Blue Hen News
University of Delaware Football Earns Top 20 Ranking in Final NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Polls
Newark Post
January 11, 2012
The University of Delaware football squad, which narrowly missed a spot in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff field despite a 7-4 mark, earned top 20 rankings in the two final major national Top 25 polls announced earlier this week.
Delaware, which also posted a 5-3 mark in the rigorous Colonial Athletic Association and ended the season with a three-game win streak for head coach K.C. Keeler, was ranked No. 17 in The Sports Network Media poll and No. 20 in the FCS Coaches poll.
North Dakota State (14-1), which captured the NCAA national championship title this past Saturday with a 17-6 win over Sam Houston State (14-1), earned the No. 1 ranking in both polls, earning all 125 first place votes in the TSN poll and all 25 in the FCS Coaches poll. Sam Houston State was ranked No. 2 in both polls.
Delaware was among six CAA schools ranked in both final Top 25 polls, joining league champion Towson (9-3), Old Dominion (10-3), New Hampshire (8-4), Maine (9-4), and James Madison (8-5). Maine advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals while Towson, Old Dominion, New Hampshire, and James Madison all lost in the second round.
In The Sports Network poll, Montana was ranked third followed by Georgia Southern (11-3), Lehigh (11-2), Northern Iowa (10-3), Montana State (10-3), Maine, Towson, Old Dominion, New Hampshire, Appalachian State (8-4), Wofford (8-4), Central Arkansas (9-4), James Madison, Harvard (9-1), Delaware, Stony Brook (9-4), Norfolk State (9-3), Illinois State (7-4), Tennessee Tech (7-4), Jackson State (9-2), North Dakota (8-3), Eastern Kentucky (7-5), and Liberty (7-4).
In the FCS poll, Georgia Southern was third followed by Montana, Northern Iowa, Lehigh, Montana State, Maine, Towson, Old Dominion, Appalachian State, New Hampshire, Wofford, James Madison, Central Arkansas, Stony Brook, Harvard, Norfolk State, Tennessee Tech, Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Illinois State, Albany, Jackson State, and Liberty.
Delaware and Harvard were the only teams ranked in the Top 20 that did not advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Delaware, which returns 21 players with starting experience for 2012, will begin spring drills in March with the annual Blue-White Spring Scrimmage scheduled for Apr. 20 at Delaware Stadium.
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Flacco accepts criticism like a Man on a mission
Thursday - 1/12/2012
From: http://www.wtop.com
By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Joe Flacco is the only quarterback in NFL history to reach the playoffs in each of his first four years. He's 44-20 during the regular season with the Baltimore Ravens and 4-3 in the postseason.
Despite his success, Flacco has found it easier to dodge blitzing linebackers than fend off his critics.
Some say he's not mobile enough in the pocket. Some question his decision-making under pressure. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley took the bashing to another level, saying the Ravens won't win a Super Bowl with Flacco "in this lifetime."
Flacco smirks at all this. After all, he's one of only eight NFL starting quarterbacks still playing, and he intends to make the best of that situation Sunday when Baltimore (12-4) faces the Houston Texans (11-6) for the right to play in the AFC title game.
Asked Wednesday how it feels to generate such negative reviews, Flacco responded, "I don't care. We've won a lot of games around here. This is the second year in a row we won 12 games. At the end of the day, do you see the criticism sometimes and say, `What the (heck) are they talking about?' Yeah. But who cares?
"It all comes down to three games now. Win this one, win the next one, win the Super Bowl. Then what are they going to say? That's what we've got to do, that's what I've got to do. I'm not thinking of anything else."
Flacco, who turns 27 on Monday, didn't play at a big-time college. He has never been named to the Pro Bowl, never led the league in passes and has never been compared to many of the elite quarterbacks in the game today.
All he does is win, and that's OK with Ravens coach John Harbaugh. After being drafted out of the University of Delaware, Flacco started in Game 1 of his first season when Harbaugh was a rookie head coach. Together, the team has made Baltimore the only team in the league to reach the playoffs in each of the past four years.
"Joe Flacco, he's our quarterback. He's the Ravens quarterback. We think he's a great player, a great person," Harbaugh said. "And the best is yet to come. Joe is like every quarterback. You watch the curve and you watch him develop and grow. We've all had a front-row seat. You see the good, you see the not so good, like with any player. Joe's been overwhelmingly good, and he's only going to get better. I can't wait to see it. I'm looking forward to seeing it on Sunday."
The not so good? Flacco had a career-low 57.6 completion percentage this season and threw 12 interceptions, tying a career high. He also fumbled 11 times, losing six.
But the Ravens are back in the playoffs as AFC North champions, thanks in no small part to Flacco's game-ending, beat-the-clock, 92-yard drive in Pittsburgh on Nov. 6 that gave Baltimore a 23-20 victory and a sweep of the Steelers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore finished with the same record, but the Steelers entered as the No. 5 seed and were ousted last weekend while the Ravens enjoyed a bye.
"I think Joe has proven himself, especially after we faced Pittsburgh and he led us down the field," Ravens running back Ray Rice said. "I was involved in the offense, but that was solely Joe Flacco doing his thing. Him being calm, him being himself, I think that's really Joe. It's no surprise me and him are back in the playoffs, back in the hunt again, ready to fight what everybody's fighting for, and that's the Super Bowl."
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who has seen more than a dozen quarterbacks come and go since he arrived in 1996, believes Flacco can take Baltimore to a world championship.
"There's something about Joe I've liked from Day One," Lewis said. "You have to appreciate a young kid who comes out with that much talent, and now you see where his talent is going. Now he's more of a mentor, getting the offense to understand him. You see his composure and how he's settling in to really control this offense. Now where we are, why wouldn't it be Joe to lead us to a Super Bowl?"
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_rating_career.htm
NFL records:
First rookie quarterback to start all sixteen games and make the playoffs (along with Matt Ryan)
First rookie quarterback to win two playoff games
Most starts by a quarterback in first three seasons: 55
Most wins by a quarterback in first 60 consecutive starts: 40
First quarterback to start and win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons
Most combined regular and postseason wins in first three years as a quarterback: 36 (tied with Dan Marino)
Most playoff road wins: 4 (tied with Len Dawson, Roger Staubach, Jake Delhomme, and Mark Sanchez)
First NFL QB to ever lead their team to the playoffs in their first four seasons.
Ravens records:
· First all time in Ravens history for passing yards (10,081)
· First all time in Ravens history for passing touchdowns (60).
· First all time in Ravens history for game winning drives (11). Three this year
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Seven Home Games, August Opener Highlight 2012 University of Delaware
Football Schedule
December 23, 2011 - UD Sports Info
NEWARK, Del. -- Seven home games at Delaware Stadium, including three
straight non-league matchups to open the season, highlight the 2012
University of Delaware football schedule announced this week.
The Blue Hens will host seven games, including non-league meetings
against West Chester, Delaware State, and Bucknell and visits from
Colonial Athletic Association opponents Maine, Rhode Island, Towson, and
Villanova.
Maine advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
quarterfinals this past fall while Towson won the CAA title and advanced
to the NCAA Tournament.
Delaware’s four road games will include trips to CAA foes William &
Mary, New Hampshire, Old Dominion, and Richmond. New Hampshire and Old
Dominion both competed in the NCAA Tournament this past season.
Delaware is coming off a 2011 season that saw the Blue Hens post a 7-4
record and win its final three games of the season for head coach K.C.
Keeler. Delaware, which narrowly missed out on a second straight
NCAA Tournament bid, returns 21 players with starting experience,
including All-CAA selections in running back Andrew Pierce, wide
receiver Nihja White, linebacker Paul Worrilow, and cornerback and kick
returner Travis Hawkins.
The Blue Hens will open the season with three straight non-league home
games, squaring off against longtime foe West Chester on Thursday
night., Aug. 30, at 7:30 p.m. before taking on in-state rival Delaware
State on Saturday, Sept. 8, and Bucknell on Saturday, Sept. 15 for 3:30
p.m. starts. The Bucknell game will be the setting for annual Band Day
festivities.
Delaware will take on NCAA Division II foe West Chester for the final
time as the long-time rivalry, which dates back to 1941, comes to a
close. The Hens will then square off against Delaware State for the
third annual Route I Rivalry before taking on Patriot League foe
Bucknell for the first time since 1985.
Delaware will open its CAA slate Sept. 22 at William & Mary followed by
the Hens’ first visit to New Hampshire since 2007. The Hens will then
return home to host Maine on Oct. 6 for Parents & Family Weekend at 3:30
p.m.. Following a bye week on Oct. 13, Delaware will return to Delaware
Stadium to host Rhode Island at 3:30 p.m. for Homecoming on Oct. 20.
The Hens will visit Old Dominion for the first time ever in football on
Oct. 27, return home Nov. 3 to take on Towson for Hall of Fame Day at
3:30 p.m., and then visit Richmond on Nov. 10. Delaware will close out
the regular season Nov. 17 with the annual Battle of the Blue matchup
with Villanova at 3:30 p.m. in the 45th renewal of the Hens’ most
spirited and competitive rivalries.
Times of all games are tentative and could be altered due to television
schedules. Season and individual game ticket information for the seven
home games will be announced closer to the spring.
AGATE:
2012 University of Delaware Football Schedule:
Thursday, Aug. 30 - vs. West Chester, 7:30 p.m. (Season Opener)
Saturday, Sept. 8 - vs. Delaware State, 3:30 p.m. (Route 1 Rivalry)
Saturday, Sept. 15 - vs. Bucknell, 3:30 p.m. (Band Day)
Saturday, Sept. 22 - at *William & Mary, tba
Saturday, Sept. 29 - at *New Hampshire, tba
Saturday, Oct. 6 - vs. *Maine, 3:30 p.m. (Parents &Family Weekend)
Saturday, Oct. 20 - vs. *Rhode Island, 3:30 p.m. (Homecoming)
Saturday, Oct. 27 - at *Old Dominion, tba
Saturday, Nov. 3 - vs. *Towson (Hall of Fame Day), 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 10 - at *Richmond, tba
Saturday, Nov. 17 - vs. *Villanova (Battle of the Blue),
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Miami Dolphins activate rookie QB Pat Devlin
12/22/11 - from http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bcJ9x
Rookie quarterback Pat Devlin finally got called up to the active roster Tuesday after spending 15 weeks on the Dolphins' practice squad. They will use him if starter Matt Moore and back-up J.P. Losman become injured.
The Dolphins made room for Devlin by placing outside linebacker Koa Misi (shoulder) on injured reserve, ending his season.
Activating Devlin, who was drafted out of Delaware, assures that he will remain Dolphins' property this off-season. NFL rules let teams poach players from another club's practice squad and sign them to the 53-man roster. Tuesday's maneuver prevents a team from stealing Devlin in the final two weeks. This assures that he will at least go through their off-season program.
Moore's concussion two weeks ago against Philadelphia was another reason to add Devlin. He will make a pro-rated portion of the rookie minimum $375,000.
"We had an extra spot, Pat had been doing well in practice, and then the quarterback's been nicked up a little bit," Bowles said.
To fill Devlin's spot on the practice squad, the Dolphins signed rookie quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, a product of Sacramento State who has played in the Arena Football League and the United Football League since leaving college last December. He also spent time in the San Francisco 49ers' training camp.
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Gradkowski Named First Team The Sports Network All-American; Earns Third
National Citation of Post-Season
December 19, 2011 - UD SPORTS INFO DEPT.
PHILADELPHIA -- University of Delaware senior offensive guard Gino
Gradkowski (at right) earned his third national honor of the post-season
Monday when he was named to The Sports Network All-American first team.
The 6-4, 295 lb native of Pittsburgh, Pa. (Seton-LaSalle HS) has now
been honored on three All-American teams this fall, earning first team
honors by the American Football Coaches Association and second team
laurels from the Associated Press earlier this month.
He becomes the first UD player to be honored on The Sports Network
All-American first team since running back Omar Cuff and kicker Jon
Striefsky were honored following Delaware’s national runner-up season.
Gradkowski is the first Blue Hen offensive lineman to earn first team
TSN honors since Jason Nerys led the Hens to the national championship
in 2003. Delaware has placed at least one player on an All-American team
each of the last 10 seasons under head coach K.C. Keeler.
A national panel of sports information and media relations directors,
broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries selected the TSN All-America
teams based only on the regular season.
A three-year starter, Gradkowski was one of seven Colonial Athletic
Association student-athletes named to The Sports Network teams, joining
first team running back Terrance West of Towson, first team linebacker
Matt Evans of New Hampshire, first team defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron
of Old Dominion, second team running back Jonathan Grimes of William &
Mary, second team punter Jonathan Plisco of Old Dominion, and third team
wide receiver Tre Gray of Richmond.
A two-time first team All-CAA selection, Gradkowski has solidified his
reputation as the top offensive lineman in the league as well as one of
the top blockers in the nation this season. He is expected to earn looks
from National Football League teams as a potential pick in this
spring’s annual draft.
Gradkowski helped lead Keeler’s squad to a 7-4 record this past fall
as the Hens barely missed out on a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Gradkowski was also the Hens’ top offensive lineman in 2010 when
Delaware went 12-3 and advanced to the national championship game.
