Blue Hens coach calls this game a special time

Delaware football Coach K.C. Keeler wants his team to have a good time this week because they are entering a special time.

Eastern Washington University and the Delaware Blue Hens are two 12-2 teams playing this Friday night for the Division I-AA football title.

Keeler’s team will leave for Frisco, Tx on Tuesday.  He says against his initial better judgement he let his team go and relax through the holidays.  He did express confidence that his team will do well on Friday.  He says they have worked hard since August 5th to get to this point.  He told his team if they win they have “the distinction of being the 7th national champion from Delaware  and no one can take that away from them.”  He says it bonds you for ever.

Keeler says “this has been an 11 round fight.”  He says “his guys” won’t play any differently.  Keeler says they’ve been working on getting to this point by setting a certain game standard and there is no reason to change now.  He says Eastern Washington, which beat the Villanova Wildcats, is a big play team.  The Coach says as long at the team stays away from making mistakes they should be fine.

Senior offensive lineman Gino Gradkowski says it doesn’t matter that his Blue Hens have only seen Eastern Washington on film.  “The CAA is the best conference in the nation,” he says of the Colonial Athletic Conference in which U.D. plays.  “I’m ready to play. I’ll play if you want me to.”

Junior LB Andrew Harrison says “we know how important preparation is with the game.” He says his teamates who played in the 2007 championship game have been instrumental in keeping the younger players focused on the task at hand.

WHYY and First photographer Charlie O’Neill was at Monday’s media day.  Click the link to hear what Coach Keeler, Gradkowski and Harrison have to say.