West Chester @ Delaware Game Thread

[93henfan]

West Chester Golden Rams (0-0, 0-0 PSAC, #22 AFCA Preseason Division II Coaches Poll) at
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens(0-0, 0-0 CAA, #16 Sports Network Preseason FCS Poll)

Thursday, September 2, 2010 - 7:00 p.m.

Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium (22,000), Newark, DE

Series History:
Series Record: Delaware leads 44-6-1
Last game: Delaware won 35-0 in 2009
First Meeting: Teams tied 7-7 in 1941 in Wilmington, DE
Last West Chester Win: West Chester won 21-20 at Delaware Stadium in 1992

Live Video: http://www.ums.udel.edu/udlive/

Live Stats: http://www.bluehens.com/sportsinfo/live ... /xlive.htm

Radio:
Delaware: http://www.wdsd.com/pages/bhensfootball.html
West Chester: http://www.redzonemedia.com/

Game Notes:
Delaware: will insert when available; 2009 Media Guide: http://www.bluehens.com/sportsinfo/foot ... guide.html
West Chester: will insert when available; 2010 Media Guide: http://www.wcupagoldenrams.com/document ... df?id=2039

Notes:
Delaware is 46-11 (.807) in home openers since Delaware Stadium opened in 1952 with the
Blue Hens having won five straight and 18 of their last 21 home debuts in the friendly confines
entering tonight’s West Chester game. Delaware is 7-1 in home openers under K.C. Keeler with
the lone loss a 24-21 setback to New Hampshire in 2004. Delaware will take on West Chester
in the home opener for the fifth straight season and for the 17th time in Delaware Stadium
history. The Hens are 14-2 in those 16 home openers vs. the Rams with the setbacks of
10-7 in 1956 and 35-27 in 1983. Delaware has now won five straight home openers.

[bandl]

West Chester beat UD as recently as the 1990's???

[93henfan]

West Chester beat UD as recently as the 1990's???

They were never pushovers until the last ten years or so. Thankfully, now that they are pushovers, it was announced that the series ends in 2012.

[ChickenMan]

This once was a pretty watchable series.. but it has been non-competitive for the past 15 years and the plug should have been pulled long ago. Ironically the reason for the non-competitiveness hasn't been that UD has reached new heights.. it's that the WCU program has seriously deemphasized.

[ChickenMan]

West Chester beat UD as recently as the 1990's???

1992.. the same year UD went to the semi's before losing @ Marshall.

[GannonFan]

West Chester beat UD as recently as the 1990's???

Yeah, interestingly enough, West Chester beat UD in 1992. That UD team went on to the playoffs that year and lost to Marshall in the national semifinals (and probably would've beaten Marshall had UD's starting QB not been stricken with the flu and forced to sit for half the game after puking for the first half). Actually, the time before that that West Chester beat UD was in 1988 - UD also went to the playoffs again that year, having won the Yankee Conference. So the last two losses to West Chester have yielded playoff teams for UD. Goes to show you, there are plenty of times that some DII teams are much better than some FCS teams. Of course, that was 18 years ago and the gulf between West Chester and Delaware has never been bigger. Hence why this series is over after the 2012 meeting.

[93henfan]

FWIW, here are the last 25 games in the series. 1996 looks to be the last year where West Chester was capable of putting up a fight:

2009 - UD 35-0
2008 - UD 48-20
2007 - UD 41-14
2006 - UD 30-7
2005 - UD 42-21
2004 - UD 24-6
2003 - UD 49-7
2002 - UD 31-10
2001 - No game due to 9/11
2000 - UD 84-0
1999 - UD 29-10
1998 - UD 42-21
1997 - UD 28-7
1996 - UD 24-17
1995 - UD 49-21
1994 - UD 58-55
1993 - UD 56-41
1992 - WCU 21-20
1991 - UD 28-0
1990 - UD 13-12
1989 - UD 41-21
1988 - WCU 33-13
1987 - UD 28-21
1986 - UD 33-31
1985 - UD 37-22

[bandl]

Defensive, aren't we?

[93henfan]

Defensive, aren't we?

Not really. I think everyone was pretty much stating the truth. Today's WCU is a far cry from where they were back in the early 90s. It was actually a non-laugher of a series back then.

I guess maybe we were defensive in so far as not wanting you to have the impression that a West Chester victory in '92 would have been the complete shocker that a West Chester victory this Thursday would be. Like ChickenMan said, WCU beat a Delaware team that lost to Marshall in the semis on their field. If we were to lose to WCU this year, we're dead in the water and there will be rebellion in the stadium.

[bandl]

Defensive, aren't we?

Not really. I think everyone was pretty much stating the truth. Today's WCU is a far cry from where they were back in the early 90s. It was actually a non-laugher of a series back then.

