No. 11/12 Football Travels to No. 2/2 Montana For Second-Round Matchup

NEWARK, Del. – The No. 11/12 University of Delaware football team is making its second-straight appearance in the FCS Championship Second Round as it travels to second-seeded Montana. Kickoff on Saturday is set for 9 p.m. ET at Montana's Washington-Grizzly Stadium and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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ABOUT THE HENS

Delaware is making its 19th trip to the FCS Championship and second-straight appearance in the second round. The Blue & Gold holds a 26-17 record in the playoffs, the sixth-most playoff wins all-time.
The Blue Hens are 9-3 on the season and sit at No. 11 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll and No. 12 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. It is the program's most wins in a season since 2010.
Marcus Yarns ranks second nationally with 18 total touchdowns, third with 15 rushing touchdowns and sixth with 6.80 yards per carry. His 15 rushing scores are the ninth-most in a single season in UD history.
Against Lafayette, linebacker Jackson Taylor surpassed 100 tackles for the season, marking his first time reaching the century mark in his decorated career.
Delaware's offense ranks 14th in scoring offense, averaging 32.7 ppg. in the top 20 nationally in both scoring and total offense, ranking 16th with 32.4 ppg and 19th with 422.0 ypg.
UD forced three fumbles against Lafayette and now ranks ninth in the country with 11 fumble recoveries and 23 total turnovers gained in 2023.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES

Montana is the No. 2 seed in the 2023 FCS Championship after finishing the regular season with a 10-1 overall record and comes into Saturday's game on a seven-game winning streak.
The offense is averaging 30.6 ppg and 393.7 ypg of total offense, including 193.6 yards on the ground. The defense is third in the country allowing just 14.5 ppg.
Clifton McDowell has completed 61 percent of his passes (95-155) for 1,307 yards and nine touchdowns while throwing just one interception. He also averages 51.4 rushing ypg and has scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Eli Gillman leads the rushing attack with 77.9 ypg and has 10 rushing scores, while Nick Ostmo has also scored seven rushing touchdowns and is near 50 rushing ypg.
Junior Bergen averages 57.6 receiving ypg and has caught four touchdown passes, while Aaron Fontes has a team-high five scoring grabs.
Braxton Hill leads the defense with 91 total tackles, while Riley Wilson has 12.0 TFL and 7.5 sacks. Trevin Gradney is tied for third in the country with five interceptions.

SERIES HISTORY

Delaware and Montana have met just one time before when UD came away with a thrilling 49-48 victory in Missoula in the first round of the 1993 playoffs.
In a wild, back-and-forth game, freshman quarterback Leo Hamlett connected on a 32-yard touchdown pass to Keita Malloy with 55 seconds left and Steve Leo's PAT provided the difference. Montana had missed a PAT attempt after a go-ahead kick return touchdown with 2:13 remaining.
Daryl Brown became Delaware's all-time leading rusher in the Montana game, running for 188 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns. Lanue Johnson, who also ran for 163 yards on 13 carries, scored on runs of three and 70 yards in a wild fourth quarter. The Blue Hens rushed for 474 yards total against the Grizzlies.

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No. 11/12 Football Travels to No. 2/2 Montana For Second-Round Matchup

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jackson Taylor

Marcus Yarns

University of Delaware Athletics

No. 11/12 Football Travels to No. 2/2 Montana For Second-Round Matchup

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jackson Taylor

Marcus Yarns

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