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The University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens defeated the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, 20-13, in the 68 Ventures Bowl, December 17, in Mobile, Alabama.
Louisiana quarterback Lunch Winfield gathered his team to the line of scrimmage in a hurry as time ticked down late in the fourth quarter. Delaware defensive end Noah Matthews tackled Winfield in bounds the play before, causing the scramble to the line. With no timeouts to stop the clock, Winfield managed to get everyone set. He spiked the ball with two seconds remaining in the game, setting up one final chance to tie or win the game from the UD seven yard line.
Following a timeout from the Delaware sideline, Winfield and the Louisiana offense lined up in the shotgun with three receivers near the right sideline, a running back to the quarterbacks right and a single receiver out to the left. Winfield received the snap and threw toward the middle of the endzone hoping to connect with fellow redshirt sophomore Caden Jensen running an in-breaking route from the three receiver set. Instead, the ball ricocheted off the tight end’s right forearm as Delaware safety KT Seay flew in to make the tackle, ensuring the ball would hit the ground and UD would leave Alabama with a winning season.
The Blue Hens became the second school in FBS history to win a bowl game in their first season of FBS football after defeating the Ragin’ Cajuns, 20-13, Wednesday night, in the 68 Ventures Bowl.
UD’s win in its first FBS postseason action brings its final record to 7-6 ending the program’s historic season with success. Head coach Ryan Carty donned a celebratory beaded necklace while celebrating the victory along with his team after the defense made the final play. Quarterback Nick Minicucci was the first person off the bench running to celebrate with the defense.
Minicucci was one of four Blue Hen players to win an award from the game. Minicucci took home the offensive MVP trophy. Nate Evans won the defensive MVP award and Nate Reed won the special teams MVP. Senior running back Jo Silver received the biggest honor, being named the game MVP.
Silver’s MVP award was well deserved after he finished the game with 116 rushing yards on only 14 carries and a touchdown that provided the spark for Delaware’s offense in the first quarter.
The touchdown came late in the first frame in a game that neither offense could get much going in the first half. Louisiana was able to get down the field, but were stopped twice in the red zone. The first stop resulted in a missed field goal and the second was the first of three turnovers for the Ragin’ Cajuns on a Evans’ interception in the endzone.
The Blue Hens started at their own 20-yard line following the turnover and ran four plays getting them to their own 39. On the fifth play, Minicucci handed the ball off to Silver, sending the New Jersey product streaking up the middle of the offensive line. Silver was barely touched, breaking through the first two levels of the defense and once he found open space there was no stopping him en route to a 61 yard score — the third longest run in the bowl game’s history.
Silver’s was the only touchdown scored in the first half. Louisiana knocked in a field goal on its first possession in the second quarter and Reed kicked one in for Delaware, giving the Blue Hens a seven point advantage at halftime.
Silver and the run game provided the spark for Delaware’s offense which throughout the season routinely relied on the passing game to supply the majority of the production. The Blue Hens finished the regular season as Conference USA’s leading passing attack, but ranked ninth in rushing offense. On Wednesday, the rushing attack fell just 18 yards shy of matching the passing game’s yardage.
The Blue Hens turned to the air coming out of halftime throwing the ball on all six plays of their first drive of the second half. Minicucci completed five of his six attempts amassing 70 yards and ending the drive by connecting with sophomore receiver Sean Wilson up the right seam for a 35-yard touchdown. Reed knocked in his second field goal on UD’s next drive, putting the Blue Hens up 17 with under seven minutes to go in the third quarter.
Delaware’s defense dominated throughout most of the game holding The Sun Belt’s seventh ranked offense at bay. The Blue Hens kept Louisiana scoreless for a little over 34 straight minutes before Tony Sterner converted on a 39-yard field goal late in the third quarter. Delaware attempted to answer with its own field goal on its ensuing drive, but Reed’s 52-yard attempt was blocked. The Ragin’ Cajuns used the good field position to drive 46 yards in ten plays scoring their lone touchdown of the evening on an eight yard completion to the LSU transfer Shelton Sampson Jr.
The Blue Hens defense stopped the scoring there and finished the bowl game with three takeaways, two sacks and five tackles for loss. Delaware stopped Louisiana on half of their redzone trips and held the offense to a 35 percent conversion rate on third down.
UD and fellow CUSA member Jacksonville State are the only teams in FBS history to win a bowl game in its first season as FBS schools. In a fun sports coincidence, the Ragin’ Cajuns were on the losing end of both historical wins.
The Blue Hens signed 19 high school athletes to join the ranks next year and with the transfer portal opening on January 2, 2026, and a bowl win under their belts the future could be bright for the University of Delaware football program.