A three-year starter after transfering from West Virginia, Gradkowski
led a senior-laden offensive line unit that also included All-CAA picks
Shea Allard and Rob McDowell. The group opened big holes for 1,000-yard
rusher Andrew Pierce while helping the UD offense rank fifth in the
CAA in both rushing offense (165.5 yards per game) and scoring
offense (25.8 points per game).
Gradkowski, who started all 11 games this season, including eight at
guard and three at center, earned first team All-CAA honors back in
November, becoming the first UD player to earn back-to-back first team
honors since defensive back Charles Graves in 2009 and 2010 and the
first UD offensive lineman to accomplish the feat since Conway Hayman in
1968-69.
AGATE:
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE: QB - Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington, Sr., or
Chris Lum, Lehigh, Sr.; RB - Shakir Bell, Indiana State, So.; Terrance
West, Towson, Fr.; FB - Eric Breitenstein, Wofford, Jr.; WR - Aaron
Mellette, Elon, Jr.; Nicholas Edwards, Eastern Washington, Jr.; Ryan
Spadola, Lehigh, Jr.; TE - Colin Anderson, Furman, Jr.; OT - Chris
Crockett, Sam Houston State, Sr.; Brett Moore, Georgia Southern, Sr.; OG
- Gino Gradkowski, Delaware, Sr.; Nate Page, Wofford, Sr.; C - Travis
Watson, Sam Houston State, Sr.; PK - Zach Brown, Portland State, Sr.; KR
- Kevin Fogg, Liberty, Jr.
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE: DE - Adrian Hamilton, Prairie View A&M, Sr.; Andrew
Schaetzke, Georgetown, Sr.; DT - Ronnie Cameron, Old Dominion, Sr.;
Brent Russell, Georgia Southern, Jr.; LB - Wes Dothard, Chattanooga,
So.; Matt Evans, New Hampshire, Jr.; L.J. Fort, Northern Iowa,
Sr.;
Caleb McSurdy, Montana, Sr.; CB - Bryce Robertson, Bucknell, Sr.; Marcus
Williams, North Dakota State, So.; S - Kejuan Riley, Alabama State, Jr.;
Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston State, Jr.; P - David Harrington, Idaho
State, Sr.; C.J. Estelle, UT Martin, Sr.
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE: QB - Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington, Sr., or
Chris Lum, Lehigh, Sr.; RB - Tim Flanders, Sam Houston State, So.;
Jonathan Grimes, William & Mary, Sr.; FB - Jake Romanelli, Cal Poly,
Sr.; WR - Tim Benford, Tennessee Tech, Sr.; Brian Quick, Appalachian
State, Sr.; Rodrick Rumble, Idaho State, Jr.; TE - Kyle Juszczyk,
Harvard, Jr.; OT - Paul Cornick, North Dakota State, Sr.; Blake
Matthews, Norfolk State, Jr.; OG - D.J. Hall, Texas State, Sr.; J.C.
Oram, Weber State, Sr.; C - Bryan Boemer, Southern Illinois, Sr.; PK -
Tyler Sievertsen, Northern Iowa, So.; KR - Laron Scott, Georgia
Southern, Sr.
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE: DE - Ryan Davis, Bethune-Cookman, Sr.; Willie
Jefferson, Stephen F. Austin, So.; DT - Ben Boothby, Northern Iowa, Sr.;
Zach Minter, Montana State, Jr.; LB - Seth Allison, Central Arkansas,
Jr.; Jeremy Kimbrough, Appalachian State, Jr.; Blake Pfeifer, SE
Missouri State, So.; Keith Pough, Howard, Jr.; CB - Trumaine Johnson,
Montana, Sr.; Josh Norman, Coastal Carolina, Sr.; S - Justin Bethel,
Presbyterian, Sr.; Alex Sewall, Indiana State, Sr.; P - Jonathan Plisco,
Old Dominion, Jr.; PR - Darius Carey, McNeese State, Jr.
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE: QB - Casey Brockman, Murray State, Jr.; RB - Jordan
Brown, Bryant, Jr.; Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook, Jr.; FB - Brock Lough,
Indiana State, Sr.; WR - Tre Gray, Richmond, Sr.; Chris Summers,
Liberty, Sr.; Patrick Walker, Northern Colorado, Sr.; TE - Renty
Rollins, Jackson State, Sr.; OT - Conrad Burbank, Montana State, Sr.;
Tom Compton, South Dakota, Sr.; Orry Frye, Appalachian State, Sr.; OG -
Joe Faiella, Stony Brook, Sr.; Scott Schweitzer, Tennessee Tech, Sr.; C
- Jim Liebler, Lehigh, Sr.; PK - Adrian Mora, Georgia Southern, Sr.; KR
- Austin Minefee, Southern Utah, Sr.
THIRD TEAM DEFENSE: DE - Corey Hart, Alabama A&M, Sr.; Ben Obaseki,
Indiana State, Jr.; DT - Emory Attig, Eastern Kentucky, Jr.; Josue
Ortiz, Harvard, Sr.; LB - Rico Council, Tennessee State, Sr.; Jody
Owens, Montana State, Jr.; Alvin Scioneaux, Wofford, Jr.; A.J. Storms,
Idaho State, Sr.; CB - Asa Jackson, Cal Poly, Sr.; Ryan Steed, Furman,
Sr.; S - Jose Gumbs, Monmouth, Sr.; Serge Kona, Duquesne, Jr.; P -
Patrick Murray, Fordham, Jr.; PR - Jabin Sambrano, Montana, Sr.
Note: The order of the first- and second-team All-America quarterbacks
will released after the unveiling of the 2011 Walter Payton Award on
Jan. 6.
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Gradkowski Earns All-American Honors Again; Cited as Second Team All-Star by Associated Press
December 15, 2011 - UD Sports Info Dept
NEW YORK -- University of Delaware senior offensive lineman Gino Gradkowski (at right) added a second national citation to his resume Friday afternoon as the Blue Hen co-captain was named a second team All-American by the Associated Press.
Gradkowski, a three-year starter from Pittsburgh, Pa. (Seton-LaSalle High School), was one of eight Colonial Athletic Association student-athletes named to the three Associated Press teams. Earlier this month, Gradkowski was named first team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association, extending Delaware’s streak to 10 straight years having at least one All-American selection.
A two-time first team All-CAA selection, Gradkowski has solidified his reputation as the top offensive lineman in the league as well as one of the top blockers in the nation this season. He is expected to earn looks from National Football League teams as a potential pick in this spring’s annual draft.
“Gino had a phenomenal year, possibly the best for an offensive lineman that I’ve seen in my 10 years here at Delaware,” said Keeler after Gradkowski was honored by the AFCA last week. “The leadership that he provides to our team in the weight room and the locker room, not to mention his play on the field, makes him very deserving of being an All-American.”
Gradkowski helped lead Keeler’s squad to a 7-4 record this past fall as the Hens barely missed out on a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Gradkowski was also the Hens’ top offensive lineman in 2010 when Delaware went 12-3 and advanced to the national championship game.
A three-year starter after transfering from West Virginia, Gradkowski led a senior-laden offensive line unit that also included All-CAA picks Shea Allard and Rob McDowell. The group opened big holes for 1,000-yard rusher Andrew Pierce while helping the UD offense rank fifth in the CAA in both rushing offense (165.5 yards per game) and scoring offense (25.8 points per game).
Gradkowski, who started all 11 games this season, including eight at guard and three at center, earned first team All-CAA honors back in November, becoming the first UD player to earn back-to-back first team honors since defensive back Charles Graves in 2009 and 2010 and the first UD offensive lineman to accomplish the feat since Conway Hayman in 1968-69.
Delaware has now placed at least one player on the Associated Press All-American team in each of the last five seasons. Gradkowski is the first UD offensive lineman to be honored on the team since Mike Byrne was a third team pick in 2007.
All-American teams for the The Sports Network and College Sporting News, as well as others will be announced in the coming weeks.
AGATE:
2011 Associated Press NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision All-American Teams
FIRST TEAM - OFFENSE - QB - Bo Levi Mitchell (Eastern Washington); RB - Shakir Bell (Indiana State), Eric Breitenstein (Wofford); OL - J.C. Oram (Weber State); George Bias (Stephen F. Austin); Paul Cornick (North Dakota State), Brett Moore (Georgia Southern), Tom Compton (South Dakota); WR - Rodrick Rumble (Idaho State), Aaron Mellette (Elon), Ryan Spadola (Lehigh); AP - Jonathan Grimes (William & Mary); K - Zach Brown (Portland State); DEFENSE - DL - Ben Boothby (Northern Iowa), Zack Nash (Sacramento State), Ben Obaseki (Indiana State), Adrian Hamilton (Prairie View A&M); LB - Tyler Holmes (Massachusetts); Kadarron Anderson (Furman), Caleb McSurdy (Montana); DB - Marcus Williams (North Dakota State), Trumaine Johnson (Montana), Ryan Steed (Furman), Josh Norman (Coastal Carolina); P - David Harrington (Idaho State)
SECOND TEAM - OFFENSE - QB - Chris Lum (Lehigh); RB - Terrance West (Towson); Tim Flanders (Sam Houston State); OL - Bryan Boerner (Southern Illinois), Gino Gradkowski (Delaware), Nate Page (Wofford), Blake Matthews (Norfolk State), Joe Faiella (Stony Brook); WR - Brian Quick (Appalachian State), Mario Louis (Grambling), Nicholas Edwards (Eastern Washington); AP - Brock Jackolski (Stony Brook); K - Ryan Estep (Norfolk State); DEFENSE - DL - Brent Russell (Georgia Southern), Blake Olijaro (San Diego), Andrew Schaetzke (Georgetown), Ronnie Cameron (Old Dominion); LB - Matt Evans (New Hampshire), Blake Peiffer (Southeast Missouri State), A.J. Storms (Idaho State); DB - Kejuan Riley (Alabama State), Justin Bethel (Presbyterian), Darnell Taylor (Sam Houston State), Bryce Robertson (Bucknell); P - Jonathan Plisco (Old Dominion)
THIRD TEAM - OFFENSE - QB - Casey Brockman (Murray State); RB - Nick Schweiger (Dartmouth), Matt Denham (Eastern Kentucky); OL - Scott Schweitzer (Tennessee Tech), Jon Apperud (Montana), Malcolm Boyd (Liberty), Jeff Adams (Columbia), Troy McKenna (Lehigh); WR - Shane Savage (Cornell), Tre Gray (Richmond); Elvis Akpla (Montana State); AP - Gralyn Crawford (Stephen F. Austin); K - Tyler Sievertsen (Northern Iowa); DEFENSE - DL - Ryan Davis (Bethune-Cookman); Tyler Osborne (Southern Utah); Josue Ortiz (Harvard); Joseph Lebeau (Jackson State); LB - L.J. Fort (Northern Iowa); Derek Rose (Northwestern State); Keith Pough (Howard); DB - Serge Kona (Duquesne); Asa Jackson (Cal Poly); Jeremy Caldwell (Eastern Kentucky); Daxton Swanson (Sam Houston State); P- Patrick Murray (Fordham).
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Andrew Pierce Receives Touchdown Club of South Jersey FCS Player of the Year Award
December 14, 2011 - UD SPORTS INFO DEPT
DEPTFORD, N.J. -- University of Delaware All-American running back Andrew Pierce (at right) was honored close to his hometown Wednesday night as the speedy sophomore received the 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision College Player of the Year Award presented by the Touchdown Club of Southern New Jersey at its annual awards banquet at the Adelphia Restaurant.
Pierce, a fitness management major from Bridgeton, N.J. (Cumberland Regional High School), was among several football players and coaches honored from both the local high school and college levels for their accomplishments both on and off the field during the 2011 season.
This marks the second straight year that Pierce has been honored in his home state. Last season he was named the New Jersey Sportswriters Association College Running Back of the Year after leading the Blue Hens to the FCS national championship game.
On hand to help honor Pierce tonight was his mother, Wanda Pierce, his grandfather, Richard Rice, and his backfield coach at Delaware, Gregg Perry.
Pierce, one of the nation’s top running backs, put together another outstanding season in 2011 as he started all 11 games and rushed 279 times for 1,279 yards and 16 touchdowns, ranking among the national leaders in each category.
A second team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, he averaged 4.6 yards per game and 116.3 yards per game and also caught 42 passes for 212 yards. His best effort of the season came in an early November victory over Richmond as he rushed for a career-high 215 yards.
In just two seasons at Delaware, Pierce has rushed for 2,934 yards and 30 touchdowns while catching 74 passes for 411 yards and three scores. His 2,934 yards ranks him No. 4 on the Delaware career list.
As a true freshman in 2010, Pierce put together one of the finest season ever for a rookie in FCS history. He earned All-American honors by both The Sports Network and by the College Sporting News, was named the national Freshman of the Year by both Phil Steele College Football Magazine and by the College Sporting News, and earned first team All-CAA, CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year, and ECAC All-East Freshman of the Year honors.
He rushed 329 times for UD freshman record 1,655 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching 32 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns. He ranked 15th in the nation in rushing yards per game and reached 1,000 yards in a career faster than any player in Delaware history.
