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Delaware Welcomes Cornell To Town Saturday

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Delaware Blue Hens will be back home on Saturday to host the Cornell Big Red out of the Ivy League.

Delaware is 1-1 on the young season. Last week, the Blue Hens stepped up a level, visiting Virginia Tech and while they battled, they eventually lost to the Hokies, 27-0.

"I think in the venue in that we were in down there in Lane Stadium against the opponent that we played against in Virginia Tech, I thought our team showed an awful lot of fight, an awful lot of heart and a lot of character," Delaware head coach Danny Rocco tells KYW Newsradio. "And that was very encouraging for me as we continue to build here this year."

Delaware's defense held Virginia Tech to just 303 yards for the game. On offense, quarterback Joe Walker was 8 of 17 in the loss to the Hokies for 116 yards. He threw one interception.

While Saturday will be the third game of the season for the Blue Hens, it will be the season opener for Cornell. The Big Red went 4-6 in 2016 (2-5 in the Ivy League). Offense was the strength for Cornell last season as the Big Red averaged 23 points a game.

"They can throw and catch it very well," Rocco says. "Their quarterback (junior Dalton Banks) is very good. Had an outstanding season a year ago in the Ivy. And their running back (junior Chris Walker) is really good. So they have a really good tandem of skill players that are able to give them a chance to control the ball and put points on the board."

This will be the first-ever meeting on the football field between the Blue Hens and the Big Red.

Saturday's game will kickoff at 3:30pm.

You can follow Matt on Twitter @Mattleonkyw.

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