yards through the back of the end zone and tallying one of football's most wonderfully weird score lines: 2-0.

Stray Observations

A pair of the First State's native sons provided some bright spots offensively. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Nolan Henderson completed nine of 12 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, while redshirt freshman running back Will Knight ran for a career-high 115 yards and caught three passes for 46 yards.
Henderson's ability to make plays out of the pocket with his feet continues to nicely complement the traditional pocket-passing presence of redshirt senior Pat Kehoe. North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz noted in the postgame press conference that having to prepare for both styles provides an extra set of headaches for defenses.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Chichi Amachi made a splendid diving catch for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. As Henderson rolled out to his left around midfield, he launched a throw to the near corner of the end zone. Amachi, having gotten separation from his marker, dove to reel in the ball, and managed to touch a knee down in the end zone before falling out of bounds.
For the second week in a row, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Thyrick Pitts completed a throw for a 2-point conversion. Against Rhode Island, it was the Philly Special to Kehoe. Against NDSU, he found Amachi in the back of the end zone on the same play.
Junior wide receiver Gene Coleman II and Henderson recorded the first touchdowns of their respective careers on the same play to start the fourth quarter, topping off a 91-yard drive with a seven-yard passing touchdown.
At the end of the week, Delaware will still be at the top of the CAA standings with a 1-0 record in conference play.

Players Mentioned

Chichi Amachi

Ryan Coe

Gene Coleman II

Luke Frederick

Nolan Henderson

Justis Henley

Pat Kehoe

Will Knight

Kedrick Whitehead Jr.

University of Delaware Athletics