The Blue Hens, led by 10th-year head coach K.C. Keeler, posted a 7-4 record this past fall, narrowly missing a berth in the NCAA FCS Tournament.
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Newark QB Taylor Reynolds back on the recruiting circuit after
visiting UD
Newark Post December 9, 2011 - by John Buzby
Highly-recruited Newark High quarterback Taylor Reynolds has told James Madison University that he is going to continue to go through the recruiting process, one that includes the University of Delaware, where Reynolds made an official visit on Friday.
Reynolds, who was named to the second team All-State team, made a verbal commitment to James Madison a few weeks ago after another suitor, Old Dominion, retracted a scholarship offer. James Madison also received verbal commitments from at least two other quarterbacks.
Reynolds said at the time he made the commitment that he felt he needed to make a decision while the offers were still on the table. Newark coach Butch Simpson says that since then Reynolds feels he needs to continue to explore his options, which include CAA rivals James Madison and William and Mary, among others.
Simpson said William and Mary head coach Jimmye Laycock visited Reynolds earlier this week, and that James Madison head coach Mickey Matthews is scheduled to visit next week.
UD head coach K.C. Keeler has often said his goal is for his next quarterback recruit to fit the athletic, multi-dimensional mold of Reynolds.
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"Here's to 2011"
By Tim Mastro Managing Sports Editor - UD Student Review
December 6, 2011
Looking back at the year 2011, it has a solid claim for one of the most successful athletic calendar years in Delaware history.
The year began with a national championship appearance in football (lost on a disputed call) and ended with a monumental basketball victory and wins in the NCAA Tournament by two different programs. It has also featured some of the best athletes to have ever put on the Blue and Gold.
The early spring was highlighted by women's basketball run to the CAA Tournament finals from the seventh seed. It included upsets of perennial power Old Dominion and UNCW Wilmington. The men also made some noise, winning a game in the tournament for the first time in a few years (an achievement in itself), before pushing eventual NCAA Tournament team Old Dominion to the brink. A random high point of their season was barely losing to eventual Final Four team VCU after four Hens fouled out.
Men's lacrosse won yet another CAA Tournament, barely lost to Duke on the road in the first round of the NCAAs and had four players drafted into the pros. Despite a horrid start to its season, softball put it together to qualify for the CAA Tournament in head coach Jamie Wohlbach's first year. Women's lacrosse and baseball each barely missed out on their conference tournaments by finishing fifth and would have qualified now that the CAA has reverted back to its old rule of having the top six teams make the postseason.
The summer included Elena Delle Donne winning a gold medal and playing on the same team as the best women's college basketball players in the country. Five alums from the football team also made NFL camps and two are still with teams—Anthony Walters with the Chicago Bears and Pat Devlin with the Miami Dolphins.
Football had Andrew Pierce continue to amaze and rewrite the record books. They didn't make the playoffs this fall, but the rest of the fall teams picked up the slack. Every other sport competed in their conference postseason. Women's soccer won a game in its tournament and was leading the top seed William & Mary before eventually faltering.
Volleyball continued their CAA dynasty with yet another championship, in what could be considered a rebuilding year since they lost four starters from last year's squad. Renee Tomko filled Jess Chason's shoes and kept the CAA Setter of the Year award at Delaware for the third straight year. The Hens beat American in the first round of the NCAA Tournament—the first time they won a game in the NCAAs since 2007. They then were dismissed in straight sets by Penn State but to even be playing Penn State, NCAA champions the past five years, is an honor within itself.
Then there's men's soccer. The Hens won three games in four days to capture Delaware's first ever CAA soccer crown and qualify for NCAAs for the first time since 1970. They then beat Virginia, one of the most storied soccer programs of all-time, on the road to capture its first ever NCAA Tournament win. They gave UCLA, one of probably only two NCAA soccer programs as successful as Virginia (the other is Maryland), all the Bruins could handle before conceding with about seven minutes left. Since then, UCLA destroyed Rutgers 3-0 and just beat Louisville to make the Final Four. Delaware will now say goodbye to two of the best soccer players to ever come through the program in Evans Frimpong (a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy by the way) and Darren O'Connor.
The same day men's soccer beat Virginia, Delle Donne and company upset No. 13 Penn State in another historic win. They are now ranked 22nd in the entire country and still are undefeated. The men just garnered a quality win of their own over CAA preseason No. 1 Drexel on Saturday. At one point last week the leading scorers in the nation for men's and women's were from Delaware—Devon Saddler and Delle Donne.
Those two will provide even more memories at the Big Bob this year and should have Hens' fans looking forward to 2012.
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Football not headed to postseason despite victory
By BY TIM MASTRO Managing Sports Editor - UD Student Review
Updated: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 02:11
CHESTER, Pa. — When Sean Baner looked at the design of PPL Park, his goal was to kick the ball into the river.
It's not too far-fetched of an idea. Baner has a strong leg and the Delaware River runs right behind the small section of stands behind one of the end zones.
However once he noticed the wind when the Hens showed up to the stadium Saturday, the kicker knew it would be impossible. He had to settle for tying his own school record and kicking a game-winning field goal.
Baner broke a 16-16 tie with 2:11 left in the game and junior safety Ricky Tunstall returned an interception for a touchdown on Villanova's next drive to give the Hens their first win over the Wildcats since 2005.
"To be honest I wasn't even nervous," Baner said. "I don't know why I wasn't. That's something you should be, but that's something I've tried to mature myself on. I just kept my head down, looked up, saw the ball going through and was happy as anything."
The win was Delaware's seventh of the season. The Hens finished 7-4, but will not be returning to the FCS playoffs as they found out Sunday when the 20-team field was announced.
Delaware was one of the final teams on the bubble. The selection committee took Eastern Kentucky, also 7-4, for the final at-large bid. It cited Delaware had six Division I wins and Eastern Kentucky had seven. One of the Hens' wins was over Division II West Chester.
The CAA had five teams qualify. Towson received the automatic bid as the regular season champions. Maine, Old Dominion, New Hampshire and James Madison also made the tournament.
Delaware needed to beat Villanova to have any hope of being included in the at-large conversation and the Hens had to come from behind to do it. A 40-yard field goal by Baner tied it up at 16 with 8:45 remaining.
Hens' head coach K.C. Keeler was cautious with his game plan when they got the ball back. He kept giving the ball to running back Andrew Pierce. Even on third down and seven, he overruled a pass play that was called to run the ball again and set up Baner for a potential game-winning field goal.
"I got very conservative," Keeler said. "I was comfortable putting the whole thing on our kicker's shoulders."
Baner sensed it would come down to him. He saw Keeler look at him before calling another run and said he recognized the formation as a running play and knew his number was being called next.
"I was like, ‘Alright, coach has faith in me to make this,'" he said.
Baner's four field goals tied the school record for most in a game, which he set earlier this season against Old Dominion. John Striefsky shares the record with him. Striefsky hit four against Navy back in 2009.
Baner converted field goals of 26 and 34 yards in the first half Saturday.
After his go-ahead kick, Delaware still needed to play defense. Tunstall earned his second interception of the day to seal the win.
He picked off Villanova quarterback Chris Polony and returned it 54-yards for a score.
"When we went back out there, it was just like, ‘Let's get a stop,'" Tunstall said. "‘Let's get another interception and do it again.'"
Pierce carried the ball 40 times for Delaware on the ground. The sophomore running back finished with 109 yards and scored one touchdown.
At the press conference after the game, Pierce was visibly beat up from the high number of rushes.
Not that he minded.
"I want to do whatever it takes to win," Pierce said. "That's all that matters. I was in a war. That's what it felt like. You can see the bruises on my face."
It was redemption for Pierce. He fumbled on the one-yard line last year in overtime in Delaware's loss to Villanova.
For the seniors, who wound up playing their final game, it was the first time they could beat the Wildcats in their careers.
===========================================
Ex-UD officials should share blame for snub
Nov. 22, 2011 - MARTIN FRANK Wilmington News Journal
NEWARK — It would be easy to criticize the NCAA Selection Committee
for keeping the University of Delaware football team out of the Football
Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The committee certainly deserves its share of blame because it’s a
travesty that UD didn’t make the 20-team field as one of the 10
at-large teams.
The Hens had two wins over Top 10 teams. They won their final three
games. And they are ranked 14th in the nation.
All of which would make them a dangerous playoff team.
But some of the blame has to reside with the former UD administration,
led by President David Roselle and athletic director Edgar Johnson.
They were the ones who scheduled Division II West Chester for years in
advance, even though they had known for years that it could cost the
Hens a playoff berth.
The committee has long made it known that it doesn’t count wins over
Division II programs. Yet UD kept scheduling West Chester anyway, taking
the payday from a full stadium over the possibility of a postseason
berth.
So in the eyes of the committee, Delaware finished 6-4 instead of 7-4.
That’s the only reason why the Hens were kept out in favor of Colonial
Athletic Association rival James Madison, which had one win against a
team with a winning record.
The committee also chose Eastern Kentucky, which was 7-4 just like
Delaware. But EKU isn’t ranked at all, and hardly has the pedigree
that UD has.
The committee has never taken an at-large team with less than seven
Division I victories.
UD coach K.C. Keeler called the snub “mind-boggling to me.”
“I think [the Division II game] was an easy out for the committee,”
he said. “That’s something that should be addressed because they
didn’t take the best 10 at-large teams.”
But a policy is a policy, even though West Chester is probably better
than some of the FCS creampuffs UD could have scheduled in its place.
Yet the UD administration risked it all to schedule West Chester,
whether it was for the money, the stubborn refusal to play Delaware
State for decades or Roselle’s affinity for his former school (he’s
a 1961 West Chester graduate).
=====================================
Delaware Football Keeps Playoff Hopes, Defeats Villanova
http://www.wboc.com Nov 20, 2011
HESTER, PA -- A long-awaited and hard-fought victory over rival
Villanova in hand, the University of Delaware football squad now turns
its attention to a possible NCAA Tournament bid.
The No. 15 ranked Blue Hens (7-4, 5-3 Colonial Athletic Association)
snapped a personal five-game losing streak to the Wildcats Saturday
night at PPL Park as Sean Baner kicked a school-record tying four field
goals and safety Ricky Tunstall put the game away with a 54-yard
interception return for a touchdown with 1:28 left to play in a 26-16
victory.
Delaware, which won its third straight game to close out the regular
season, now turn its sights to an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. The
20-team field will be announced Sunday at 10 a.m. and the Hens, last
year's national runner-up, hope to see their name called.
On this night though, it was all about a big victory over a long-time
rival as the Hens knocked off a struggling Villanova (2-9, 1-7 CAA)
squad for the first time since 2005 to secure the Battle of the Blue
trophy for the first time since it was introduced in 2006.
"It was an emotional win and now all we can do is enjoy it and wait to
see what happens on Sunday" said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler. "Our
guys are relieved to finally beat this team. Nothing got us down
tonight. We just went out and played and kept our chins up the entire
time. It's nice to get this win. I think we are one of the top 20 teams
in the country."
The game, the first American football game played at the two-year old
stadium which serves as the home for Major League Soccer's Philadelphia
Union, featured two ties and four lead changes. An enthusiastic crowd of
14,107, fitting of one of the top rivalries in the NCAA Division I
Football Championship Subdivision, enjoyed every second of it.
After Villanova scored its final points on a 43-yard scamper by Jamal
Abdur-Rahman with 5:37 left in the third quarter, Delaware reeled off
the final 13 points of the game to go home winners.
Baner, who tied his own school record of four field goals set against
Old Dominion back in September, connected on a 40-yarder with 8:45 left
to tie the score at 16-16 and followed with eventual game-winner with a
29-yard kick with 2:11 left to put the Hens up 19-16.
On the first kick, the Hens extended the drive by converting four third
down attempts, including a 20-yard toss from quarterback Tim Donnelly to
tight end Ryan Cobb down to the Villanova 27-yard line.
A 24-yard punt return by Rob Jones to the Delaware 49-yard line and a
pair of 12-yard tosses from Donnelly to Jones and Nihja White keyed the
second Baner kick.
"Coach Keeler had faith in me that I could make the kick," said Baner of
the game-winner. "I wasn't nervous, but I don't know why. I should have
been. I just tried to stay calm and keep my head down. I looked up and
saw it go through (the uprights) and was so happy."
Villanova had one last chance to win the game, but Tunstall stepped in
front of a pass by Chris Polony and sprinted 54 yards down the right
sideline and into the touchdown with 1:28 left to put an exclamation
point on the victory.
Tunstall, who also intercepted a first-half pass in the end zone to
thwart a Villanova drive, now has four interceptions in his last two games.
"The defense knew that we just had to go out there and get another stop,
or get another interception," stated Tunstall, who has helped the Hens
force 10 turnovers during the season-ending three-game win streak.
Delaware held a big advantages in first downs (21-14) and held the ball
for almost 20 minutes longer than Villanova. And gaining three turnovers
didn't hurt either. Blue Hen sophomore Travis Hawkins returned the
opening kickoff 69 yards to set up a 26-yard Baner field goal and the
Hens were up 3-0 just under four minutes into the game.
Villanova came right back to take a 10-3 lead as Mark Hamilton connected
on a 19-yard field goal on the final play of the first quarter and
Abdur-Rahman (119 yards rushing) got loose down the right sideline and
scored on a 58-yard scamper with 13:20 left in the first half.
