Colorado Hands Delaware 31-7 Loss as Blue Hens Drop to 1-1 in First FBS Season

BOULDER, Colo.  — Delaware’s first road trip as an FBS program ended in defeat, as Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes rolled to a 31-7 win at Folsom Field on Saturday.

The Blue Hens (1-1) hung close in the first half behind a career-best 312 passing yards from quarterback Nick Minicucci, but Colorado’s speed and depth proved decisive after the break.

Delaware’s lone score came in the second quarter, when Minicucci connected with Jo Silver on a 13-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive. That trimmed the deficit to 10-7 with under a minute remaining before halftime. But the Buffaloes answered in just 36 seconds, pushing the lead back to double digits at the break.

Colorado (2-0) struck quickly in the third quarter on a 71-yard touchdown pass and never looked back, outgaining Delaware 398-396 in total yardage while forcing the game’s only turnover.

Despite the defeat, Delaware head coach Ryan Carty pointed to the experience as valuable:

“We knew this was going to be a major step up in competition. Our guys battled, and we had some big individual performances to build on. The key now is learning from this and turning the page quickly.”

Among those performances, Ja’Carree Kelly hauled in a career-high 83 receiving yards, and three Blue Hens defenders — Brandon Gorham, Kaeden Singleton, and Trace Scott III — recorded their first career sacks.

Delaware returns home next Saturday, September 13, to face UConn at Delaware Stadium in its first-ever FBS home contest. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Box Score

Colorado 31, Delaware 7
September 6, 2025 – Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.

First Quarter
COL – [9:45] Staub 9 run (Kick good) — Colorado 7-0

Second Quarter
COL – [7:12] J. Mata 28 FG — Colorado 10-0
UD– [0:45] Silver 13 pass from Minicucci (Bennett kick) — Colorado 10-7
COL – [0:09] H. Edwards 4 run (Kick good) — Colorado 17-7

Third Quarter
COL – [12:11] S. Brown 71 pass from Staub (Kick good) — Colorado 24-7

Fourth Quarter
COL – [8:33] Welch 10 run (Kick good) — Colorado 31-7

Team Statistics

Individual Leaders

• Passing: UD– Minicucci 23-38, 312 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT | COL – Staub 18-26, 268 yds, 1 TD

• Rushing: UD– Silver 7-47 | COL – Welch 14-72, 1 TD

• Receiving: UD– Kelly 5-83 | COL – Brown 4-102, 1 TD