5 takeaways as Delaware defense struggles in loss at Kennesaw State

KENNESAW, Georgia – The Blue Hens walked off the field at Fifth Third Stadium on Nov. 7 full of regret. A back-and-forth battle with Kennesaw State had ultimately gone the Owls’ way. They prevailed 42-40 when Delaware missed a 2-point conversion after scoring with 24 seconds left and the hosts recovered an onside kick. To Delaware, it never should have come to that. The Hens had opportunities to extend leads they held and prevent Kennesaw State from gaining many of the advantages it had. But all that mattered at the end was who won and who lost, with Delaware guilty of the latter while falling to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in Conference USA games. Five takeaways from the game: Defense has to be better Kennesaw State’s uptempo offense gave Delaware fits, especially early. The Owls scored on seven of nine possessions from midway through the first period until early in the fourth quarter while building a lead Delaware could not overcome despite a couple interceptions. The Hens were not surprised as Delaware coach Ryan Carty had spoken highly of the Owls' firepower, which continued when starter Rickie Collins got hurt on a touchdown run and gave way to backup Landon Varnes, a JUCO transfer. KSU was 11-for-21 on third downs and 2-for-2 converting fourth downs, which keyed their success. So did the balance provided by a running attack that averaged 4.4 yards per carry and featured Boogie Woods III’s 90 yards on 15 carries. The Owls’ 446 total yards slightly exceeded the worst-in-CUSA average of 437.8 Delaware has allowed in its five league games. The Blue Hens continue to be susceptible to explosive pass plays. Go figure Delaware had more total yards (493-446), fewer penalty yards (50-129) and fewer turnovers (1-2) than Kennesaw State. But the Owls had Davis Bryson’s 99-yard return for a TD on the opening kickoff, which propelled them to the win. Nick Minicucci piles up numbers again Quarterback Nick Minicucci’s 35 completions – on 54 passes – were a career high and the fourth most ever by a Blue Hen. Delaware averaged just 2.7 yards per rush and needed to throw more, especially while trying to come from behind in the second half. Minicucci threw for 408 yards and two TDs and is the only Blue Hen with back-to-back 400-yard games. He also moved past Billy Vergantino into third place on the UD career passing yards list with 6,867 behind only Matt Nagy (8,214) and Joe Flacco (7,046). Tucker Smack’s kick among best ever His longest field goal of the year had been 40 yards. His longest had been 37 yards during his three seasons at Salisbury before transferring to Delaware this year. But Carty didn’t hesitate in calling on Tucker Smack to try a 54-yarder, which he nailed to close the second quarter. It tied for the second longest in UD history. Frank Raggo’s 55-yarder against James Madison in  2017 is the school record. “He’s done it in practice around that [distance],” Ryan Carty said. “I just looked him in the eye and said ‘You got it?’ He said ‘I think I can do it.’ ” Smack also kicked a 36-yard field goal in the second half and made a tackle on a kickoff. Bowl still possible Delaware wanted more out of this season than bowl eligibility, which is bestowed with six wins. The Hens, despite this being just their second FBS season, had league championship hopes that are now dashed. They need to win two of the remaining three to avoid a losing season. It’s been quite apparent that there are no easy games in CUSA, so Delaware has work to do in its remaining bouts at home with FIU, at New Mexico State and home against Jacksonville State. “Just come back better next week,” center and captain Steven Demboski said, “and just take advantage of what we did wrong and look at it on film and come back better and stronger.” 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.