From its inaugural season in 2007 through the 2010 campaign, the Colonial Athletic Association collected two national championships and sent three different members to the National Championship Game over that stretch.

A contest pitting teams like James Madison against North Dakota — teams built around hard-hitting styles — comparison to a heavyweight boxing match might come to mind.

Delaware opened its spring 2021 FCS Playoffs faced with the subdivision’s leading ball-carrier, and the Fightin’ Blue Hens bent without breaking. In the quarterfinals, they’ll face another of the top rushers in the FCS and one of the most prolific overall offenses in college football.

Jawon Hamilton accomplished the next-to-impossible feat in James Madison’s 31-24 FCS Playoffs win over VMI of setting a record that will never be broken.

Autumn or spring, the James Madison offensive line faced filling some considerable gaps in the rotation no matter when the follow-up to the 2019 season occurred.

Seven, seven, nine and zero: These were the point totals the Delaware defense allowed in its four playoff games en route to the 2003 Div. I-AA National Championship.

Before last weekend’s Colonial Athletic Association game against Richmond, James Madison coach Curt Cignetti said he wasn’t sure if his defense had been tested during the spring season. He noted that to that point in the season the Dukes had played teams that were either lacking a high-powered offense or were without their No. 1 quarterback.

When describing his team’s offense, Delaware coach Danny Rocco likes to say the Blue Hens have a lot of tools in the toolbox. The most useful of those tools may be quarterback Nolan Henderson.