Another Baner field goal, this one from 34 yards out, cut the margin to
10-6 and the Hens took a 13-10 lead into the break when sophomore
All-American running back Andrew Pierce leapt into the end zone from
one-yard out with just 12 seconds left in the half.
The drive was set up by Tunstall's first interception of the night as he
made a diving catch of a Polony pass in the end zone.
Pierce, who was a workhorse all night, carrying a career-high 40 times
for 109 yards, ran the ball 13 times during the 80-yard drive, including
nine straight lugs at one point. He surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark
for the third straight game and for the eighth time this season, upping
his two-year total to 15 100-yard rushing efforts.
"It doesn't matter to me how many times I carry it," said Pierce, who
has carried the ball 108 times over the last three games. "I always give
my offensive line the glory because they carried it 40 times with me.
Whatever it takes to win. I felt like I was in a war tonight. I feel
good that I was able to help carry my team to a win."
The Delaware lead did not last long though. Villanova regained the
advantage at 16-13 early in the second half as Abur-Rahman broke off on
another long run, darting 43 yards for the score. Defensive end Michael
Atunrase blocked Hamilton's extra point attempt.
But that was the last time Villanova would get on the scoreboard as the
Hen defense, led by two late sacks by Atunrase, kept the Wildcats in
check and Baner and Tunstall added their late game heroics.
"We had lost five in a row to these guys and that had to stop," said
Keeler. "We have both had some pretty good teams the last few years and
last season we lost in overtime. I didn't talk a whole lot about it with
the team, but I told them to just focus and do what we needed to do to
win the game."We've done everything we can do," said Keeler regarding a
possible NCAA Tournament bid.
"We are ranked in the Top 15, we've won three straight, and we are the
only team in the country that has beaten two Top 10 teams (Towson and
Old Dominion). How can you leave us out."
AGATE:
Delaware.....3......10....
Villanova.....3........7....
1st Quarter
Delaware - FG Baner 27, 11:25
Villanova - FG Hamilton 19, 0:00
2nd Quarter
Villanova - Abdur-Rahman 58 run (Hamilton kick), 13:20
Delaware - FG Baner, 8:27
Delaware - Pierce 1 run (Baner kick), :12
3rd Quarter
Villanova - Abdur-Rahman 43 run (Hamilton kick blocked), 5:37
4th Quarter
Delaware - FG Baner, 40, 8:45
Delaware - FG Baner 29, 2:11
Delaware - Tunstall 54 interception return (Baner kick), 1:28
Attendance: 14,107
Team Statistics Delaware Villanova
First downs 21 14
Rushes-yards 59-181 28-199
Passing yards 153 139
Total yards 334 338
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 3-35 6-46
Punts-yards 4-37.8 4-49.0
Time of Possession 39:15 20:45
Third down conv. 10-21 5-11
Sacks by 3-17 2-5
Individual Statistics: Rushing - Delaware, Pierce, 40-109, Hayes, 10-54,
Donnelly, 5-19, Jones, 1-6, Team, 1-(-7); Villanova, Abdur-Rahman,
7-119, Doss, 4-47, Polony ,10-21, Monangai, 7-12; Passing - Delaware,
Donnelly, 14-22-0-153; Villanova, Polony, 14-24-2-139; Receiving -
Delaware, White, 7-82, Jones, 3-25, Cobb, 1-20, Schenauer, 1-16, Russo,
1-8, Pierce, 1-2; Villanova, Reynolds, 3-47, Doss, 3-29, Price, 3-15,
Abdur-Rahman, ,2-21, Wells, 2-15, Monangai, 1-12.
====================================================
PPL experiment bridges ’Nova’s present, future
Published: Saturday, November 20, 2011
By JACK McCAFFERY = Delaware County Times
sports@delcotimes.com
CHESTER — The only proven, successful plan in football is the one Villanova began Saturday. It is to accumulate gains, no matter how difficult, no matter how long.
Unless something is about to change in major college sports, Villanova must push its way into BCS football. That would protect its treasured basketball brand, and with that maintain its position of sports relevance, and with that maximize the overall image of the university. It’s the way the game is now played.
To that goal, then, there was a 15-mile drive to something newer and better, all of which made Saturday successful, even though the Wildcats would lose, 26-16, to Delaware. It was a move of a home game from stale and ordinary Villanova Stadium to fresh and alluring PPL Park, the best place in the Philadelphia area to see a sporting event, and there are plenty.
First down … and more to come?
“Oh, yes,” Andy Talley said afterward. “I am crazy about the idea.”
Vince Nicastro, Villanova’s athletic director, insisted that the game was not a BCS showcase, just a way for the ’Cats to enjoy an FCS change of scenery. He was best to maintain the stance, for if the Wildcats were auditioning for big-time football, they would have been rejected. That’s because only 14,170 would pop in, and at least half would spend the day screaming, “Let’s go, Blue Hens.” Still, not every gain must reach the end zone.
The weather Saturday was ideal, creating a perfect atmosphere for college football. The stadium, nicely buffered by enough parking lots for reasonable tailgating, worked — though that would not have been a shock to anyone who had seen how well it played for MLS’ Union over the past two summers. The setting is unique, and since PPL Park neglected to provide nets behind the goalposts, it was conceivable that a PAT attempt might have plopped into the Delaware River, providing a “Nova Cove” effect.
So it was not only possible to see the grandeur of the well-lit Commodore Barry Bridge from the seats, but also a bridge to a bigger, brighter Villanova football future.
“It’s nice,” said Brian Westbrook, the former Villanova and Eagles running back. “It’s really nice. If they are going to move off campus, this is a good spot.”
PPL Park can seat 19,000-ish, though it was constructed to allow expansion to 35,000. Villanova football might never be that popular, though there would be better times for the experiment than the last game of a 2-9 season. One certainty: Villanova Stadium is a non-starter for a BCS program. Thus, the appeal of PPL … and the possibility of it being the ’Cats’ primary residence. Continued.
“I talked to our athletic director, Vince Nicastro, about it and I think it’s a matter of discussion,” Talley said. “PPL has been great to us. I love the venue. I know our fans loved it. It’s tremendous to play in. The environment was tremendous to play in. So I am hoping that we make a strong determination to come back here and play again.”
If Villanova is going to draw 7,000 fans to a game, or about what it did Saturday less the Delaware support, then there wouldn’t be a cause to move off campus and inconvenience whatever students do have interest. But if the idea is to play in the new, geographically challenged Big East, then the Wildcats would not be out of place in an expanded PPL Park.
“Andy wants to play the rest of his career here,” said Nicastro, smiling. “The atmosphere that you get here, we just can’t replicate on our campus. All of the amenities are modern. It’s great. So I think we are going to be open to looking at future games here.”
Maybe those games will be against Delaware. Or maybe they will be against Louisville, Boise State, Rutgers and Cincinnati. Either way, Villanova must move in a positive football direction. That drive, no matter how early, has at least, at last begun.
Follow Jack McCaffery on Twitter, @JackMcCaffery. To receive breaking news first, text the word delnews to 22700. Standard msg+data rates may apply.
==================================================
Young defensive backs Sarnese, James a bright spot for Villanova football
Villanova safety Joe Sarnese lines up for a play against Delaware on Saturday at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Sarnese is a Ventnor native and Holy Spirit High School graduate.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
By SUSAN LULGJURAJ, Staff Writer - http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/
CHESTER, Pa. - The Villanova Wildcats' football season ended with a 2-9 record.
Think about that.
One year after reaching the Football Championship semifinals and two years after winning the national title, the Wildcats weren't even contenders this year.
With a record like that, it might feel as though Villanova is far from getting back to that level too.
But look closer: The Wildcats have an immense amount of talent. Of the 22 starters, 21 are expected to return next season.
Two of those starters are sophomore Craig James and freshman Joe Sarnese, last year's Press Male Athlete of the Fall. Both started for the first time in the secondary for the Wildcats this season.
The Wildcats started eight true freshmen in Saturday's 26-16 loss to Delaware, Villanova's regular-season finale, at PPL Park.
"Our defense did a good job today," Villanova coach Andy Talley said. "I look at the big strides we took. We just didn't have enough offense."
The Blue Hens' Andrew Pierce, a Cumberland Regional High School graduate, had 109 yards and a touchdown on 40 carries. Junior defensive back Ricky Tunstall, a Bridgeton resident, sealed the win for Delaware with a 54-yard interception touchdown return with 1 minute, 28 seconds left in the game.
Even though the season didn't go as planned, this one hurt for the Wildcats. They had won five straight against the rival Blue Hens.
"I didn't want to be part of the team that lost to Delaware," James said. "This is the worst feeling in the world."
But the defense still learned from the game.
Sarnese, a Holy Spirit graduate, is a true freshman. He came to Villanova after leading Holy Spirit to an undefeated season and state Non-Public III title last year.
The Ventnor resident realized things were going to be different at Villanova, and he was ready for it.
He listened to the coaches, and early on, one thing stuck with him: Don't play like a freshman.
"I didn't want to let them think I was just another freshman," Sarnese said. "I wanted to come in and play right away."
That meant no excuses, working harder than everyone else and keeping his mouth shut.
Two games into the season, Sarnese moved up from special teams and started at free safety. He finished the season with 62 tackles (41 solo), tied for fifth on the team with James, an Oakcrest graduate.
Against Delaware, Sarnese had eight tackles and his first pass breakup of the year.
"I think that we should have won most of those games," Sarnese said. "We're just going to practice hard the entire offseason and come back next season more conditioned."
James played on special teams last year but knew there would be an opening this season at cornerback.
That's all he thought about during the offseason. He had competition from teammates and it pushed him.
"I played to the best my abilities," said James, who had nine tackles against Delaware. "The head-to-head competition made me step up my game."
Talley wasn't going to hand James the starting job.
James pushed himself in the weight room and watched tape to see the little things that would help his game - better routes, quicker jumps and picking up the correct angles.
He sees the Wildcats' potential. He just hoped this season would have gone better. However, Villanova did suffer some key injuries, including one that cost senior wide receiver Norman White, a St. Joseph graduate, most of the season.
"This year we had a lot of guys down," James said. "In two weeks, we'll be back (to the weight room), though. The coaches won't let us forget how we played this year, and we have to get better."
This is the first time Villanova hasn't made the playoffs since 2007.
But Talley looks at his young team and has hope. He saw it against Delaware - one of the toughest teams Villanova faced this season - and his team had a chance to win.
However, its youth was a problem. The Blue Hens won the possession battle, having the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game - Villanova had it for just 20 minutes.
"That's too much stress on a young defense," Talley said. "I really like this young team. Our future is bright."
Notes: Delaware senior Mark Schenauer (Absegami) had a 16-yard catch. Villanova sophomore Antoine Lewis (Mainland Regional) had five tackles, including one for a loss.
======================================================
Growing pains doomed Villanova in season-finale loss to Delaware
By Ray Parrillo FOR THE Philadelphia INQUIRER
Sat, Nov. 19, 2011
CHESTER - The growing pains for Villanova's young football team began in September and never really subsided, yet the Wildcats showed enough progress late in the season to prompt coach Andy Talley to look forward to 2012.
One reason Talley expressed optimism about the future after his worst season in 27 years as head coach on the Main Line came to an end with Saturday's 26-16 loss to Delaware is named Jamal Abdur-Rahman, a freshman flash from La Salle High who tried single-handedly to lead the Wildcats (2-9) to an upset over the Blue Hens in the first football game ever played at PPL Park.
"Jamal was fantastic," Talley said after three turnovers by freshman quarterback Chris Polony - a fumble and two interceptions - were too much to overcome against the more talented Blue Hens (7-4), who had to win to keep alive their hopes for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. "I don't remember a freshman having a game like that for us. I don't even remember Brian Westbrook having a game like that as a freshman."
Abdur-Rahman amassed 291 total yards. He ran for 119 yards on seven carries and he gave the Wildcats leads of 10-3 with a 58-yard run and 16-13 with a 43-yard run. Abdur-Rahman was one of 10 freshmen to start against Delaware, and was one of 31 on a roster that appears to have the speed and talent to return Nova to its customary position as an FCS national contender.
But freshmen frequently cause as much angst as excitement, and it was the three turnovers by Polony, playing in only his seventh game, that did in the Wildcats. His biggest gaffe came with 1 minute, 28 seconds remaining with Delaware leading, 19-16, after Sean Baner, a William Tennent grad, booted his fourth field goal with 2:11 left.
Nova had first-and-10 near midfield when Ricky Tunstall, a Blue Hens safety from Bridgeton, N.J., picked off Polony's throw and returned it 54 yards for a TD that ended any suspense.
"I had my eye on the quarterback and I just jumped it [the route]," Tunstall said. "And when I caught it I thought of my days as a wide receiver."
Said Talley, "Turnovers from the quarterback position are killers. But as Chris matures, he'll play better. This was a game we could have won, but the difference came down to those three turnovers."
Delaware, which had lost five straight to the Wildcats, used a grind-it-out approach to keep the ball away from Villanova for long stretches. Running back Andrew Pierce, from Cumberland High, will no doubt be the sorest among the Blue Hens. He carried the ball 40 times for 109 yards, eating up more of the clock than the field.
