Despite broken wrist, Delaware QB should face Duquesne on Saturday

The possibilities, as University of Delaware football coach K.C. Keeler considered them Saturday night, provided quite a jolt initially.

Quarterback Pat Devlin, likely the player the Blue Hens could least afford to lose, had continued playing in a 26-3 win over South Dakota State that afternoon after injuring his left (non-throwing) wrist.

Postgame X-rays indicated a fracture.

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“When you hear ‘broken wrist,’ it’s a little bit of a shot to the stomach,” Keeler said Monday.

Knowing “woe is us” is an inadequate game plan, Keeler quickly turned his attention to solutions.

“I took it as a great challenge of, ‘OK, we don’t have Pat, here are my options,’” he said. “Here’s some things I think we can do. … It’s what we do, so let’s be creative and, ‘How can we fix this thing and go out and play Delaware football?’”

More medical scrutiny Sunday, including a surgeon’s input, gave Keeler a better feeling. And on Monday, he said Devlin should be able to play Saturday when Delaware, 2-0 and now ranked No. 11 in Division I-AA, hosts Duquesne (2-0) at 6 p.m. at Delaware Stadium.

Devlin would likely do so wearing a cast or splint.

“There’s a break, but it looks stable and it looks like we’ll be able to manage this through,” Keeler said.

Nonetheless, backup Trevor Sasek will be prepared as if he may start “just because we need to be prudent that way,” Keeler said.

Sasek is a 6-foot-6, 205-pound redshirt freshman from Limerick, Pa., and Spring-Ford High. He has seen mop-up duty in both of Delaware’s games and thrown one pass, which was incomplete.

Devlin is rated among the top NFL prospects in the college crop. He is on the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given annually to college football’s top quarterback, and the Payton Award as Division I-AA’s best offensive player.

He played until Delaware had the win sewn up in the fourth quarter Saturday, completing 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. He was 3-for-8 in the second half.

The injury occurred as Devlin landed hard when he was hit while completing a pass on Delaware’s second series. He took 56 snaps afterward, but was restricted from under-center exchanges.

Devlin has completed 28 of 48 passes (58.3 percent) for 306 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in Delaware’s first two games. He’s in his second season as UD starter after transferring from Penn State.

Neither Devlin nor Sasek was available to the media Monday, according to UD.

“Trevor’s done really well,” Delaware junior center Rob McDowell said. “Trevor’s a smart kid. Really athletic. Got a cannon arm. He’s a gunslinger. He and Pat have different styles, but he can really wheel it.”
Hen scratch

The Hens made the second-biggest jump (five spots) in The Sports Network I-AA football poll. James Madison moved up nine spots to third after upsetting Virginia Tech. … Duquesne is a football-only member of the Northeast Conference, which this year sends its champion to the NCAA playoffs for the first time. The Dukes have beaten Bucknell 17-13 and Dayton 35-31. … Senior strong safety Anthony Bratton’s two first-quarter interceptions put Delaware in position for its first two touchdowns Saturday. He was named Colonial Athletic Association defensive player of the week on Monday. … Freshman tailback Andrew Pierce earned his second straight CAA rookie of the week award, rushing for 165 yards and becoming the first Blue Hen to get 100 yards on the ground in his first two games. … Pierce is the CAA’s leading rusher with 284 yards in two games. He is averaging 7.3 yards per carry. … Blue Hen Touchdown Club weekly MVPs were Bratton and junior defensive lineman Michael Atunrase on defense and Pierce on offense. Atunrase was in on seven tackles, including a sack and another for lost yardage.

Devlin has completed 28 of 48 passes (58.3 percent) for 306 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in Delaware’s first two games. He’s in his second season as UD starter after transferring from Penn State.

Neither Devlin nor Sasek was available to the media Monday, according to UD.

“Trevor’s done really well,” Delaware junior center Rob McDowell said. “Trevor’s a smart kid. Really athletic. Got a cannon arm. He’s a gunslinger. He and Pat have different styles, but he can really wheel it.”
Hen scratch

The Hens made the second-biggest jump (five spots) in The Sports Network I-AA football poll. James Madison moved up nine spots to third after upsetting Virginia Tech. … Duquesne is a football-only member of the Northeast Conference, which this year sends its champion to the NCAA playoffs for the first time. The Dukes have beaten Bucknell 17-13 and Dayton 35-31. … Senior strong safety Anthony Bratton’s two first-quarter interceptions put Delaware in position for its first two touchdowns Saturday. He was named Colonial Athletic Association defensive player of the week on Monday. … Freshman tailback Andrew Pierce earned his second straight CAA rookie of the week award, rushing for 165 yards and becoming the first Blue Hen to get 100 yards on the ground in his first two games. … Pierce is the CAA’s leading rusher with 284 yards in two games. He is averaging 7.3 yards per carry. … Blue Hen Touchdown Club weekly MVPs were Bratton and junior defensive lineman Michael Atunrase on defense and Pierce on offense. Atunrase was in on seven tackles, including a sack and another for lost yardage.

By Kevin Tresolini, The News Journal
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100914/SPORTS07/9140356/1066/SPORTS1431