Delaware
Delaware football at Jacksonville State live updates: Blue Hens, Gamecocks on ESPN at 7
Delaware visits Jacksonville State football in Conference USA on ESPN
Blue Hens visit defending CUSA champs in mid-week game airing on ESPN
Twelve days after victory eluded the mistake-prone Blue Hens, they’ll try again to show they’re up to the task of Conference USA football the night of Oct. 15.
Delaware (3-2 overall, 1-1 CUSA) and Jacksonville State (3-3, 2-0) tangle at AmFirst Stadium in Alabama.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on ESPN. A Delaware win would leave Kennesaw State as the only CUSA team unbeaten in league play.
The Gamecocks are defending CUSA champions, having made a quick climb to the top in their second FBS-level season in 2024 after moving up from FCS.
Delaware, an FBS/CUSA rookie this year, is attempting to make a favorable first impression also.
The Hens did that in the 27-24 loss to highly regarded Western Kentucky Oct. 3 at Delaware Stadium but were doomed by an interception the Hilltoppers returned for a touchdown, a fumble on a potential TD run and a missed game-tying field goal.
“Not a person on our team went into that game wanting to do anything other than win that football game,” Delaware coach Ryan Carty said. “Being able to say that we went toe to toe with a team that’s been really good at this level, I guess if you asked me that preseason, I would have been very happy with where we were at that point.
“Leaving that field, that was not the feeling. It was we had the ability to win that game multiple times, and we didn’t put it away, and we didn’t get the job done.”
Another chance looms at Jacksonville State, where Delaware won a 2021 spring FCS quarterfinal playoff.
Under first-year coach Charles Kelly, the Gamecocks are No. 3 in the FBS averaging 279.5 rushing yards per game. TCU transfer Cam Cook leads the nation with 832 rushing yards and 138.7 per game.
Delaware arrives with some qualities of its own, including being No. 2 in the CUSA in scoring (29.6 points per game), total offense (424.4 ypg) and passing offense (278.6 ypg).
“They’ve been very good on both sides of the ball,” Kelly said of the Hens. “Offensively, they give you a lot of different formations, make you adjust to a lot of things. They execute very well. The quarterback plays very well. He’s very efficient. They have a good run game. They’re very good on the offensive line. They probably have the best tight ends that we’ve seen this year.”
Hen scratch
Middletown High grad and UD red-shirt sophomore Anwar O’neal is second among CUSA offensive tackles in overall offensive grade . . . Delaware is No. 1 in CUSA in return yardage on both kickoffs (26.8-yard average) and punts (20.3) . . . Mysonne Pollard’s 30.3-yard kick return average leads CUSA and is fourth nationally . . . Delaware has gone 3-and-out on just 8.2 percent of its possessions, the 12th best figure in FBS and No. 1 in CUSA . . . The Hens’ 2.61 points per possession is also best in the league . . . Delaware is 9-2 in night games under Carty . . . Hens are 21-0 under Carty when winning the turnover margin . . . Jacksonville State has won eight home games in a row . . . After the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the Gamecocks were the first team to reach bowls in their first two FBS years since Marshall in 1997 and 1998.
More on Blue Hens
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
Delaware
Local police departments earn state accreditation
The Delaware Police Officer Standards and Training Commission recently announced that the Dewey Beach Police Department and Rehoboth Beach Police Department have both earned state accreditation from the Delaware Police Accreditation Commission.
As part of the rigorous process, a team of DPAC assessors ensured all accreditation standards were met by completing comprehensive, on-site inspections of each agency, reviewing their policies and procedures for compliance, and conducting interviews with department members.
“This milestone represents a significant step forward for public safety in Delaware. The initial state accreditation of these police agencies reflects a strong commitment to professionalism, accountability and excellence in law enforcement. I commend each department for their dedication to serving their communities with integrity and for upholding the highest standards,” said Joshua Bushweller, Department of Safety and Homeland Security secretary and DPAC chair.
Delaware
DDA inducts three Delaware Century Farms – 47abc
Dover, Del. – Three farms, one from each of Delaware’s counties, were inducted into the Century Farm Program by the state Department of Agriculture on Thursday at the Delaware Agricultural Museum.
Each of the family farms has been owned and operated for at least a century. Each received a sign for their farms, an engraved plate and legislative tributes.
In addition to Secretary of Agriculture, Don Clifton, and Deputy Secretary Jimmy Kroon, state Senators David Wilson (R – District 18) and Kyra Hoffner (D – District 14) were also in attendance.
Wright Family Farms are located in Harrington in Kent County. In 1919, the farm was purchased by William Wright. Over a century later, William’s grandson, Ronald, is the owner and his great-grandson, Greg, said he hopes to continue the family legacy by buying the farm from his father.
Although the event celebrated each family for their hard work and resilience, it also highlighted the challenges farmers have to surmount to stay in business today, let alone for a hundred years.
“The price of equipment, the price of fertilizer, the price of seed, everything is just gone up,” Greg said. “So, you know, everything’s going up that we gotta purchase just to stay in business.”
Clifton, Kroon and Wilson also echoed difficulties in balancing the need to preserve agricultural land with the need to develop housing and sustainable energy projects like solar power.
“I know housing is very important, and we want people to always have good housing, but at some point, I think you’re going to saturate the area with more houses than you have food to feed these people,” Wilson said.
Kroon also said there are difficulties in keeping future generations motivated to stay in farming.
“When you think about it in the context of multi-generational farm families, there’s a real long-term challenge where a new generation may think twice about whether they want to keep farming if it’s always a struggle,” he said.
Clifton said farming has always been a challenging way of life, but it has been so since time immemorial.
“These families, their experience shows that they have an appreciation for the way of life and perseverance and that’s to be honored and emulated to the greatest extent possible,” he said.
Greg said he hopes to pass down the way of life so that his family legacy can live on for another hundred years, as well as for other families.
“A hundred years as the same family tilling the land, that’s, you know, that’s an honor right there,” Greg said. “And I hope that more farmers who are close to 100 years old will be doing the same thing. You know, keep it in the family.”
Delaware
Investigation underway after man’s body pulled from Delaware River
An investigation is underway after police said a man’s body was pulled from the Delaware River in South Philadelphia.
According to police, around 9 a.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, emergency responders pulled an unidentified man from the Delaware River, near the Navy Yard. Medic’s pronounced the man dead at 9:11 a.m.
Léelo en español aquí.
SkyForce10 flew above as police and other first responders were on the scene.
NBC10
NBC10
Police are working to determine the circumstances of the incident and identify the man.
This is a developing story; check back here for updates.
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