Whether or not Delaware will squeeze into the playoffs with the win will be decided Sunday by a selection committee tasked with choosing 10 at-large teams along with 10 automatic qualifiers. The most impressive part of the 15th-ranked Blue Hens resume is their wins over two teams ranked in the top 10 - No. 8 Towson and No. 10 Old Dominion.
Delaware went to the national championship game last season, losing to Eastern Washington, and that may count for something. Also, the Colonial Athletic Association, the top FCS conference in the country, has sent five teams to the postseason before.
"We did everything we could do," Delaware coach K.C. Keeler said. "We won our last three games and we're in the top 15. We beat two top 10 teams. Are you going to leave us out?"
Meantime, both sides praised PPL Park, home of Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union, as a football venue. There was an announced crowd of 14,107 at the stadium, which seats 18,500. It's where Villanova is expected to play its home games if it goes into the Big East for football.
"It's still a matter of discussion but I'm crazy about the idea [of playing at PPL Park]," Talley said. "I love the venue and we hope to come back."
======================================
Wildcats Fall to No. 15 Delaware, 26-16, in Season Finale at PPL Park
Despite final outcome, season ends with a highlight in first football game at
PPL Park
The game was the first American football game played at PPL Park.
http://www.villanova.com/
Nov. 19, 2011
CHESTER, Pa.--The first American football game at PPL Park was played in front of a crowd more than 14,000 strong as Villanova (2-9, 1-7 CAA) closed out the season with a 26-16 loss to No. 15 Delaware (7-4, 5-3 CAA) on Saturday afternoon. The annual Battle of the Blue Trophy was awarded to the Blue Hens for the first time, as the Wildcats had won five consecutive meetings between the longtime rivals.
The home of the MLS Philadelphia Union was the setting for the 45th meeting between Villanova and Delaware in a rivalry that dates back more than 100 years. This year's installment of the all-time series saw the Blue Hens score 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to decide the game, including a field goal with 2:11 remaining which put Delaware ahead for good.
A game which featured two ties and four lead changes was bound to come down to the closing minutes. With less than two minutes to play and the Blue Hens leading 19-16 an interception thrown by the Wildcats was returned 54 yards for a touchdown to seal the outcome.
Villanova ushered in a youth movement during the 2011 season and its 22 starters in the season finale included eight true freshmen and just one senior. Freshman quarterback Chris Polony (Whitehall, Pa.) made his fourth start under center and first-year running back Jamal Abdur-Rahman (Philadelphia, Pa.) racked up 291 all-purpose yards to lead the Wildcats offensively.
Abdur-Rahman ran for a season-high 119 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. He amassed over 100 yards on his scoring runs alone, breaking away for a 58-yard touchdown early in the second quarter and later scoring on a 43-yard run in the third quarter. Both touchdowns gave Villanova the lead in the back-and-forth contest.
The 43-yard touchdown by Abdur-Rahman put the Wildcats in front, 16-13, with 5:37 left in the third quarter. That score held until Sean Baner kicked a 40-yard field goal with 8:45 to play in the game which tied the score at 16-16. Baner kicked four field goals in the game and his 29-yard attempt with 2:11 left were the decisive points in the contest.
Polony was 14-of-24 for 139 yards and two interceptions, with senior wide receiver Mikey Reynolds (Moorestown, N.J.) and senior running back Lawrence Doss (Bellflower, Calif.) each having three receptions. Doss also ran for 47 yards on four carries and Villanova totaled 199 yards on the ground while averaging better than seven yards per carry.
Delaware was led by running back Andrew Pierce, who carried 40 times for 109 yards and a touchdown.
In the first quarter Baner kicked a 26-yard field goal on the game's first drive and junior kicker Mark Hamilton (Gaithersburg, Md.) answered for the Wildcats on a 19-yard attempt at the end of the period to tie the score at 3-3.
The first of the two touchdowns for Abdur-Rahman in the game came with 13:20 to play in the second quarter and gave Villanova the lead at 10-3, while Baner hit a 34-yard field goal near the midpoint of the second period to pull the Blue Hens to within 10-6.
Delaware eventually took a 13-10 lead into halftime on a one-yard scoring run by Pierce with 12 seconds remaining before the intermission. His touchdown capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive by the Blue Hens which occupied more than seven minutes of time on the clock as the first half wound down.
Prior to the game the Wildcats honored their graduating seniors in a ceremony held on the field.
NOTES: Abdur-Rahman added to his 119 rushing yards with 151 yards on six kickoff returns as well as 21 yards on a pair of receptions ... His 291 all-purpose yards mark the first time this season he went over 200 yards ... Junior linebacker Devon Bridges (Upper Marlboro, N.J.) had a game-high 11 tackles for Villanova, including two tackles for loss and one sack ... He also forced a fumble which was recovered by freshman linebacker Joey Harmon (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) ... Villanova leads the all-time series against Delaware by a count of 23-21-1 ... The series was first billed as the "Battle of the Blue" beginning in 2007 ... The last win in the series by the Blue Hens was a 38-13 victory at Villanova Stadium to end the 2005 season ... Today's game was the sixth this season in which the Wildcats played in front of more than 10,000 fans ... Those six contests include three home dates, including today's contest ... Villanova drew a near-sellout crowd of 11,817 to its season opener against Monmouth at Villanova Stadium and also drew a crowd of 10,071 to Franklin Field for a game against Penn in which the Wildcats were the home team.
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Delaware Finally Gets Battle of the Blue Victory, Downs Villanova 26-16 to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
Courtesy of UD Sports Info Dept
11/19/11
CHESTER, Pa. -- A long-awaited and hard-fought victory over rival Villanova in hand, the University of Delaware football squad now turns its attention to a possible NCAA Tournament bid.
The No. 15 ranked Blue Hens (7-4, 5-3 Colonial Athletic Association) snapped a personal five-game losing streak to the Wildcats Saturday night at PPL Park as Sean Baner kicked a school-record tying four field goals and safety Ricky Tunstall (at right) put the game away with a 54-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:28 left to play in a 26-16 victory.
Delaware, which won its third straight game to close out the regular season, now turn its sights to an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. The 20-team field will be announced Sunday at 10 a.m. and the Hens, last year's national runner-up, hope to see their name called.
On this night though, it was all about a big victory over a long-time rival as the Hens knocked off a struggling Villanova (2-9, 1-7 CAA) squad for the first time since 2005 to secure the Battle of the Blue trophy for the first time since it was introduced in 2006.
"It was an emotional win and now all we can do is enjoy it and wait to see what happens on Sunday" said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler. "Our guys are relieved to finally beat this team. Nothing got us down tonight. We just went out and played and kept our chins up the entire time. It's nice to get this win. I think we are one of the top 20 teams in the country."
The game, the first American football game played at the two-year old stadium which serves as the home for Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union, featured two ties and four lead changes. An enthusiastic crowd of 14,107, fitting of one of the top rivalries in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, enjoyed every second of it.
After Villanova scored its final points on a 43-yard scamper by Jamal Abdur-Rahman with 5:37 left in the third quarter, Delaware reeled off the final 13 points of the game to go home winners.
Athlete photoBaner (at left), who tied his own school record of four field goals set against Old Dominion back in September, connected on a 40-yarder with 8:45 left to tie the score at 16-16 and followed with eventual game-winner with a 29-yard kick with 2:11 left to put the Hens up 19-16.
On the first kick, the Hens extended the drive by converting four third down attempts, including a 20-yard toss from quarterback Tim Donnelly to tight end Ryan Cobb down to the Villanova 27-yard line.
A 24-yard punt return by Rob Jones to the Delaware 49-yard line and a pair of 12-yard tosses from Donnelly to Jones and Nihja White keyed the second Baner kick.
"Coach Keeler had faith in me that I could make the kick," said Baner of the game-winner. "I wasn't nervous, but I don't know why. I should have been. I just tried to stay calm and keep my head down. I looked up and saw it go through (the uprights) and was so happy."
Villanova had one last chance to win the game, but Tunstall stepped in front of a pass by Chris Polony and sprinted 54 yards down the right sideline and into the touchdown with 1:28 left to put an exclamation point on the victory.
Tunstall, who also intercepted a first-half pass in the end zone to thwart a Villanova drive, now has four interceptions in his last two games.
"The defense knew that we just had to go out there and get another stop, or get another interception," stated Tunstall, who has helped the Hens force 10 turnovers during the season-ending three-game win streak.
Delaware held a big advantages in first downs (21-14) and held the ball for almost 20 minutes longer than Villanova. And gaining three turnovers didn't hurt either.
Blue Hen sophomore Travis Hawkins returned the opening kickoff 69 yards to set up a 26-yard Baner field goal and the Hens were up 3-0 just under four minutes into the game.
Villanova came right back to take a 10-3 lead as Mark Hamilton connected on a 19-yard field goal on the final play of the first quarter and Abdur-Rahman (119 yards rushing) got loose down the right sideline and scored on a 58-yard scamper with 13:20 left in the first half.
Another Baner field goal, this one from 34 yards out, cut the margin to 10-6 and the Hens took a 13-10 lead into the break when sophomore All-American running back Andrew Pierce (at right) leapt into the end zone from one-yard out with just 12 seconds left in the half.
The drive was set up by Tunstall's first interception of the night as he made a diving catch of a Polony pass in the end zone.
Pierce, who was a workhorse all night, carrying a career-high 40 times for 109 yards, ran the ball 13 times during the 80-yard drive, including nine straight lugs at one point. He surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark for the third straight game and for the eighth time this season, upping his two-year total to 15 100-yard rushing efforts.
"It doesn't matter to me how many times I carry it," said Pierce, who has carried the ball 108 times over the last three games. "I always give my offensive line the glory because they carried it 40 times with me. Whatever it takes to win. I felt like I was in a war tonight. I feel good that I was able to help carry my team to a win."
The Delaware lead did not last long though. Villanova regained the advantage at 16-13 early in the second half as Abur-Rahman broke off on another long run, darting 43 yards for the score. Defensive end Michael Atunrase (at left) blocked Hamilton's extra point attempt.
Athlete photoBut that was the last time Villanova would get on the scoreboard as the Hen defense, led by two late sacks by Atunrase, kept the Wildcats in check and Baner and Tunstall added their late game heroics.
"We had lost five in a row to these guys and that had to stop," said Keeler. "We have both had some pretty good teams the last few years and last season we lost in overtime. I didn't talk a whole lot about it with the team, but I told them to just focus and do what we needed to do to win the game.
"We've done everything we can do," said Keeler regarding a possible NCAA Tournament bid. "We are ranked in the Top 15, we've won three straight, and we are the only team in the country that has beaten two Top 10 teams (Towson and Old Dominion). How can you leave us out."
==============================================
Delaware Gets Battle of the Blue Victory, Downs Villanova 26-16 to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
November 19, 2011 - http://www.boxscorenews.com/
CHESTER, Pa. -- A long-awaited and hard-fought victory over rival Villanova in hand, the University of Delaware football squad now turns its attention to a possible NCAA Tournament bid.
The No. 15 ranked Blue Hens (7-4, 5-3 Colonial Athletic Association) snapped a personal five-game losing streak to the Wildcats Saturday night at PPL Park as Sean Baner kicked a school-record tying four field goals and safety Ricky Tunstall put the game away with a 54-yard
interception return for a touchdown with 1:28 left to play in a 26-16 victory.
Delaware, which won its third straight game to close out the regular season, now turn its sights to an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. The 20-team field will be announced Sunday at 10 a.m. and the Hens, last year's national runner-up, hope to see their name called.
On this night though, it was all about a big victory over a long-time rival as the Hens knocked off a struggling Villanova (2-9, 1-7 CAA) squad for the first time since 2005 to secure the Battle of the Blue trophy for the first time since it was introduced in 2006.
"It was an emotional win and now all we can do is enjoy it and wait to see what happens on Sunday" said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler. "Our guys are relieved to finally beat this team. Nothing got us down tonight. We just went out and played and kept our chins up the entire
time. It's nice to get this win. I think we are one of the top 20 teams in the country."
The game, the first American football game played at the two-year old stadium which serves as the home for Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union, featured two ties and four lead changes. An enthusiastic crowd of 14,107, fitting of one of the top rivalries in the NCAA Division I
Football Championship Subdivision, enjoyed every second of it.
After Villanova scored its final points on a 43-yard scamper by Jamal Abdur-Rahman with 5:37 left in the third quarter, Delaware reeled off the final 13 points of the game to go home winners.
Baner, who tied his own school record of four field goals set against Old Dominion back in September, connected on a 40-yarder with 8:45 left to tie the score at 16-16 and followed with eventual game-winner with a 29-yard kick with 2:11 left to put the Hens up 19-16.
On the first kick, the Hens extended the drive by converting four third down attempts, including a 20-yard toss from quarterback Tim Donnelly to tight end Ryan Cobb down to the Villanova 27-yard line.
A 24-yard punt return by Rob Jones to the Delaware 49-yard line and a pair of 12-yard tosses from Donnelly to Jones and Nihja White keyed the second Baner kick.
"Coach Keeler had faith in me that I could make the kick," said Baner of the game-winner. "I wasn't nervous, but I don't know why. I should have been. I just tried to stay calm and keep my head down. I looked up and saw it go through (the uprights) and was so happy.”
