An old FCS rivalry will be renewed on Saturday as UConn football travels to Delaware for the first time since 1998.
The Blue Hens have held onto the last laugh for almost 27 years with that most recent matchup, a 59-17 road win at Memorial Stadium in Storrs, being the most lopsided result in the all-time series. It was the fifth consecutive victory for Delaware, which holds a 20-7 advantage head-to-head since the teams first met in 1951.
While UConn moved up to the FBS level in 2000, Delaware remained in the FCS in the Atlantic 10 and then the CAA, competing as a consistent FCS playoff contender. The Blue Hens made the playoffs five times in the last six years they were eligible and never won less than eight games under head coach Ryan Carty, who took over in 2022 and is ushering the program up to the FBS as they compete as a rookie member of Conference USA this fall.
Saturday’s game will be Delaware’s first all-FBS matchup at home after the Blue Hens beat FCS Delaware State (35-17) in their stadium to open the year and lost on the road at Colorado last week, 31-7.
“They are tough, they are physical, they are disciplined, they play with great effort, they’re stout,” said UConn head coach Jim Mora, who couldn’t have been more looking forward to moving past the Huskies’ overtime heartbreaker in another regional rivalry at Syracuse last Saturday.
“They’ve had a lot of success, they know how to win, they’re at home coming off of a difficult loss on the road at Colorado – which, when you watch the film, the score is not indicative of how they played the game.”
Delaware’s defense, which allowed 200 rushing yards to Delaware State and some monster chunk plays through the air against Colorado, presents somewhat similarly to UConn’s in its unconventional way of stunting and moving around before and after the snap. The Blue Hens also run a 3-3-5 scheme and use a defensive back as a “robber,” similar to the role D’Mon Brinson serves as the Huskies’ “dog” safety, which isn’t very common.
Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci, in action here vs. Colorado, has thrown for almost 600 yards and four touchdowns in two games. He has a favorite target in Jake Thaw, a wide receiver from Westport. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Offensively, Delaware has been a strong passing team behind quarterback Nick Minicucci, who is a junior in his third year with the program and has thrown for 582 yards and four touchdowns with a 63.9% completion rate through two games. Senior receiver Jake Thaw, a state native from Westport, is the Blue Hens’ top pass-catching threat with 11 receptions for 177 yards and a TD. Running back Jo Silver has averaged 4.8 yards per carry thus far.
“They’ve always been an outstanding FCS school and they’ve always had success. They’ve got continuity amongst their staff, they’ve always had tough, physical, tough-minded players that play with effort and discipline, and when you have that you have a chance to compete against people and beat people,” Mora said. “I don’t care that they just came up from FCS, it doesn’t matter. They’re a really good football team and that’s what you would expect out of them. Just tough, hard-nosed, gritty, work-hard kids and I respect the hell out of that.”
UConn’s Mel Brown crosses the goal line after running 45 yards for a first-half score at Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Courtesy of UConn)
Keys to the game
Can UConn’s defense rebound in the secondary? The Huskies held strong, overwhelming Syracuse on the defensive side of the ball through the first three and a half quarters on Saturday. But there were lapses in the secondary that the Orange took advantage of for big plays down the stretch and ultimately spoiled what would’ve otherwise been a significant power conference victory. Delaware is a team that will test the Huskies through the air. The Blue Hens threw for 317 yards against Colorado as they were held to just 84 yards on the ground. Keep an eye out for DBs Cam Chadwick, D’Mon Brinson and Devin Pringle. It is not clear whether safety Malachi McLean will be healthy enough to go after his Week One injury, but Tyrece Mills stood out while filling his place last week.
Pass protection. There haven’t been many issues so far with UConn’s offensive line, which had to replace three starters (two are in the NFL) in the offseason. But Delaware may be its toughest test yet with the amount of blitzes it will send at quarterback Joe Fagnano. The Blue Hens bring a swarm and had five sacks and 11 tackles for loss against Colorado. Like always, UConn’s offense will continue to rely on Cam Edwards and Mel Brown in its zone running scheme and should be capable of breaking a few against a Delaware unit that, so far, has the 106th-ranked rushing defense in the nation allowing 165 yards per game on the ground.
Play clean football, win the turnover battle. After a flag-filled start to the season against Central Connecticut State, UConn cut its number of penalties in half and only had four for 32 yards at Syracuse, though three of them came in the third quarter and contributed to the offense stalling. The Huskies haven’t yet turned the ball over on offense and forced two on defense last week, but have dropped a few interceptions in both games that they would’ve liked to take advantage of. Mora is confident that long snapper Zach Christinat can overcome his struggles on the punt unit after his snap miscues in both games so far.
UConn vs. Conference USA
UConn is 1-4 against opponents currently in Conference USA: 1-1 against FIU and 0-3 against Middle Tennessee, which it hasn’t played since 2021. The Huskies have two games against the C-USA this season in Delaware and at home against FIU in the first week of October. There are three future games against the league with 2027 matchups set against FIU, Liberty and Delaware in a return game.
What to know
Site: Delaware Stadium in Newark, Del.
Line: UConn by 8 1/2
Time: 3 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ – Scott Klatzkin, Fritz Steuber
Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield, Fox Sports 97.9
Online: The Varsity Network App – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman, Adam Giardino
Record: UConn: 1-1, Delaware: 1-1
Series: Delaware leads, 20-7.
Last meeting: Nov. 7, 1998 – Delaware 59, UConn 17 in Storrs
