Football Stings Hornets, 35-17 For Season-Opening Win

Thursday, August 28

Newark, Del.

7 PM

University of Delaware

1-0 , 0-0

Delaware State

0-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Delaware St.

Delaware

Photo by: Mikey Reeves

Football Stings Hornets, 35-17 For Season-Opening Win

8/28/2025 10:02:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware football team began its first season at the FBS level with a 35-17 win over the Delaware State Hornets Thursday night in Delaware Stadium. It marks the fourth-consecutive season that Delaware has started the year 1-0 under Ryan Carty. UD set a student-attendance record with 5,756 students packing the student section.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS

QB Nick Minicucci finished with 270 passing yards and three touchdown passes to go with 44 yards on the ground and another score. He set career marks in yards (270), completions (28), and attempts (36).
WR Kyre Duplessis scored his first touchdown as a Fightin' Blue Hen. The Coastal Carolina transfer tallied career-highs in catches (7) and yards (89) and a touchdown. He surpassed his all-purpose yards from the 2024 season (79) in tonight's contest (113).
WR Ja'Carree Kelly hauled in two receptions for 22 yards and one touchdown.
S Kahlil Ali recorded his first-career interception and touchdown in his first game as a Blue Hen.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Delaware State opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 40-yard field goal to jump in front 3-0.
Delaware answered with a six-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by an eight-yard rushing touchdown by Minicucci to make it 7-3 with 3:44 to go in the half.
The Hens closed the first half out with an eight-yard Minicucci touchdown pass to Duplessis to increase the lead to 14-3 with 33 ticks on the clock.
The Hornets cut the UD lead to 14-10 with 10:29 to go in the third quarter on a 23-yard touchdown run by QB Kaiden Bennett.
The Blue & Gold scored their third touchdown of the game on a nine-yard grab by Kelly to make it 21-10 with 7:15 to play in the third frame.
With Delaware State driving late in the third quarter, S KT Seay intercepted Bennett to halt the attack. It was the sixth pick of the junior's career.
With 10:44 left in the game, Ali intercepted a pass and took it 45-yards to the house for a pick-six to increase the lead to 28-10.
Delaware State RB Marquis GIllis cut the game to two scores with a 39-yard touchdown reception before UD WR Jake Thaw hauled in a 50-yard touchdown from Minicucci to make it a 35-17 final. The 50-yarder was the longest of his career.

GAME NOTES

Fifteen players played their first game as a Blue Hen: Ali, LB Meikhi Cuttino, Duplessis, RB Viron Ellison Jr., S AJ Graham, S Noah Jefferson, CB Jamarion Kolagbodi, P Brenden Lach, DE Noah Matthews, TE Scott Moore, WR Brandon Rehmann, DE Kaeden Singleton, RB Greg Spiller, OL Noah Rosahac, and TE Jackson Whitacre.
Five players made their first-collegiate start: Duplessis, OL Anthony Caccese, Rosahac, Thaw, and WR Sean Wilson. All three wide receivers that Delaware started made their first-career start.
Nine players played in their first-collegiate game: Cuttino, Graham, Jefferson, Kolagbodi, Moore, Singleton, Spiller, Rosahac, and Whitacre.

UP NEXT
The Fightin' Blue Hens will travel to Boulder, Colorado for a clash with the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, September 6 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will air nationally on FOX.

TICKET INFORMATION
Don't miss your chance to be part of the action at Delaware Stadium this fall. Get your single-game tickets for the 2025 Delaware home football season today!

Season tickets offer the best seats at the best price for every home game and come with great benefits, such as ticket priority for away games and invites to exclusive member-only events. Partial Plans offer fans flexible options and price savings over individual games.

For more information or to secure your seats, visit BlueHens.com/fbtickets.

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