Villanova had one last chance to win the game, but Tunstall stepped in front of a pass by Chris Polony and sprinted 54 yards down the right sideline and into the touchdown with 1:28 left to put an exclamation point on the victory.
Tunstall, who also intercepted a first-half pass in the end zone to thwart a Villanova drive, now has four interceptions in his last two games.
"The defense knew that we just had to go out there and get another stop, or get another interception," stated Tunstall, who has helped the Hens force 10 turnovers during the season-ending three-game win streak.
Delaware held a big advantages in first downs (21-14) and held the ball for almost 20 minutes longer than Villanova. And gaining three turnovers didn't hurt either. Blue Hen sophomore Travis Hawkins returned the opening kickoff 69 yards to set up a 26-yard Baner field goal and the
Hens were up 3-0 just under four minutes into the game.
Villanova came right back to take a 10-3 lead as Mark Hamilton connected on a 19-yard field goal on the final play of the first quarter and Abdur-Rahman (119 yards rushing) got loose down the right sideline and scored on a 58-yard scamper with 13:20 left in the first half.
Another Baner field goal, this one from 34 yards out, cut the margin to 10-6 and the Hens took a 13-10 lead into the break when sophomore All-American running back Andrew Pierce leapt into the end zone from one-yard out with just 12 seconds left in the half.
The drive was set up by Tunstall's first interception of the night as he made a diving catch of a Polony pass in the end zone.
Pierce, who was a workhorse all night, carrying a career-high 40 times for 109 yards, ran the ball 13 times during the 80-yard drive, including nine straight lugs at one point. He surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark for the third straight game and for the eighth time this season, upping
his two-year total to 15 100-yard rushing efforts.
"It doesn't matter to me how many times I carry it," said Pierce, who has carried the ball 108 times over the last three games. "I always give my offensive line the glory because they carried it 40 times with me. Whatever it takes to win. I felt like I was in a war tonight. I feel good that I was able to help carry my team to a win."
The Delaware lead did not last long though. Villanova regained the advantage at 16-13 early in the second half as Abur-Rahman broke off on another long run, darting 43 yards for the score. Defensive end Michael Atunrase blocked Hamilton's extra point attempt.
But that was the last time Villanova would get on the scoreboard as the Hen defense, led by two late sacks by Atunrase, kept the Wildcats in check and Baner and Tunstall added their late game heroics.
"We had lost five in a row to these guys and that had to stop," said Keeler. "We have both had some pretty good teams the last few years and last season we lost in overtime. I didn't talk a whole lot about it with the team, but I told them to just focus and do what we needed to do to
win the game."We've done everything we can do," said Keeler regarding a possible NCAA Tournament bid.
"We are ranked in the Top 15, we've won three straight, and we are the only team in the country that has beaten two Top 10 teams (Towson and Old Dominion). How can you leave us out."
Delaware.....3......10....
Villanova.....3........7....
1st Quarter
Delaware - FG Baner 27, 11:25
Villanova - FG Hamilton 19, 0:00
2nd Quarter
Villanova - Abdur-Rahman 58 run (Hamilton kick), 13:20
Delaware - FG Baner, 8:27
Delaware - Pierce 1 run (Baner kick), :12
3rd Quarter
Villanova - Abdur-Rahman 43 run (Hamilton kick blocked), 5:37
4th Quarter
Delaware - FG Baner, 40, 8:45
Delaware - FG Baner 29, 2:11
Delaware - Tunstall 54 interception return (Baner kick), 1:28
Attendance: 14,107
Team Statistics Delaware Villanova
First downs 21 14
Rushes-yards 59-181 28-199
Passing yards 153 139
Total yards 334 338
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 3-35 6-46
Punts-yards 4-37.8 4-49.0
Time of Possession 39:15 20:45
Third down conv. 10-21 5-11
Sacks by 3-17 2-5
Individual Statistics: Rushing - Delaware, Pierce, 40-109, Hayes, 10-54,
Donnelly, 5-19, Jones, 1-6, Team, 1-(-7); Villanova, Abdur-Rahman,
7-119, Doss, 4-47, Polony ,10-21, Monangai, 7-12; Passing - Delaware,
Donnelly, 14-22-0-153; Villanova, Polony, 14-24-2-139; Receiving -
Delaware, White, 7-82, Jones, 3-25, Cobb, 1-20, Schenauer, 1-16, Russo,
1-8, Pierce, 1-2; Villanova, Reynolds, 3-47, Doss, 3-29, Price, 3-15,
Abdur-Rahman, ,2-21, Wells, 2-15, Monangai, 1-12.
===============================================
Baner kicks 4 field goals to help Delaware rally past Villanova 26-16
Washington Post November 19
CHESTER, Pa. — Sean Baner kicked four field goals, including two in the fourth quarter to help Delaware rally past Villanova 26-16 on Saturday.
The Blue Hens (7-4, 5-3 Colonial Athletic Association) led 13-10 before Jamal Abdur-Rahman’s 43-yard run midway through the third quarter gave the Wildcats a 16-13 lead.
Baner then kicked a 40-yard field goal to tie it, and followed with a 29-yarder for the lead.
Ricky Tunsall intercepted a pass by Villanova’s Chris Polony and returned it 54 yards for the final margin.
Baner’s other two field goals were from 26 and 34 yards out.
Andrew Pierce scored the Blue Hens’ only offensive TD on a 1-yard run late in the first half. It was Delaware’s third straight win and snapped a five-game losing streak to the Wildcats (2-9, 1-7).
Abdur-Rahman had 119 yards and two touchdowns for Villanova, which suffered its first nine-loss season since going 2-9 in 1972.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
=========================================
Turnovers, Penalties derail Villanova
By TERRY TOOHEY - The Times Herald
ttoohey@journalregister.com
Posted: 11/19/11
CHESTER — The venue was terrific. The atmosphere was even better, even though the crowd appeared to be a little smaller than the announced number of 14,107.
Everything about the first “American” football game at PPL Park was perfect for Villanova Saturday, except for the ending.
Delaware scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come away with a 26-16 victory over the Wildcats.
Sophomore Sean Banner booted a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter, including a 29-yarder with 2 minutes, 11 seconds to play to break a 16-all deadlock, and junior safety Ricky Tunstall returned an interception 54 yards for a TD 43 seconds later to keep Delaware’s playoff hopes alive.
The Blue Hens (7-4 overall, 5-3 CAA) will find out their playoff fate when the FCS pairings are released at 10 this morning.
The loss ended the worst season in Andy Talley’s 27-year tenure on the Main Line. It is the first time since football was restored in 1985 that Villanova (2-9, 1-7) did not finish with at least three wins.
Turnovers, and several key penalties, were the difference, which was not a surprise. That has been the storyline throughout the season. In six of its eight losses coming into the game, Villanova had at least one more turnover than the opposition. That was the case again.
Delaware scored 14 points off three Villanova turnovers.
Two of those turnovers came deep inside Delaware territory and cost Villanova potential scoring opportunities. Quarterback Chris Polony was involved in all three turnovers. He threw two interceptions, including a pick in the end zone, and was stripped of the ball at the Delaware 10-yard line early in the third quarter.
“We’ve had this up and down deal at quarterback,” Talley said. “The turnovers at the quarterback position are killers. Chris is a young guy, he’s coming up and he’s still picking up what we’re doing. As he matures, we’ll start to play better.”
Polony was sitting next to Talley as he made that statement so he was not speaking behind his quarterback’s back. Polony did not disagree with his coach’s sentiment.
“I just wasn’t smart with the football,” Polony said of the turnovers. “Coach (Sam) Venuto (Villanova’s offensive coordinator) talks about that all the time. I just got a little greedy on some of them, which shouldn’t happen in the red zone. We have to get points there.”
Polony did engineer three scoring drives, with the help of a huge game from receiver/running back Jamal Abdur-Rahman. The freshman from La Salle amassed 291 all-purpose yards and scored both Villanova touchdowns. He carried the ball seven times for a career-high 119 yards and scored on runs of 58 and 43 yards. He also caught two passes for 21 yards and returned six kickoffs for 151 yards.
“Jamal played fantastic,” Talley said. “I don’t remember a freshman having a game like that. I don’t know if Brian Westbrook ever had a game like that when he was a freshman.”
To give you an idea how good Abdur-Rahman was, he had 10 more rushing yards than Delaware’s Andrew Pierce on 33 fewer carries. Pierce finished with 109 yards on 40 attempts.
Yet it wasn’t enough because of the turnovers.
After a 50-yard bolt by Lawrence Doss, Villanova was in prime position to expand on its 10-3 lead in the second quarter. The Wildcats had at the ball at the Delaware, but came away empty when Tunstall stepped in front of a Polony pass in the end zone that was intended for tight end Earnest
Pettway.
“I definitely forced it,” Polony said of the interception.
Delaware drove 80 yards in 16 plays to take a 13-10 halftime lead on a 1-yard run by Pierce with 12 seconds left in the half. An 18-yard run by David Hayes on second-and-25 from the Delaware 23-yard line, plus two Villanova penalties helped to keep that drive alive.
“We were undisciplined at times today,” Talley said. “It’s an emotional game. It’s one of those games that sometimes can bring out the worst in you.”
Villanova had another scoring opportunity go for naught when Polony, who was carrying the football like a loaf of Bimbo, was stripped at the Delaware 10-yard line on the first possession of the second half. However, Villanova bounced back from that turnover to take a 16-13 lead on Abdur-Rahman’s 43-yard touchdown run in the third period.
It was the last offensive highlight of the day for the Wildcats.
Baner tied the game on a 40-yard field goal with 8:45 to play it the game. It was his third field goal of the day and he wasn’t finished. Baner nailed a 29-yarder a little over six minutes later to put the Blue Hens on top, 19-16.
Tunstall ended any chance the Wildcats had of a comeback with his second pick of the day. He stepped in front of Polony’s pass at the Delaware 46-yard line and raced up to sideline to seal the victory.
“It’s disappointing to lose a game you feel you can win,” Talley said. “There were some games where we weren’t a competitive football team. We were a competitive football team today. We could have easily won the game today, but we need to have better quarterback play. I know it. Chris knows it. Everybody knows it.”
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Blue Hens: Outside Looking In?
FROM: http://www.townsquaredelaware.com
November 18, 2011 By Kevin Noonan
Coach K.C. Keeler believes his University of Delaware football team should be invited to the FCS playoffs and he makes a compelling case. The Blue Hens did beat two teams that will definitely make the playoffs – Towson and Old Dominion – and they’ll have won five games while playing in the toughest conference in America. They’re also ranked 15th in the nation and 20 teams make the playoffs field.
Unfortunately for Keeler, his team doesn’t play in the NFC where an OK record can get you into the playoffs. Hard to believe, but Andy Reid’s Eagles may have a better chance of making the playoffs than Keeler’s Blue Hens do.
History says that you need at least seven victories at the FCS level to make the FCS playoffs – no team with fewer than seven Division I victories has ever made them. Ever. And a season-ending victory over Villanova on Saturday will give Delaware just six Division I victories. So, if the Blue Hens do make the playoffs they’ll also make history.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible for the Hens to keep playing after Saturday’s game, but it is highly improbable. For one thing, there are four other CAA teams more worthy of being chosen for the postseason – Towson, Maine, Old Dominion and New Hampshire.
The last time a conference had five teams in the playoffs was the CAA in 2008 and that was before the field expanded from 16 teams to 20 (with a further expansion to 24 coming in the near future), so it is possible.
But there is a difference this year. Even though the CAA has six teams ranked in the top 20, its highest ranked team, Towson, is just No. 8. Old Dominion is 10, Maine is 11, New Hampshire is 12 and Delaware is 15. That’s impressive, but not overly so. There are 10 at-large berths and it’s hard to see the CAA getting almost half of them, even if it is generally regarded as the best conference at its level.
In fact, what helps Delaware is also what hurts it. The NCAA selection committee has always given the CAA the respect it deserves and it understands that a 7-4 CAA team is probably better than a 9-2 team from another conference. At the same time, the CAA is so competitive that they end up bumping each other off. So, being part of the CAA can be a blessing and a curse.
Two games in particular might keep Delaware out of the playoffs this year, and the Blue Hens actually won one of them. They whipped Division II West Chester early in the season and then were upset by CAA rival Rhode Island. The selection committee isn’t impressed by whippings administered to Division II teams and they’re even less impressed with loses to losing teams.
It’s that 38-24 defeat to Rhode Island on Oct. 22 that really stings. The Rams are just 3-7 going into this weekend’s games and 2-5 in the conference (including their victory over the Hens) and Delaware should have handled them easily. If they had, a victory over Villanova would have pretty much guaranteed a playoff berth. Delaware’s tradition and success in past playoffs – they went to the national championship game last year – would have been a nice tie-breaker.
But now there is no tie to break. So, expect the Blue Hens to be on the outside looking in when the NCAA selection committee announces its playoff schedule on Sunday morning. And it’s a shame, because the Hens proved they can play with any team in the best conference in America. But they also lost to one of the worst teams in the conference and that will prove to be one loss, too many.
