NEWARK, DE -- The University of Delaware football team took part in its second scrimmage of the pre-season Thursday afternoon, competing for nearly two hours before a crowd of about 250 at Delaware Stadium.

Following practice, Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler announced the selection of senior quarterback Ryan Carty, senior safety Kyle Campbell, and senior linebacker KeiAndre Hepburn as tri-captains for the 2006 season.

Keeler once again credited the offense for a solid performance Thursday. Junior Joe Flacco, who was selected as the team’s starter earlier this week, threw a long touchdown pass to Aaron Love to open the first possession. Other offensive highlights were a 40-yard touchdown pass from freshman backup Sean Scanlon to freshman Darin Henry, a 35-yard run by freshman running back Jared Bradley (at right; photo by Kevin Tucker), and a short touchdown run by Matt Ruggiero. Also highlighted the scrimmage were a two field goals by kicker Zach Hobby and a fumble recovery near the end zone by freshman Benard Makumbi.

“Once again, I was happy with the way we competed,” said Keeler following the scrimmage. “It’s difficult to gauge our defense because we played without Matt Marcorelle (hamstring injury) and Manny Marshall (hamstring) and didn’t get as much pressure as we’d like to see. But guys were flying around today and competed well. I was also happy with our special teams today. We still have a long way to go and need to clear some things up before we open up the season September 9. We are fortunate that we have gone through two scrimmages and really had no serious injuries. We feel good about that.

In addition to Marcorelle and Marshall, other players who did not see action due to injuries were tight end Ben Patrick (foot), wide receiver Blair Newman (hamstring), defensive tackle Rachid Stoury (hip), linebacker Tim Prindle (hamstring), and linebacker Rafig Gunthorpe (shoulder). Offensive linemen Mark Ciavirella (ankle) and Joel Holler (knee) suffered injuries during the scrimmage. Linebacker Chris Quinn will miss the next three months with a foot stress fracture.

In addition, Keeler also announced that senior safety Nicos Chavis will miss the entire season due a dislocated shoulder injury suffered late last week. Chavis, a three-year starter, will undergo his fourth shoulder injury within the next few weeks. The native of Social Circle, GA (Lakeside High School), appeared in 36 career games with 10 starts and recorded 45 tackles.

“It’s really a shame for Nicos,” said Keeler, who noted that true freshman Anthony Bratton could see increased action his absence. “It’s tough because he has had so many injuries during his career. Fortunately Nicos will graduate early and we wish him all the best.”

Keeler also announced that Carty (Somerville/Branchburg, NJ), Campbell (Harrison/Kennesaw, GA), and Hepburn (Chaminade-Madonna/Ft. Lauderdale, FL) have been selected by the team to serve as tri-captains this fall. The selection, which usually takes place in the spring, marked the latest announcement of the captains in school history. It also marks the first time since 1996 that more than two players will share the captain duties. Quarterback Leo Hamlett, offensive lineman Chris Kumpon, linebacker Geof Gardner, and safety Kenny Bailey shared captain duties in 1996.

“We really have a unique dynamic in our senior class so this was an interesting vote,” said Keeler of the selection process. “We really didn’t have a a number in mind but we wanted to find the best situation and these three rose above the crowd. We are happy with the way the vote came out. All three are bright kids who are not afraid to step up and motivate their teammates to get the job done. We will have great representation on both sides of the ball.”