Route 1 Rivalry between Delaware and DelState to get national TV treatment on ESPN
DOVER, Del. (BVM) — The spring football season has brought a myriad of new opportunities for FCS football programs across the country, including for Delaware’s two biggest institutions — the University of Delaware and Delaware State University. Taking advantage of the unique schedule, the two in-state schools already made a historic decision by having the Hornets host the Blue Hens for the first time in program history in the team’s “Route 1 Rivalry” game on April 10. That game also received a significant boost from broadcasters as well.
On March 25, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Hornets’ athletic conference, announced that the game would be nationally televised by ESPN on its ESPN2 channel. The game was originally scheduled to be shown live on ESPN3 and via tape delay on ESPNU, but will now jump to the live broadcast on one of the sports-entertainment giant’s biggest media platforms.
#MEACFB Delaware vs. @DSUHornets Football Game to be Televised on ESPN2 #IBackTheMEACAt50 #IBackTheMEAC https://t.co/6T6VJUmH2T
— Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) (@MEACSports) March 25, 2021
According to a press release by DSU Athletics, ESPN2 is considered the second outlet for ESPN’s mainstream sports coverage and is available to approximately 90 million television households in the United States. The game will allow the two Delaware-based school’s to duke it out in front of what will likely be the two teams’ largest audience of the season. According to UD Athletics, the game will mark the first time since the 2010 FCS National Championship Game that the Blue Hens will appear on one of ESPN’s main channels.
𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙄𝙣…
The #BlueHens trip to Dover on April 10 will air nationally on ESPN2 📺
📰 https://t.co/KwqifjF7oF#BleedBlue302 pic.twitter.com/2g6fqMrzfp
— Delaware Football (@Delaware_FB) March 25, 2021
The game will feature what is the premiere sports rivalry in the state of Delaware. Known as the “Route 1 Rivalry,” the two football teams have gone toe-to-toe on nine previous occasions beginning with their historic first contest in the 2007 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs at Delaware Stadium in Newark. The Blue Hens have hosted and been victorious on each occasion, going a perfect 9-0. Now, with the change of scenery, Hornets players will look to put an end to the streak when the Blue Hens come into Alumni Stadium.
Currently in the shortened spring season, the Blue Hens are ranked No. 8 in the FCS polls with a perfect 3-0 record and an impressive win over No. 18 University of Rhode Island on March 27. The Hornets, on the other hand, sit at 1-1 after falling in their last game to South Carolina State on March 13. Both teams are projected to play one more game before meeting on April 10 with the Blue Hens scheduled to host the University of Albany on April 3 and the Hornets set to visit Howard University in Washington, D.C. on the same day.
When these two teams meet however, records can be thrown out the window. With the increased media attention surrounding the matchup and a new environment playing host to the rivalry, the competition is expected to be fierce. For Delaware football fans, regardless of the outcome, having their state’s two Division I football teams playing each other on a national broadcast is a win in itself.
The game will be on ESPN 2 at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday, April 10.
