Once again this fall, UD football was the hottest ticket in town, with Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium the place to be on Saturdays. For the third consecutive year, season tickets set a new record with 11,160 sold, and the Fightin’ Blue Hens opened the season with three consecutive home sellouts.

“We are very excited about the support we are receiving from our fans,” UD Director of Athletics Edgar Johnson says. “Setting a record each of the last three seasons shows that our football program is highly valued and appreciated by the public.”

Last year, attendance at The Tub averaged 22,177 per game, the second highest average in NCAA Division I-AA. Delaware is the only school in the division to average more than 20,000 fans for each regular home game over the last seven years.

On the field, the young and injury-depleted Hens struggled through the early portion of the season. After opening with a 30-7 victory over West Chester University, the Hens were upset 17-10 by the State University of New York at Albany.

After a disappointing 27-24 loss at Northeastern University in a game decided on a last-second field goal, the Hens defeated Hofstra University 10-6 at Homecoming, with former UD defensive coordinator Dave Cohen returning as head coach of the Pride. The season continued to be up and down, with the Hens falling 28-27 in the finale to Villanova University.

The Hens finished with a record of 5-6 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. It was UD’s last season in the conference, whose teams will shift to the Colonial Athletic Association.

A thin Hens defense was hurt by the loss of up-and-coming sophomore end Matt Marcorelle, out for the season with a dislocated shoulder suffered in the game against Albany, while the offense sputtered when All-America running back Omar Cuff was sidelined by injuries. During Cuff’s absence, wide receiver Kervin Michaud was switched to running back and ran alongside freshman Jared Bradley.

Directing the UD offense was quarterback Joe Flacco, in his first year as a starter after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh. Flacco completed 264 of 417 passes for 2,783 yards and seven touchdowns. Tight end Ben Patrick emerged as his favorite target, with 64 catches for 639 yards and six touchdowns.