Delaware and first-time starting quarterback Nolan Henderson wasted no time getting on the board against Penn last Saturday at Delaware Stadium. Henderson connected with wideout Thyrick Pitts on a 29-yard strike a mere 2:29 into action to give the Blue Hens their first first-quarter offensive fireworks this season and a 7-0 lead.
However, the Quakers proved very soon after that they would not go away in their season opener. As the Delaware offense faltered throughout the remainder of the first half, it took an “all-hands-on-deck” effort from UD’s defense to slow Penn’s new-look, up-tempo attack. Among those leading the charge was 6-foot-3, 245-pound redshirt freshman linebacker Anthony Toro, who finished with five total tackles and a fumble recovery, earning Blue Hen Touchdown Club Defensive MVP honors. Toro also tipped a pass by Penn quarterback Nick Robinson that was intercepted by fellow linebacker Drew Nickles.
“He checked a lot of boxes in the stat category and the production,” Delaware defensive coordinator Chris Cosh said of Toro’s output. “But, you know what? You see it at practice. I’m not surprised at all because I’ve witnessed it here on the practice field. He gets better and better every day. He comes to work with the proper attitude, trying to get better. He saw the fruits of his labor come true right there on the football field for him, and we’re all proud of him.”
Toro, one of the latest in a long line of talented Blue Hens from DeMatha Catholic near Washington, D.C., credits his team’s preparation and the leadership of Sal Mauro, a redshirt junior and the starter at Toro’s “KAT” outside linebacker position, for his big game.
“We’ve prepared so hard every week,” Toro said. “I’ve been behind Sal, who’s a great role model. Just up-tempo practices have got me ready for this game. I think going into [the Penn game], I was more prepared than anything, which allowed me to play at my best.”
Toro set the tone early with a trio of solo tackles on Penn’s first two drives, two of which were stops for no gain. He then got a piece of Robinson’s pass near the line of scrimmage, which allowed Nickles to make the interception, thwarting a Quaker drive that had reached the Delaware 20-yard-line with 12:22 to go in the second quarter.
Late in the second quarter, Toro struck again, this time recovering a fumble forced by Noah Plack on a completion that would otherwise have given Penn a first down in Blue Hens territory and the positioning to extend its 14-7 lead before the half.
To come up with the football and rock Delaware’s shiny sideline turnover belt “was an indescribable moment,” Toro reflected.
Such momentum-swinging plays on the part of the defense, which Toro noted helped in fueling the offense’s gradual resurgence, continued to be pivotal in the second half. The Blue Hens opened the fourth quarter with an emphatic fourth-down stop of Penn at their own 43-yard-line, keeping the score knotted at 21-21. UD would later hold its ground and force a failed two-point conversion with 2:24 remaining in regulation. That stand preserved a 28-27 advantage, the eventual final score.
“We definitely started slow,” Toro commented in regards to falling behind 21-7 after the Quakers’ fast-paced opening drive of the second half. “We had a hard time scouting against them because they hadn’t played a game yet. Coming out in the second half, they got the first drive on us, but then we really got (our feet) under and we made some adjustments. We were able to get the tempo, get the momentum on our side, which really helped.”
Now, Delaware has little time to exhale from its heart-stopping escape act, as it travels to FBS Pittsburgh Saturday. The Panthers knocked off then-15th-ranked Central Florida at Heinz Field last week, handing the Knights their first regular-season loss since 2016 by a score of 35-34.
Toro sees the Hens as battle-tested, though, and equipped to handle whatever may come their way after a roller-coaster sequence that saw a triple-overtime win at Rhode Island, a humbling defeat to North Dakota State, and a nail-biter against a skilled and up-and-coming Penn squad.
“We’ve faced adversity, we’ve overcome adversity,” Toro said. “We’ve been put in almost every situation you could think of. Going into Pitt, I think we’re more ready than anything, especially for adversity that we’ll face. We’re just taking it day-by-day and playing it just like another game.”
For Blue Hens hailing from western Pennsylvania, however, Saturday’s contest in the Steel City will be decidedly unique.
“It’ll be a great homecoming for those guys,” Cosh said after estimating that “more than a handful” of Delaware’s players have family in the way of Pittsburgh.
After his standout showing against Penn, Toro looks to keep the ball rolling and assist in making his western Pennsylvania teammates’ homecoming a memorable one, and for all the right reasons.
