Delaware football at Jacksonville State live updates: Blue Hens, Gamecocks on ESPN at 7

• The University of Delaware football team will face Jacksonville State on October 15 in a Conference USA matchup.
• Delaware is looking to rebound from a close loss to Western Kentucky where several mistakes proved costly.
• Delaware enters the game with the second-ranked offense in the conference, excelling in scoring and passing yards.

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 12^th 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

WKU REVIEW: Blue Hens played big-time football, even if it didn’t net win

TOUGH TEST: Jax State has made solid climb to CUSA, has nation’s top rusher

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.