The story up front was Nick Minicucci, Delaware's three-year starter who threw for 3,683 yards and 23 touchdowns a season ago and came in as one of the more proven arms in Conference USA. Merrimack countered with AJ Hariston Jr., who went 12-for-23 for 145 yards and got the Warriors' lone score across to Matthias Latham — with Bryce Goulet doing the heavy lifting as a receiver, hauling in 4 catches for 67 yards. It just wasn't enough offense to keep pace.
Merrimack arrived already searching for answers after dropping its season opener 34-7 at home to Rhode Island the week before, meaning this was the Warriors' first true road test of the year — and it went about as badly as the first game did. The number moved toward Delaware before kickoff, with the spread price shortening on the Blue Hens' side, and the market had this one pegged about right.
Delaware built the rout in stages: 7 in the first quarter, 14 more before the break for a 21-0 halftime cushion, then another 14 in the third to bury it for good. Merrimack's only points came in that third quarter, a token response that did nothing to change the shape of the game. By the time the fourth quarter arrived, Delaware was simply running clock with a 42-7 lead in hand.
For a Blue Hens team that ranked among the top 25 nationally in returning production heading into 2026, this was the kind of statement opener the program wanted after posting a winning debut in Conference USA a year ago. For Merrimack, it's now been outscored 76-14 through two games, and the offense is going to need a lot more than one third-quarter touchdown drive to turn that around.