Delaware focuses on initial CAA trip to Campbell after loss to Elon, drop in Top 25

The contrasts are extreme for Delaware’s last two regular-season football games.

The Blue Hens face a less imposing, first-time foe at a distant location before hosting their most familiar and troublesome rival.

But it’ll be first things first as Saturday’s visit to Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, demands Delaware’s full attention this week.

A 33-27 loss to Elon on Saturday at Delaware Stadium dropped the Blue Hens into a five-way tie for first place in the Coastal Athletic Association and was a vivid and painful reminder of the need to execute well and limit mistakes.

Delaware (7-2 overall, 5-1 CAA), which fell from fifth to eighth in this week’s FCS national Top 25 poll, will try to do both against new CAA member Campbell in the 1 p.m. kickoff at Barker-Lane Stadium.

“Every week from here on out is a CAA championship week, a playoff week, and you gotta prepare every week the same as you did before like it’s a playoff game,” Delaware safety Ty Davis said Monday.

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The Hens can then worry next week about their Nov. 18 bout with Villanova and its CAA title and FCS playoff ramifications.

“We’re only thinking of Campbell,” Delaware coach Ryan Carty said. “I can’t even think of anything else.”

Campbell is 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the CAA. In league games, the Camels have lost to William & Mary, Elon and Richmond and beaten Monmouth, Hampton and Maine.

“Obviously,” Carty added, “our focus is solely on this next game. It’s the only one that matters, because it’s the next one and because it’s extremely important.

“We’re going down on the road, first plane ride of the year. We’re doing things that we haven’t done and we have to go play a really talented team. I hope there’s no problem being focused.”

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Delaware will try to fix what failed it Saturday against Elon, which enjoyed a 3-0 edge in takeaways, kicked four field goals and outgained Delaware 414-386 keyed by several long pass plays.

“I actually liked our energy the whole game,” Delaware tight end Braden Brose said. “I liked that we fought throughout the whole game. I just feel like Elon executed better than us Saturday. Even though we didn’t execute well we still had a chance to win at the end. That shows how good of a team we are and how good we could be.”

Campbell has completed passes at a higher rate than any CAA team. Improving that pass defense, as Elon averaged 20.7 yards per completion with 39-, 70 and 29-yard touchdowns, will be key for Delaware.

“We kinda had some mishaps in the back end,” Davis said, “some deep bombs that we let up. We’re just kinda working on communication, ironing out the kinks and just getting our game plan, our scheme down through all the safeties.”

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Ryan O’Connor completed 23 of 48 passes for 315 yards and a touchdown, had his first career rushing TD but also was intercepted once and had a critical late fumble.

Carty said Delaware didn’t know who would play quarterback last week until Friday afternoon with Zach Marker, who started the previous two weeks, hurt and O’Connor coming off an injury that kept him out two games.

“Hopefully that’ll happen a little bit cleaner this week, but I don’t see it clearing up for a while probably,” Carty said when asked if Marker could play this week.

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