Contests of the sort that concluded Delaware's football season last year do not roll around often. They are generational events.
The Blue Hens' Division I-AA championship game was the kind that etches indelible wounds. And there were all the turning points to be hashed out over and over, the what-if moments that can never be retrieved, only replayed.
And like all such indigestible losses, the game produced a stranger whose name will not soon be forgottenBo Levi Mitchell. Like a villain from a novel.
Mitchell was the Eastern Washington quarterback who led the Eagles to 20 straight second-half points, which erased a 19-0 third-quarter Delaware lead and defeated the Hens on a cold night in the north Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas. To top off the frustration, an absurdly erroneous fourth-down spot on EWU's last TD drive extended the game when it might have been all but over.
It would have been Delaware's ninth national football title and second since it has been a member of the NCAA's D-IAA classification (the first being 2003). But it wasn't.
Now, the question is: Will the holdovers either use is as motivation or attempt to discard a loss that simply cannot be dismissed?
I've never had to experience anything like that in my life, head coach K.C. Keeler said. Getting back on the field is the only way I can move on.
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So, Delaware has chosen to try to trash it and move ahead rather than refer back. That has been Keeler's message throughout camp to a team with ample firepower to make another run at Frisco.
The Hens return seven preseason All-Americans topped by sophomore running back Andrew Pierce (1,655 yards last year in 15 games). He has what looks like a superb offensive line to run behind, including senior OLs Gino Gradkowski (West Virginia transfer and younger brother of NFL QB Bruce), Shea Allard, Rob McDowell and tight end Colin Naugle. The defense is less spectacular but still looks solid enough, led by senior defensive end Michael Atunrase.
The only big question is who will direct the team on the field in place of departed quarterback Pat Devlin (now with the Dolphins).
That man appears to be 6-6, 225-pound Trevor Sasek, the first non-transfer to start at QB for Keeler. Sasek did well in relief last year, particularly at James Madison when Devlin was knocked momentarily woozy in the Hens' first series and a cautious Delaware medical staff kept him out for the duration. Sasek engineered two drives including a late one to a winning field goal in a 13-10 win.
The Hens open Saturday at Navy, which will be a challenge for the defense as any option offense is. After that, games against West Chester and Delaware State should be an opportunity for Sasek to ease into a flow.
Delaware got an impact transfer midway in camp when Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) grad fullback Ryan Cobb decided to leave Virginia and enroll at UD as a walk-on. By last week, Keeler was emphatic that Cobb would play and contribute at tight end, even as early as Saturday's opener. Cobb seemed miscast as a fullback in Virginias offense. His dexterity and speed should allow him to develop into an integral part of the Hens' attack.
When Sasek is comfortable, Keeler hopes to get previous RB starter David Hayes some time and Pierce some rest. His workload was beastly last year (329 carries), especially for a young back.
Junior wideout Nihja White (6-2, 205) catches just about everything thrown his way and has good wheels. The Conestoga product is the son of Philadelphia financial executive Whitney White and is very bright.
The defense suffered a setback two weeks ago when projected starting outside linebacker Kyle Hunte ripped his ACL and was lost for the season. Hunte, a junior, played in 13 games last year. Ticketed for more playing time is prodigious Georgian true freshman Patrick Callaway who at just 5-10 and 205 is one of those kids made for this level.
The secondary lost all four starters, three of whom got shots in NFL camps. Certain to start is athletic sophomore cornerback Travis Hawkins, a Maryland transfer who doubles as a dangerous kick returner.
Fortunately, this is a season in which experienced quarterbacks are at a premium in the Colonial Athletic Association.
In that vein, Sasek's development could be a stick-out feature of this team, a catalyst to a return to Texas in Decemberand maybe catharsis.
David Jones is columnist for The Harrisburg Patriot-News. E-mail him at djones8681@verizon.net