Delaware’s first objective on defense is to create chaos.
That can particularly be unleashed by the outside linebacker playing what the Blue Hens term the “bandit” position.
Blake Matthews has stolen the spotlight for the Blue Hens in his second year starting there in 2026.
“He's contributed a ton of havoc, I'll tell you that much,” Delaware football coach Ryan Carty said.
The Blue Hens (2-4, 0-2) will need all the mayhem they can muster when Missouri State (2-4, 1-1) visits Delaware Stadium Oct. 20.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and the Conference USA game airs nationally on ESPNU.
Blake Matthews relishes bandit duty
Matthews, in his third Delaware season after two years at Troy, will be as willing as anyone on the Blue Hens’ defense to stir up trouble.
“It's so fun to see his progression as a player and a person here,” Carty said of Matthews.
“He's really come into his own. He always had the talent to do it, and he was always one of the harder workers on our team and tougher guys on our team.”
The Blue Hens will need Matthews’ contributions more than ever versus the Bears. He’ll be one of 14 players who’ll be recognized before the game on Senior Day.
After losing its second straight CUSA game at Middle Tennessee 33-30 last week, Delaware is poised to plant itself in the bottom half of the standings with another league setback.
Matthews enters the Missouri State game tied for the CUSA lead in tackles for lost yardage with seven and tied for second in sacks with 4.5. Delaware’s 17 sacks lead the league.
“It's just repetition,” Matthews said of his success, which he also attributed to teammates and coaches. “Past two years, I've been a starter and so I've gotten a lot of reps. And the first year that I got here, I got a decent amount of reps.
“So as the game goes on, as the years go on, as many reps as you get, you're going to keep improving. You're going to see things that are thrown your way that maybe you didn't know what to do before. But as you get more comfortable, as you get older, you know how to handle those situations.”
Making a position 'your own'
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Matthews is from Villa Rica, Georgia, and played in every game for Delaware in 2024 backing up and frequently spelling Ty Davis.
He also regained confidence he’d lost while adjusting to what he termed “the speed, physicality, how big everyone was” at the college level at Troy.
Matthews stepped in as the starter last year after Davis transferred to Temple and became a key stopper in Delaware’s debut FBS-level season.
He pledged before this season, after improving his strength and quickness off the field, to make what he termed “game-changing plays.”
Matthews has done that, which is a necessity when playing the bandit spot, a hybrid position requiring multiple skills stopping the run, covering receivers and pressuring the quarterback.
“He’s gonna have a great season,” UD bandits coach Jarred Holley, a former All-Big East safety at Pitt, accurately predicted before the first game.
“It's just a matter of learning more football,” Carty said of Matthews’ emergence, “getting more experience, and then playing a position that's fairly unique, having that ability to kind of make it your own.”
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Blake Matthews brings havoc as Delaware seeks CUSA rebound vs. Bears