Injuries at QB head list of challenges for Blue Hens vs. Lafayette in FCS playoff
Postseason football looms for Delaware this week along with all its inherent challenges.
They are compounded for the Blue Hens by injuries at the most important position, quarterback.
Delaware, which fell from seventh to 11th this week in the FCS national Top 25 after its 35-7 loss to Villanova, hosts 20th-ranked Patriot League co-champ Lafayette (9-2) Saturday at 2 p.m. at Delaware Stadium (ESPN+).
The Leopards haven’t won in four previous FCS playoff games, including a 2014 bout at Delaware. The Blue Hens are 4-0 all-time in the postseason against Patriot League foes, highlighted by the 2003 national title rout of Colgate.
But Saturday’s game has potential perils for the Blue Hens, who are 13-25 in November the past 11 years, including these five:
QBs Ryan O'Connor, Zach Marker hurt
“It doesn’t look good,” Delaware coach Ryan Carty said when asked Monday if quarterback Ryan O’Connor might be available.
O’Connor, who has started nine of Delaware’s 11 games, was hurt on a second-quarter carry as he was going out of bounds. Carty described it only as a “lower body” injury. O’Connor missed the Hampton and Towson games with an injury termed “upper body” by Delaware.
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Zach Marker played well starting at quarterback against Hampton and Towson, but he has been sidelined twice this season with injuries involving his shoulder. He then suffered a season-ending leg injury in the second quarter against Villanova after replacing O’Connor when he was tackled while going out of bounds.
Nick Minicucci may start at QB
Freshman Nick Minicucci relieved Marker in the second half at Towson. He stepped in during the second quarter and played the rest of the game Saturday versus Villanova.
That means he could start Saturday when he’ll benefit from having a week of preparation with fellow starters. Minicucci did not have that advantage against Villanova as O’Connor and Marker had taken all the first- and second-team snaps in practice.
“He got thrown into a tough situation,” Carty said.
Minicucci, a sturdy 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds out of New Jersey power Don Bosco Prep, completed 9 of 21 passes for 55 yards with two interceptions, one touchdown and a sack. He rushed for 39 yards on eight carries, which includes the sack.
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“I think he played well under the circumstances,” Carty said. “… When you don’t take a rep in practice all week, and you shouldn’t. It’s not like that’s an oversight by us. There’s two quarterbacks that take reps in most practices. Maybe somebody does it differently but I never have and when both of them go down, that’s a tough one.”
Delaware also has true freshman Daniel Lipovski, who appeared in two games this year, and red-shirt freshman Noah Sanders, who has not played in a game.
“Those guys will get the chunk of reps that they need and the game plan will be built around them,” Carty said.
Offensive line changes
Guard Bradly Anyanwu, the Dover High grad, also had a season-ending injury against Villanova.
T.J. Thomas, the Delaware Military Academy product, has regularly rotated in with Anyanwu and Patrick Shupp, the other guard, so the all-important chemistry offensive lines relish should be intact.
That UD offensive front will have to play well based on the challenge it faces against Lafayette.
“The defensive front there at Lafayette, they're a good team and I feel like we're gonna have a good opportunity to put out a good show for them on Saturday,” Hens center Brock Gingrich said. “Definitely just having that chemistry as an offensive line, just communicating and making sure everybody's on the same page, that’s gonna be very important this week. “
These Leopards hunt
Lafayette is No. 5 nationally in FCS with 35 sacks and 13th with 80 tackles for lost yardage.
That effort is led by sixth-year linebacker Billy Shaeffer, who began to make his mark in 2019 when Delaware defensive coordinator Manny Rojas was in his one season in that same role at Lafayette under previous head coach John Garrett.
Shaeffer is third in FCS with 20½ tackles for lost yardage and tied for fifth with 10 sacks.
Lafayette no pushover
Lafayette has made a quick turnaround in two seasons under coach John Troxell, a former Leopards safety.
He was on the Lafayette staff when Delaware downed the Leopards 28-14 in that 2004 playoff. He then had a successful 16-year stint as head coach at Division III Franklin & Marshall before being hired to replace Garrett.
Lafayette (9-2) has its first winning record since 2009 and the nine wins are its most since 1981. A 38-35 victory over Holy Cross, a 2022 FCS quarterfinalist, gave it the NCAA playoff berth on a tie-breaker.
The Leopards’ losses were to Duke 42-7 and league foe Colgate 37-34 in overtime. They battered Lehigh 49-21 Saturday in the 159th game of college football’s most-played rivalry.
Running back Jamar Curtis’ 133.3 rushing yards per game are second in FCS.
“We just have to prepare very soundly because we're going to face a very sound offense,” Carty said.
Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? 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.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Nick Minicucci may be QB for Delaware Blue Hens vs. Lafayette in FCS