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College Football Notes: 'Nova facing Delaware
DAVE ZEITLIN - http://www.csnphilly.com/
November 18, 2011, 10:44 am
Talley and Keeler on 'Battle of the Blue'
Villaova head coach Andy Talley and Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler talk about what it means to play in the 'Battle of the Blue' at PPL Park. 11/18/2011
The Villanova and Penn football teams may be out of contention for any kind of championship.
But with each squad heading into their final games of the 2011 season Saturday, that doesn’t mean they don’t have anything to play for.
Let’s start with Villanova.
Not only do the Wildcats have a chance to spoil the FCS playoff hopes of rival Delaware, they also get the opportunity to play the first-ever (American) football game at PPL Park, the home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union.
The rivalry game, dubbed the “Battle of the Blue,” kicks off at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised live on the Comcast Network.
“The place looks great,” said Villanova coach Andy Talley of the sparking stadium on Chester’s waterfront. “It’s all doctored up. The field is striped, the goal posts are up, and the people at the park couldn’t be better to work with.
“We’re really hoping we’re going to have a big splash down there.”
By just about all accounts, the season has been a disappointing one for Talley and the Wildcats, who own a 2-8 record and will miss the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2007.
But at this point of the season, they would love nothing more than to make sure Delaware’s season won’t extend beyond the regular season, either. The Blue Hens are currently 6-4 and Talley said that Delaware coach K.C. Keeler believes Delaware will earn a playoff berth with a win in Saturday’s regular-season finale.
A ’Nova win would also give Talley’s team two straight victories to close out an otherwise disappointing season.
“For us, it’s a tremendous opportunity to finish on a high note against our rival – and a team that is respected by everybody,” Talley said. “It would help greatly to keep our momentum going into next year if we can upset them. And they have a very good team as usual.”
The Blue Hens may be very good but Villanova has certainly had their number of late. While the overall series between the two rivals is nearly deadlocked, Villanova has come out victorious in the last five meetings.
To what does Talley credit that recent string of success?
“I think it’s just been about timing,” the Villanova head coach said. “I don’t think there’s any magic to it.”
===========================================
Delaware Ground Attack Gets in High Gear as No. 15 Blue Hens Hold Off Richmond 24-10 to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
UD Sports Info Dept - 11/12/11
NEWARK, Del. -- Andrew Pierce (at right) darted in and around the Richmond defense all day long to highlight a dominating run game and the University of Delaware defense forced four turnovers as the Blue Hens continued to keep their post-season playoff hopes alive with a 24-10 Colonial Athletic Association football victory Saturday afternoon at Delaware Stadium.
The 15th-ranked Blue Hens (6-4, 4-3 Colonial Athletic Association) cruised to their second straight win as they jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead and held off the Spiders to send the Homecoming and Senior Day crowd of 20,008 home happy.
Richmond (3-7, 0-7 CAA) lost it seventh straight game, its longest winless streak since the 1996 season. Delaware will close out the regular season next Saturday against long-time CAA rival Villanova in a game that will be played at PP&L Park in Chester, Pa., home of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.
The Hens will need a win to say in the running for one of 10 at-large playoff berths in the 20-team field that will be announced Nov. 20.
Pierce, a sophomore All-American and 2011 CAA Pre-Season Player of the Year who entered the game ranked 18th nationally in rushing with 106.1 yards per game, was a workhorse once again for the Hens as carried 34 times for 215 yards scored two first-half touchdowns.
Running behind a line that features three pre-season All-Americans among its four seniors, he also went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season and moved into fourth place on the all-time UD rushing list in just two seasons with 2,825 yards.
Athlete photoHis 215 yards was his second career 200-yard effort and the eighth highest single game total in UD history. He has now surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark seven times this season and 14 times in his 25-game career.
“Our line was great tonight,” said Pierce, who became only the fifth player in UD history to record two 200-yard rushing efforts in a career, surpassing his 200-yard effort vs. Duquesne a year ago. “We knew our guys would come out with a lot of emotion because of Senior Day and I knew we would have a good day running the ball.”
The Hens, led by the quartet of senior linemen in Gino Gradkowski, Rob McDowell, Will Nagle, and Shea Allard, piled up their second highest rushing yardage total this season with 249 total yards and held a nearly four-minute advantage in time of possession.
Pierce scored on a one-yard burst to open the scoring midway through the first half and later capped a 97-yard march with a four-yard touchdown lunge with 3:12 left in the first half to send Delaware into the break with a comfortable 21-3 lead.
Blue Hen quarterback Tim Donnelly also added a one-yard touchdown sneak late in the first quarter and Sean Baner converted a 30-yard field goal midway through the third quarter cap a 67-yard drive and push the lead to 24-3.Donnelly managed the offense well all day, hitting on 9 of 14 passes for 129 yards.
Delaware continued its outstanding play at home as the Hens improved to 15-2 in their last 17 games at Delaware Stadium since 2009.
Athlete photo“You never know what you are going to get after a bye week,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, whose team downed then No. 13 Towson 35-30 in its most recent outing on Oct. 22. “But that was a pretty good performance you saw out there today. Offensively we were able to run the football and keep their offense off the field. It wasn’t pretty today but our kids kept playing. It was fun to have a Senior Day like this.”
While the Delaware offense was grinding out the yardage on the ground, the Delaware defense was rising to the task as well. Junior Ricky Tunstall (at left) got his first start at free safety in over a month and responded by picking off two passes by Richmond quarterback Adam Corps and tying for the team lead with a career-high seven tackles.
The Hens also registered a season-high four sacks, including two by senior end Michael Atunrase (at right), blocked a short field goal attempt, and recovered a fumble by Corps with Richmond driving midway through the final stanza. The Hens held the Spiders to 308 total yards, including just 34 yards on 21 carries.
“Over the last two weeks we were really concentrating on rushing the passer,” said Atunrase. “We wanted to get at least three sacks today and we got one better. We just wanted to get some hits on him (Corps) and I think we did that tonight. It was great to do it on Senior Day. I’ve been here for five years and I’ve seen Senior Days come and go. You never think you are going to be there, too. This went by way too fast.”
Delaware, which defeated Richmond at home for the first time since 2003, jumped out to a quick 21-3 lead to take control of the game. Travis Hawkins recorded his team-leading fourth interception of the season when he went high to pick off a pass by Corp on Richmond’s first offensive play.
Getting the ball at their own 43-yard line, the Hens went right to work, moving swiftly downfield as Pierce carried five times and Donnelly hooked up with Nihja White on a 34-yard pass. Pierce capped the drive as he scooted into the end zone from one-yard out with 8:59 let in the first stanza.
Richmond answered immediately as the Spiders moved 56 yards on 12 plays and got on the board on a 22-yard field goal by Will Kamin, but Delaware followed that up with another touchdown as Donnelly snuck in from one yard out for his first touchdown of the season with 2:17 left in the opening stanza.
After Laith Wallschleger blocked a 28-yard field goal by Kamin a few minutes later, the Hens extended the lead to 21-3 as they marched 97 yards on 15 plays and ate almost eight minutes off the clock. Pierce capped the drive when he scored from four yards out, lunging into the end zone for the score with 3:12 left in the half.
The Hens upped the lead to 24-3 on a 30-yard field goal by Baner with 6:42 left in the third quarter and the Hens stopped each of the next two Spider drives thanks to interceptions by Tunstall, the second of which he returned 49 yards inside Richmond territory.
“Turnovers have been our Achilles heel all year and it really hurt us again today,” said Richmond head coach Wayne Lineburg. “You have to take care of the ball and certainly Delaware did a better job of that today.”
Corps, a pro prospect who finished the day hitting on 23 of 42 passes for 250 yards, led the Spiders to their only touchdown of the day with 7:35 left to play as he hit Tre Gray down the right sideline for a 38-yard scoring pass.
However, the Spiders could never get closer and sealed their fate when Delaware’s Quincy Barr sacked Corps and forced a fumble on the Delaware 31-yard line that Jamaul Christopher recovered with 3:03 left to play.
Gray caught nine passes for 126 yard and a touchdown, going over the 1,000-yard mark for the season, while Ben Edwards hauled in a career-high nine passes for 73 yards. Reggie Barnette and Darius McMillan led the Spider defensive effort, posting 14 and 13 tackles respectively.
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Old South Division Rivals Clash Saturday At Delaware
Courtesy:Richmond Athletics
Release:11/09/2011
Richmond (3-6, 0-6) vs. No. 15 Delaware (5-4, 3-3)
Game 10 Saturday, November 12, 2011
Location Delaware Stadium (22,000) | Newark, Del.
Kickoff 3:30 p.m. ET
Radio ESPN 950 | Listen Live
TV The Comcast Network; Comcast SportsNet-New England
Webcast (Video) UD Live
Live Stats Link (Available at kickoff)
Social Media Twitter | Facebook
Game Notes Richmond (PDF) | Delaware (PDF)
The Game
• Richmond and No. 15 Delaware clash Saturday at Delaware Stadium in Newark in a meeting of former CAA Football South Division rivals.
• The Spiders have won in their last two visits to Delaware Stadium -- an epic, 62-56 five overtime triumph in 2007 and a 16-15 thriller in 2009.
• Richmond has won four of the last five in the series, but Delaware has had the upper-hand in the all-time series, 19-8, that dates back to 1931.
Quick Slants
• Richmond has scored first in six of the nine games this season and is outscoring the opposition 51-39 in the first quarter.
• Senior WR Tre Gray became the Spiders’ all-time leader in both receptions and receiving yards vs. Maine, surpassing the 26-year records held by former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin. Gray is third among all active FCS players in career catches (224) and yards (2,891). Melvin congratulated Gray via Twitter.
• With 977 yards through nine games, Gray is on pace for just the third 1,000-yard season by a receiver in school history. The last time was 1992 when Rod Boothes set the school’s single-season record with 1,115 yards.
• Gray leads CAA Football and nationally, is fourth in catches (8.4/game) and fifth nationally in yards (108.6/game) this season.
• Redshirt freshman WR Stephen Barnette made a leaping, one-handed, highlight-reel touchdown catch at ODU last week -- a play that was No. 10 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 last Saturday night.
• Gray and Barnette are the league’s top two clutch WRs on third down this season, with Gray converting 16 times on 18 third-down plays, while Barnette is 16 for 16 with a league-best three TDs coming on third-down plays.
• Gray’s 76 catches this season set a new single-season record at Richmond.
• Senior QB Aaron Corp has recorded three 300-yard passing games this season and is ranked third in the league (20th FCS) at 248.4 passing yards per game.
• Corp has thrown for 2,236 yards this season and 2,881 in his 14-game career at Richmond, which ranks 10th on the Spiders’ all-time list.
• Corp’s 2,000-yard passing season is just the 10th-ever recorded at Richmond.
• Junior LB Darius McMillan has recorded double-digit tackles in eight of the nine games this season and ranks third in the league (12th in the FCS) at 11.1 tackles/game.
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CAA Football Players of the Week -- Oct. 31
From: http://www.caasports.com/
RICHMOND, Va. (October 31, 2011) -- CAA Football announced its Player of the Week honorees, Monday, Oct. 31. Four individuals earned honors after showcasing superb efforts in contests played in Week 9 of the 2011 season, including Delaware's Andrew Pierce and Travis Hawkins, Massachusetts' Perry McIntyre and Old Dominion's Taylor Heinicke.
CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week - Andrew Pierce, RB, Delaware
Pierce led the Blue Hen ground attack to an upset win at Towson, 35-30, and earned himself CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week honors. The sophomore carried the ball a career-high 34 times gaining a season-high 158 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Pierce logged the eventual game-winner with a five-yard burst with two minutes left in the third quarter, after scoring on runs of 23 and 13 yards earlier in the contest. The All-American also hauled in one pass for nine yards for the Blue Hens.
CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week - Perry McIntyre, LB, Massachusetts
McIntyre turned in his fourth double-digit tackle effort of the season pacing Massachusetts to a 28-7 win over Richmond Saturday and himself to the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week honor. The junior made 11 total stops including 3.5 behind the lines of scrimmage for 15 yards. McIntyre, who also recorded a sack for eight yards in the third quarter, led a defense which forced six turnovers and limited the Spiders to just one yard on the ground.
CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week - Travis Hawkins, KR, Delaware
Hawkins picked up CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week honors after helping Delaware to a 35-30 win over Towson Saturday. The sophomore, who returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, was part of a Blue Hen kickoff return unit which garnered 240 yards on five returns. Hawkins' touchdown return marked the longest of his career and was the first touchdown return for Delaware since 2009.
CAA Football Rookie of the Week - Taylor Heinicke, QB, Old Dominion
Heinicke was nearly flawless in leading Old Dominion to a 23-20 win over James Madison in The Oyster Bowl. The freshman logged Oyster Bowl MVP honors and earned CAA Football Rookie of the Week accolades for his play. The Atlanta, Ga., native completed 22-of-35 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for a net total of 50 yards on the day. His first TD-pass, a 17-yarder to Larry Pinkard, helped the Monarchs take the game's first lead and his second was a 23-yarder to Pinkard in the second quarter.
