By the Chinese calendar, this is the Year of the Rooster, and University of Delaware fans hope that is a good omen for the 2005 football season as the Fightin’ Blue Hens seek a rare “three-peat” as Atlantic 10 Conference champions.

The Fightin’ Blue Hens have graduated a number of key players, including All-American defensive back Sidney Haugabrook and popular middle linebacker Mondoe Davis, but the team will return enough of a nucleus from the 2004 Atlantic 10 co-champions to spur optimism among the faithful.

Returning will be a large contingent of skilled offensive players, including senior quarterback Sonny Riccio, sophomore running back sensation Omar Cuff and senior wide receivers David Boler and Brian Ingram.

Tempering that is the fact that the Hens will be counting on a number of very young players. “Our last recruiting class is going to have to help us this year,” UD Head Coach K.C. Keeler says. “The good news is, the talent is there. The bad news is, we are going to be very young at some positions.”

The goal this year and every year is to win an NCAA Division I-AA national championship, Keeler says, a feat the Hens accomplished in 2003.

“Every year, we talk about being the best team in the country. That’s what this program is built on,” Keeler says. “It would be great to ‘three-peat’ as conference champions. It has been a long time since that has been done. If we do that, we will be in the playoffs, and once you are in the playoffs, anyone can win it.”

Of the 2005 Hens, Keeler says he has a great deal of confidence in the offensive backfield, particularly in Riccio and Cuff.

“I was really excited with what Sonny accomplished last year,” Keeler says of the University of Missouri transfer who guided the 9-4 Hens to the NCAA quarterfinals, where they fell to the College of William and Mary. “He’s a very talented young man.”

Riccio bore an enormous amount of pressure in following Andy Hall, a sixth round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles, and in helping UD defend its national championship, Keeler says.

“For all that we asked Sonny to do, he had an amazing year,” Keeler says. Riccio completed 259 of 443 passes for 2,698 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also ran for 315 yards on 129 carries and scored four touchdowns.

A revelation last season was running back Cuff, who came into the program as a defensive back recruit and did not get his first start until the ninth game of the season, still gaining 673 yards on 154 carries with eight touchdowns. Cuff’s debut as a starter came against eventual national champion James Madison University, a 20-13 loss in which he carried the ball 34 times for 162 yards.

Keeler says Cuff was shifted from defense to offense on the recommendation of UD’s defensive coaching staff, which believed he had outstanding potential. They were right, and Keeler says the back “keeps on getting better and better.”

“I will be disappointed if he is not the best back in the league this year, and he will be, too,” Keeler says.

Cuff will be joined in the backfield by junior Niquan Lee, who led the team with nine rushing touchdowns, and newcomer Danny Jones, a graduate of the St. Joseph’s Prep program that earlier sent to UD quarterback Rich Gannon, who became the 2002 National Football League Most Valuable Player with the Oakland Raiders.

The UD receiving corps will be an interesting mix of proven seniors and promising freshmen, Keeler says. Returning are seniors Boler, who caught 65 passes for 903 yards last season; Ingram, who Keeler says has had a strong showing through winter workouts and spring practice; and “Mr. Steady” Joey Bleymaier, who had 32 catches for 350 yards and four touchdowns.

Joining the talented trio will be newcomers Armand Cauthen from Douglasville, Ga., and Kervin Michaud from Levittown, Pa. Both have exceptional speed, and Keeler says they “have a chance to really impact this team.”

Two major questions for Keeler entering the 2005 season are the offensive line and safety. He is comfortable with sophomore Mike Byrne, who earned playing time as a freshman, at center. He also believes senior Brian Sims and sophomore Rich Beverly, who will move from guard to tackle, will prove sound.

He expects a three-way battle for the other two line positions among sophomores Mark Ciavirella, Greg Benson and Marco Kristen, the Hens’ first recruit from Germany.

The defensive line will be anchored by first team All-American candidate Tom Parks, a senior tackle who last season had 48 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Also returning are Lou Samba, Richard Washington, Bubba Jespersen and Jeremy Kametz. Vying for playing time are younger players Stephen Purkey, Jim Casertano and Manuel Marshall.

Keeler says he is pleased with the development of the linebackers, who will be anchored by senior John Mulhern. The coach says the third-year starter is “the rock” of the group.

Mulhern will be joined by junior KeiAndre Hepburn, Demetrice Alexander and Marquez Davis, the brother of Mondoe Davis. “Their potential is really exciting,” Keeler says. “Those guys have tremendous speed on the field. We are trying to become a speed defense, and they are the epitome of what we are trying to do.”

Rashaad Woodard, Roger Brown, Zach Thomas and Fred Andrew are among the leading candidates at cornerback.

The real concern in the defensive backfield is safety, where veteran Kyle Campbell returns at one spot, and Keeler says he is hoping someone will emerge to play alongside him.

On special teams, the Hens will use Woodard and Cauthen as kick returners as they try to replace a premier returner in Haugabrook, who Keeler believes has a shot in the NFL. Last season, Woodard returned 15 kicks for 373 yards.

Keeler says he has confidence in returning punter Mike Weber, who averaged 37.2 yards last season, and will be counting on freshman recruit Zach Hobby of Oldsmar, Fla., to step in and handle the place kicking duties.

When the Hens begin fall practice in August, Keeler says the focus will be squarely on the opener against Lehigh University at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 10, on Raymond Field in Delaware Stadium.

“Lehigh will be a huge game and a tough home opener,” Keeler says.

In the Atlantic 10, Keeler says two teams—the University of Massachusetts and Hofstra University—have made “dramatic improvements” and will be factors in the chase for the conference title and berths in the playoffs.

Keeler also says he expects Villanova University to have a “very dangerous offense” because of quarterback Marvin Burroughs, who threw for 334 yards against the Hens last season.