I guess maybe we were defensive in so far as not wanting you to have the impression that a West Chester victory in '92 would have been the complete shocker that a West Chester victory this Thursday would be. Like ChickenMan said, WCU beat a Delaware team that lost to Marshall in the semis on their field. If we were to lose to WCU this year, we're dead in the water and there will be rebellion in the stadium.

My initial impression was just that...I already knew they were a decent team way back then, but not so much anymore.

Fish in a barrel.....fish in a barrel....

[bluehenbillk]

OK, opposing fans close your ears, but WCU would've won the Yankee/A-10/CAA in 1992. They were that good & have declined ever since. The series is no longer worth playing, Thursday & then 2011 & 2012 and it's all over.

[clenz]

Will there be video of this game available online?

[93henfan]

OK, opposing fans close your ears, but WCU would've won the Yankee/A-10/CAA in 1992. They were that good & have declined ever since. The series is no longer worth playing, Thursday & then 2011 & 2012 and it's all over.

While perusing the West Chester media guide I noticed that Lee Woodall (LB, WCU 94) and Ralph Tamm (OL, WCU 88) were both members of the 49ers team that won Super Bowl XXIX. Tamm also won a Super Bowl ring with the Redskins. They had some solid players in the late 80s/early 90s.

[93henfan]

Will there be video of this game available online?

There should be, at the link I provided. The live video link got rave reviews from the out of town fans last year. I don't watch it because I'm always at the stadium for football games, but I watched a couple of the lax games this spring and the feed was phenomenal. All in-house cameras at Delaware Stadium are HD and it comes across well on the stream.

[clenz]

Will there be video of this game available online?

There should be, at the link I provided. The live video link got rave reviews from the out of town fans last year. I don't watch it because I'm always at the stadium for football games, but I watched a couple of the lax games this spring and the feed was phenomenal. All in-house cameras at Delaware Stadium are HD and it comes across well on the stream.

I should have added the word free. Is that link free or not?

[93henfan]

Is that link free or not?

Free.

[clenz]

Is that link free or not?

Free.

I now have something to do on Thursday night, assuming I'm not stuck helping run a training at work Thursday night

[93henfan]

Free.

I now have something to do on Thursday night, assuming I'm not stuck helping run a training at work Thursday night

Somebody on the GoHens board mentioned that the live feed can be synced up with the radio broadcast somehow. I don't know if they do that on the live feed or if you have to open both the video and radio links.

[AppStateAlumQC]

84-0 in 2000 ?!?

[ChickenMan]

84-0 in 2000 ?!?

How about 58-55 (no OT).. .. back in '94

[GannonFan]

I now have something to do on Thursday night, assuming I'm not stuck helping run a training at work Thursday night

Somebody on the GoHens board mentioned that the live feed can be synced up with the radio broadcast somehow. I don't know if they do that on the live feed or if you have to open both the video and radio links.

Apparently it's already synched up on the live feed, so nothing for anyone to have to do other than just clicking on the link.

I've never seen the live feed either, but I'll get my first taste of it for the SDSU game - with the silly 1PM start (hate early afternoon starts in September, it's still too hot - I sweated like a pig at the UD/DSU game last year) and with my kids having various sports committments in the morning, I'm stuck watching the game at home.

[GannonFan]

84-0 in 2000 ?!?

It was 78-0 with about 10 seconds to go and West Chester had driven it inside the UD 10 against 4th and 5th stringers and called timeout, trying to get one last shot at scoring. The ensuing play was intercepted and UD ran it back about 100 yards for the TD, and the final 84-0 score (I don't think they kicked the XP). It's safe to say that the rivalry being a credible contest was over by that time.

[00bluehen]

The live stream from UD is excellent and nicely synced up with the radio broadcast. It is entirely free.

I believe that 1996 game where WCUPA put up their best fight since '92 was one where we lost Eddie Conti and/or Brian Ginn to injury. Might have something to do with it. By far, this game is one where we've been snakebit with significant injuries to key players over the years.

[SunCoastBlueHen]

84-0 in 2000 ?!?

It was 78-0 with about 10 seconds to go and West Chester had driven it inside the UD 10 against 4th and 5th stringers and called timeout, trying to get one last shot at scoring. The ensuing play was intercepted and UD ran it back about 100 yards for the TD, and the final 84-0 score (I don't think they kicked the XP). It's safe to say that the rivalry being a credible contest was over by that time.

Didn't we actually drop a couple spots in the polls following that game?

[GannonFan]

The game in '86 was a doozy as well - Rich Gannon in his senior year almost single handidly kept UD in it against a superior West Chester team (and again, this was a UD team that would make the playoffs and win a game to boot!) and it came down to the last play of the game, UD down by 4, and the Hens win it on an option pitchout from Gannon to a RB, who just barely squeezed into the corner of the endzone as time expired - one helluva game.

Shame the series soured since the early/mid 90's - both my parents and my sister and her husband are West Chester grads (I even know the West Chester fight song by heart - actually it's one of the better fight songs in college football IMO) - always gave the game an interesting, family/rivalry perspective.