Head coach: Ryan Carty, 4th season (26-11)

2024 season: 9-2, 6-2 Coastal Athletic Association

Series with CU: First meeting

Matchup with the Buffs: Saturday, Sept. 6, 1:30 p.m. (Fox) at Folsom Field in Boulder

5 Guys to Watch

TE Caleb Fauria: A former Buff who spent four years in Boulder (2020-23), Fauria had a breakout season last year for the Blue Hens. He was third-team All-CAA after making 10 starts and catching 12 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.

QBs Zach Marker and Nick Minicucci: Both started multiple games last year. Marker threw for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions, while Minicucci threw for 825 yards, 10 TDs and three interceptions and is more of a running threat.

LB Gavin Moul: Led the Blue Hens with 71 tackles last year and was second on the team with six tackles for loss. He also had two interceptions and six QB hurries and earned All-CAA honorable mention in his first year as a starter.

S KT Seay: Earned third-team All-CAA last year while posting 38 tackles, four interceptions and two pass breakups. He has started 21 of his 23 games at Delaware, posting 37 tackles and an interception in 2023.

WR Jake Thaw: He was second on the team with 41 receptions for 334 yards and five touchdowns. Thaw was also second-team All-CAA at punt returner (12.0 average on nine returns). He played four seasons (2020-23) at Michigan and was the Wolverines’ primary punt returner during their 2023 national title season.

Good to know

• CU was originally slated to play Houston on Sept. 6, as the start of a home-and-home nonconference set agreed upon in 2018. However, with Houston joining the Big 12 in 2023 and CU joining in 2024, that set was canceled. CU filled the open date with this matchup against Delaware.

• Fauria’s father, Christian, played tight end for CU in the early 1990s and was a third-team All-American and first-team All-Big Eight performer in 1994. A second-round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, Christian Fauria played 13 years in the NFL.

• Carty played quarterback at Delaware from 2002-06, and was a teammate of current Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco in his last two years. In 2006, Flacco was the starter and Carty was a team captain.

• Since Division I split into subdivisions in 1978, Delaware is 16-19 against FBS teams. Its most recent games against Power Four teams, however, were a 63-7 loss at Penn State on Sept. 9, 2023, and a 45-13 loss at Rutgers on Sept. 18, 2021.

• This will be the longest road trip for a regular season game in Delaware history. The Blue Hens have played just three games in their history west of Colorado: the 1974 Division II title game in Sacramento, Calif., and I-AA/FCS playoff games in Missoula, Mont., in 1993 and 2023.

Portal movement

The Blue Hens had just a few losses to the transfer portal, but a couple of big ones: linebacker Ty Davis (now at Temple) and edge Melkart Abou-Jaoude (North Carolina). Davis was Delaware’s third-leading tackler and Abou-Jaoude the top pass rusher. Delaware was able to add some depth with a few Power Four transfers: receiver Brandon Rehmann (West Virginia), edge Noah Matthews (Kentucky), safeties Kahlil Ali (Boston College) and Thomas Amankwaa (Rutgers), and offensive linemen Noah Rosahac (Syracuse).