2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
NCAA Division I-AA champion
A-10 co-champion
Lambert Cup winner
ECAC Team of the Year
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 1
Record15–1 (8–1 A-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorKirk Ciarrocca (2nd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorDave Cohen (2nd season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumDelaware Stadium
2003 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 +^   8 – 1     15 – 1  
No. 11 UMass +^   8 – 1     10 – 3  
No. 20 Northeastern   6 – 3     8 – 4  
No. 25 Villanova   5 – 4     7 – 4  
Maine   4 – 4     6 – 5  
William & Mary   4 – 4     5 – 5  
James Madison   4 – 5     6 – 6  
New Hampshire   3 – 6     5 – 7  
Rhode Island   3 – 6     4 – 8  
Hofstra   2 – 6     2 – 10  
Richmond   1 – 8     2 – 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team was an American football team that represented the University of Delaware as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their second year under head coach K. C. Keeler, the Fightin' Blue Hens compiled a 15–1 record (8–1 in conference games, outscored opponents by a total of 555 to 247, and tied with UMass for the A-10 championship. The Fightin' Blue Hens advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, where they defeated Southern Illinois in the first round, Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals, Wofford in the semifinals, and Colgate in the championship game.[1]

The team gained 3,322 rushing yards (207.6 yards per game) and 2,937 passing yards (183.6 yards per game). On defense, they gave up 1,829 rushing yards (114.3 yards per game) and 3,019 passing yards (188.7 yards per game).[1] The team's individual statistical leaders included:

  • Quarterback Andy Hall completed 234 of 378 passes (61.9%) for 2,764 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He tallied a season-high 283 passing yards against The Citadel.[1]
  • Running back Germaine Bennett set a Delaware record with 1,625 rushing yards on 323 carries (5.0 yards per carry) with 21 touchdowns. Bennett also led the team with 126 points scored. He rushed for a season-high 186 yards against Wofford.[1]
  • Wide receiver David Boler tallied 60 receptions for 716 yards and nine touchdowns. He had a season-high 121 receiving yards against New Hampshire.[1]
  • Middle linebacker Mondoe Davis led the team with 110 total tackles, including 54 solo tackles and 56 assists.[1]
  • Placekicker Brad Shushman completed 17 of 24 field goals and 64 of 67 extra points for a total of 115 points.[1]

The team played home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 67:00 pmThe Citadel*No. 14
W 41–720,612[2]
September 137:00 pmRichmondNo. 11
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
CN8W 44–1421,388[3]
September 207:00 pmWest Chester*No. 8
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (rivalry)
W 49–721,002[4]
September 2712:30 pmat HofstraNo. 7
CSTVW 24–143,228[5]
October 47:00 pmWilliam & MaryNo. 4
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (rivalry)
W 41–2720,485[6]
October 1112:00 pmat New HampshireNo. 4
CSNW 22–214,815[7]
October 1812:00 pmRhode IslandNo. 4
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
W 55–1020,795[8]
October 251:30 pmat Navy*No. 3
HDNetW 21–1734,982[9]
November 11:00 pmMaineNo. 2
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
W 24–21 OT22,057[10]
November 812:30 pmat NortheasternNo. 2
L 14–244,198[11]
November 1512:20 pmNo. 3 UMassNo. 6
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
TFNW 51–45 3OT21,804[12]
November 224:00 pmat No. 18 VillanovaNo. 3
CN8W 20–1712,253[13]
November 291:00 pmNo. 4 Southern Illinois*No. 3
CSTVW 48–714,572[14]
December 612:00 pmNo. 7 Northern Iowa*No. 3
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)
ESPN PlusW 37–711,881[15]
December 131:00 pmNo. 2 Wofford*No. 3
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)
ESPN2W 24–914,351[16]
December 197:00 pmvs. No. 6 Colgate*No. 3
ESPN2W 40–014,281[17]

[18][19]

Roster

2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
RB 2 Germaine Bennett Sr
WR 6 David Boler So
QB 10 Ryan Carty Fr
QB 12 Andy Hall Sr
WR 18 Joe Bleymaier So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 24 Mike Adams Sr
DB 4 Roger Brown So
LB 15 Mondoe Davis Jr
DB 47 Sidney Haugabrook Jr
C 69 Chris Edwards Jr
TE 88 Rick Lavelle Sr
DL 96 Shawn Johnson Sr
DL 90 Richard Washington Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "2003 Atlantic 10 Conference: Delaware". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  2. ^ Kevin Tresolini (September 7, 2003). "Hens Take It Easy: Delaware's offense nearly unstoppable against unranked Citadel". The News Journal. pp. D1, D7 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Kevin Tresolini (September 14, 2003). "Hens Romp To Win: Richmond errors help Delaware build early lead". The News Journal. pp. D1, D7 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Kevin Tresolini (September 21, 2003). "Mismatch: Delaware strikes early and often in routing Rams". The News Journal. pp. D1, D6 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Kevin Tresolini (September 28, 2003). "Hall's Dash Does It: Quarterback's record run through Hofstra keeps UD unbeaten". The News Journal. pp. D1, D6 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Kevin Tresolini (October 5, 2003). "On All Cyliners: Delaware offense continues to dominate in Atlantic 10 victory". The News Journal. pp. E1, E9 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Kevin Tresolini (October 12, 2025). "Blue Hens sneak away with a win". The News Journal. pp. D1, D9 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Kevin Tresolini (October 19, 2003). "Routing the Rams: Overwhelming offense, Rhode Island turnovers add up to easy win for UD". The News Journal. pp. D1, D6 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Hard Road To 8-0". The News Journal. October 26, 2003. pp. D1, D6 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Kevin Tresolini (November 2, 2003). "'An Amazing Win': Key block, field goal in overtime boost Blue Hens to 9-0". The News Journal. pp. A1, C1, C6 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Martin Frank (November 9, 2003). "Mistakes doom Delaware: Penalties, dropped passes sabotage UD's chance for unbeaten season". The News Journal. pp. D1, D11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Kevin Tresolini (November 16, 2003). "Hens Back on Track: Overtime thriller brings A-10 closer". The News Journal. pp. D1, D11 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Martin Frank (November 23, 2003). "UD Rallies For A-10 Title: Even injury can't slow these Hens". The News Journal. p. E1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Tresolini, Kevin (November 30, 2003). "Blue Hens advance in playoffs". The News Journal. p. A1. Retrieved December 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Kevin Tresolini (December 7, 2003). "UD Plows Ahead". Daily News Journal. pp. D1, D9 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Kevin Tresolini (December 14, 2003). "Hens In Title Game". Daily News Journal. pp. A1, A6 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Kevin Tresolini (December 20, 2003). "Blue Heaven: Delaware Routs Colgate, Wins First I-AA Crown". The News Journal (Wilmington, DE). pp. C1, C7 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Delaware Blue Hens Schedule 2003". ESPN. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  19. ^ "2003 Football Schedule". Delaware Blue Hens. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
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