Delaware’s first season as a Football Bowl Subdivision program will end on a postseason stage.
The Blue Hens accepted a bid to the 68 Ventures Bowl and will face Louisiana on Dec. 17 at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game kicks off at 8:30 p.m. EST and will be televised by ESPN.
Delaware finished its inaugural FBS regular season at 6-6, closing with a 61-31 win over Texas-El Paso on Nov. 29. Because first-year FBS programs are bowl-eligible only if there are not enough qualifying teams, the Blue Hens needed results elsewhere to fall their way.
Those results came when Alabama defeated five-win Auburn, creating an opening that sent Delaware to Mobile.
“It was different than any postgame I’ve had,” coach Ryan Carty said. “Usually you’re either frustrated or relieved and already thinking about the next opponent. This time, I could just enjoy it.”
Louisiana enters the bowl at 6-6 overall and 5-3 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin’ Cajuns have won four straight games to reach postseason play.
For Carty, the bowl assignment carries personal meaning beyond the program milestone.
“I grew up a coach’s son,” he said. “Bowl season was something my brothers and I lived for. To be part of it now is special.”
While the 68 Ventures Bowl marks Delaware’s first postseason appearance at the FBS level, postseason football is hardly new to the program. Prior to the creation of NCAA playoffs in 1973, the Blue Hens went 6-0 in bowl games, including a victory in the 1947 Cigar Bowl to cap an undefeated national small-college championship season.
Delaware also won four straight Boardwalk Bowls from 1968 to 1971 and later became a regular fixture in the FCS playoffs, qualifying 24 times between 1973 and 2003. The program was ineligible for postseason play in 2024 during its transition to the FBS.
Carty said the novelty of bowl preparation has energized the program.
“Our guys loved the FCS playoffs,” he said. “This is just something new. You can feel it around the building — the excitement, the pride. It’s different, and that’s what makes it special.”
About the Author
Dalton Tinklenberg is the Founder and Media Director of The Scouting Depot, where he leads comprehensive coverage of college and professional football. He is an active member of some of the most respected organizations in sports journalism, including the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), Maxwell Football Club, Online News Association (ONA), National Football Foundation (NFF), and the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE).
Before launching The Scouting Depot, Dalton worked with Blue HQ Media, where he covered major sporting events such as the Indianapolis 500, the College Football Playoff, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Through his professional affiliations and on-the-ground experience, Dalton combines deep knowledge of the game with recognized standards of storytelling, editorial excellence, and authenticity in sports coverage.