You can share your CAA football thoughts, ideas and photos with us now at facebook.com/CAAFootball. CAA Football is blogging at caafootballblog.com...be sure to checkout the official blog of CAA Football to find all sorts of information that might not be at CAAFootball.com. CAA Football is also on Twitter...Fans from all 11 schools can get up-to-date information by following the league at twitter.com/The_CAAFootball. The league also encourages fans to visit us on YouTube: youtube.com/CAAFootball. Logon now and subscribe to see the latest video productions from CAA Football.
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Towson can't replicate late magic in 35-30 loss to Delaware
No. 21 Blue Hens hand No. 13 Tigers their first loss to an FCS opponent this season
By Rich Scherr, Special to The Baltimore Sun
October 29, 2011
In recent weeks, Towson has ridden a series of miraculous comebacks and thrilling finishes to its best start at the Division I level.
On Saturday, the Tigers finally ran out of magic.
Sophomore Andrew Pierce rushed for a season-high 158 yards and three touchdowns, out-dueling Towson freshman Terrance West, and No. 21 Delaware held off No. 13 Towson, 35-30, before an announced 8,122 at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
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West ran for a career-high 155 yards and four touchdowns, but he couldn't help the Tigers score in the final 22:44.
"Our youth showed its face today in a number of different ways, finally," Towson coach Rob Ambrose said. "Instead of living by our rear ends, scoring in the fourth quarter and finding a way to come from behind, we finally lost a hand."
The loss was the Tigers' first against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent this season, and it broke their string of four straight wins against ranked teams.
Towson (6-2 overall, 4-1 Colonial Athletic Association) can keep alive its hopes for a league title -- and an automatic bid to the 20-team NCAA tournament -- Saturday against first-place Maine.
Trailing by one, Delaware rode the legs of Pierce to the lead. He carried the ball five straight times in the red zone, finally scoring from the 5 with 2:05 left in the third.
Attempting to rally back, Towson quarterback Grant Enders (Old Mill) threw two interceptions in the final 11:16, including one by linebacker Paul Worrilow at the Towson 43 that all but sealed the outcome with 2:32 left.
Towson had one final chance when Nick Oates blocked Sean Baner's 38-yard field goal attempt with 59 seconds left, but Enders' Hail Mary on fourth down from the Delaware 48 was batted out of bounds in the endzone as time expired.
Delaware (5-4, 3-3), the FCS national runner-up last season, broke a two-game losing streak.
"The last two weeks we've been very fragile, in terms of we make a mistake and let it linger," said Blue Hens coach K.C. Keeler, whose team was outgained, 388-257.
Towson jumped on top early by forcing turnovers on Delaware's first two drives.
First the Tigers' Tye Smith sacked quarterback Tim Donnelly and forced a fumble, which teammate Romale Tucker recovered at Towson's 41. Four plays later, West (Northwestern) took a handoff, started right, then cut back behind a block and outran the defense for a 46-yard touchdown. D.J. Soven then added a 28-yard field goal after linebacker Kenton Powell intercepted a tipped pass.
But trailing 10-0, the Blue Hens quickly changed the complexion of the game with an 80-yard kickoff return by Michael Johnson. The play, which led to a short touchdown run by Donnelly, was especially painful for Towson, which lost top pass rusher Frank Beltre to an unspecified injury.
After falling behind 16-14, the Blue Hens jumped back on top on an 86-yard kickoff return by Travis Hawkins, then extended their lead to 29-16 on Pierce's 13-yard run with just over two minutes left in the half.
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Mistakes Costly in Tigers' Loss to Delaware
Courtesy: Towson Athletics Media Relations
Release: 10/30/2011
TOWSON, Md. - Mistakes. They never come at the right time.
Towson has made very few mistakes this season on its way to a 6-2 record, especially on offense and special teams. But, on a very chilly and wet Saturday night, the Tigers decided to spread them out against Delaware.
Let's start with kickoff coverage. Towson was allowing 24.4 yards per kick return coming into this game and gave up a 51-yard kickoff return to Michael Johnson to start the game. On the third return of the game, when Towson had all of the momentum and a 10-point lead, Johnson returned it 80 yards to the Towson 11-yard line. Three plays later, Delaware quarterback Tim Donnelly leaped into the end zone to complete a four-yard run and helped Delaware cut the lead to 10-7.
After Towson took a 16-14 lead on a Terrance West 7-yard run, D.J. Soven missed a rare extra point (the snap was high) and the Tigers were up by two instead of three. On the ensuing kickoff, Soven kicked it away from Johnson and to Travis Hawkins, who took it all the way from the Delaware 14-yard line to the end zone. After the Blue Hens converted a two-point conversion attempt, they held a 22-16 advantage in the second quarter.
Soven started squib kicking it after the Hawkins' touchdown.
"We had three blown assignments, two non-called penalites and one personal foul penalty that didn't get called," said Towson Coach Rob Ambrose. "But, that doesn't matter. We changed three personnel players and changed how we kicked off."
But, special teams miscues weren't the only issue. After the Tigers were down by 22-16 in the second quarter, redshirt freshman Derrick Joseph returned the ball to the Towson 32-yard line but fumbled the ball. Senior fullback Tyler Wharton recovered for the Tigers, but a tussle broke out after the play and Towson freshman Tye Smith was whistled for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that was followed by another 15-yard penalty on the bench.
Towson ended up having to start at its own 8-yard line instead of the 32-yard line. The drive broke down at the Towson 24-yard line when sopohomore quarterback Grant Enders was sacked. Freshman punter R.J. Peppers' punt was caught at the Delaware 46-yard line for just a 30-yard punt. Delaware needed just eight plays to extend its advantage to 29-16.
Towson came into this game as one of least penalized teams in the CAA at 40.7 yards per game, but had six penalties for 59 yards against the Blue Hens.
Another strongsuit for the Tigers coming into this game was turnover ratio. They were third in the league with a +5 turnover ratio and ironically Maine, Towson's next opponent, is now +7 after Saturday's 41-25 win over Villanova. The Tigers committed three turnovers on Saturday night and forced just two turnovers.
West, who had a season-high 155 yards with four touchdowns, fumbled the ball at the Delaware 40-yard line after Enders had rushed for 16 yards in the first quarter. Delaware needed six plays and an Andrew Pierce 23-yard touchdown run to convert off the turnover and go ahead, 14-10.
Enders came into the game, completing 71.5% of his passes with 9 TDs and four interceptions. On Saturday, Enders was 15 of 30 with two picks and no TDs. The near-freezing temperatures probably didn't help.
Both of Enders' interceptions came in the fourth quarter. With Towson driving early in the frame and down by five points, Enders was looking for junior Tom Ryan but defensive end Michael Atunrase stepped in and earned his first career interception. Towson's 10-play drive was halted at the Delaware 19-yard line with 11:16 left.
The final interception came at the Towson 38-yard line with 2:23 remaining. Enders attempted to hit junior Gerrard Sheppard but linebacker Paul Worrilow stepped in to pick off the pass.
"He was late on the first one and didn't see the defensive lineman," said Ambrose. "On the last one, he tried to rush it instead of letting it play out."
Towson has been successful this season because the Tigers have limited their mistakes in all three phases of the game.
"Our kids are really young and you haven't seen a lot of mistakes," said Ambrose. "That's the great thing about we have done to this point. So, we made some mistakes all across the board in all three phases of the game. We didn't play four quarters of football.
"To beat a quality opponent like Delaware, the team that played in the National Campionship last year, you have to play four quarters, you can't turn it over and you have to force turnovers," he added. "We didn't do that tonight."
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Blue Hens Bounce Back in a Big Way as Delaware Knocks Off League Unbeaten Towson with 35-30 Victory
October 29, 2011- Courtesy of UD Sports Info Dept.
The Blue Hens are back.
Thanks to a gutsy performance from running back Andrew Pierce (at right), three big kickoff returns, and fourth quarter interceptions by Michael Atunrase (at left) and Paul Worrilow, the University of Delaware raced back into the post-season playoff race as the Hens bounced back from two sub-par efforts and posted a 35-30 Colonial Athletic Association football victory over rival Towson Saturday night at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
Playing in a light snow and frigid 39 degree temperatures, the two teams traded the lead five times before the 21st ranked Blue Hens (5-4, 3-3 CAA) took the lead for good on Pierce’s third touchdown of the game, a five-yard burst with 2:05 left to play.
“We just needed a win, and more importantly a win over a very good team,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, who avoided a rare three-game losing streak by his team, something that has happened just twice in his decade at the helm of the Blue Hens. “And we got that tonight against an outstanding Towson team. Our mental challenge after two straight losses was just to man-up and not put our heads down and not let bad plays bother us. This is exactly what we needed. We have been pressing, so our mantra was to just go play and we did that.”
Athlete photoThe game wasn’t decided until a desperation pass into a crowded pack in the end zone by Towson quarterback Grant Enders on the final play of the game was swatted away, setting off a wild celebration on the Blue Hen sideline.
No. 13 ranked Towson (6-2, 4-1 CAA), one of the nation’s most improved teams after winning just three league games over the last three seasons, lost its first league game of the season and suffered its first setback at home in five outings this fall.
Delaware, which will take a week off next Saturday before returning to action Nov. 12 for the season finale against Richmond, defeated Towson for the fifth straight time.
Pierce gained a season-high 158 yards on a career-high 30 carries and scored three times, giving the Hens their first lead at 10-7 early in the second quarter, scoring again late in the first half to push the UD lead to 29-23, and then bursting into the end zone from five yards out for the game-winner with 2:05 left to play.
I really wasn’t thinking about how many times I was carrying the ball during the game,” said Pierce, a sophomore All-American who has now surpassed the 100-yards milestone six times in nine games this season and 14 times in 23 career games. “I just wanted to win for the team. We knew we could move the ball today and we had a good game plan coming in. We have a good offensive line, they opened the holes, and I got through them.”
Thanks to Pierce, the Hens gained 201 of their 257 total yards on the ground and overcame two turnovers.
Towson piled up 388 total yards but the Tigers were hurt by three turnovers, most notably the two interceptions in the final quarter. Enders completed 15 of 30 passes for 159 yards and also picked up 72 yards on the ground while freshman sensation Terrance West rushed 27 times for 155 yards and scored four times, the second time he has hit the end zone four times this season.
Delaware picked up a school-record 240 yards on five kickoff returns during the night, including an 86-yarder for a touchdown by Travis Hawkins in the second quarter and an 80-yard scamper by freshman Michael Johnson (at right) that set up a first quarter touchdown. Johnson also had a 51-yard return to start the game, marking the first time the same player has had two returns of 50 or more yards in the same game in school history.
The three returns of over 50 yards marked the first time in school history that Delaware as a team had three returns of 50 or more yards.
The two teams put up a combined 65 points in the first three quarters, but a scoreless final stanza was anything but boring. After Pierce put the Hens for good on his third quarter touchdown romp, Towson had three more chance to regain the lead but could never get it done.
Atunrase, a senior All-CAA defensive end, picked a good time to register his first career interception as he jumped high to gather in an Enders pass after Towson had driven all the way down to Delaware 19-yard line with 11:05 left.
Delaware couldn’t capitalize after the turnover, but the Hens forced Towson to punt on its next possession and came up with another big turnover on the next drive as linebacker Paul Worrilow picked off Enders again at the Towson 38-yard line.
Once again, Delaware could not capitalize as the Hens could muster just 15 yards on five plays as they moved down to the Towson 21-yard line. Delaware had the chance to put things away but Sean Baner’s 28-yard field goal was blocked by Nick Oates with 52 seconds left, giving the Tigers one more chance to continue their season heroics.
Enders completed passes to Tremayne Dameron and Leon Kinnard to move the ball to the Delaware 43-yard line. But Enders had to fall on a bad snap and lost six yards, followed that with a pass into the turf to stop the clock, and then threw another incomplete pass after being harassed by Delaware’s Quincy Barr.
That set up the final play of the game as Enders took the snap, moved to his right, and threw a desperation pass into the end zone. A mass of Delaware bodies knocked the ball away, giving the Hens the much-needed victory.
Towson had jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game as West scored from 46 yards out on the first drive of the game with 12:10 left and D.J. Soven followed with a 28-yard field goal with 4:12 remaining. Delaware finally got on the board on a four-yard run by quarterback Tim Donnelly. The 11-yard drive was set up thanks to the 80-yard return by Johnson.
The teams then traded the lead three times before halftime with the Hens finally taking a 29-23 lead into the break. Pierce’s 23-yard dive gave the Hens a 14-10 lead, a seven-yard scoring run by West gave Towson a 16-14 advantage, and Hawkins’ 86-yard score on the ensuring kickoff put UD back on top 22-16. Another short Pierce scoring run gave the Hens their biggest lead of the night at 29-16 before Towson narrowed the gap on West’s third score of the night, a eight-yard burst with just 26 seconds left.
Towson took its final lead midway through the third quarter when West, the nation’s leading scorer with 18 touchdowns, tallied his fourth score of the night with 7:44 remaining for a 30-29 advantage. That lead lasted less than six minutes as Pierce capped a 65-yard drive with his five-yard run with 2:05 left to give the Hens the five-point cushion.
Hen Scratchings.....Pierce moved into sixth place on the all-time Delaware career rushing yardage list with 2,610 yards, moving past quarterback Bill Vergantino, who had 2,564 yards in 1989-92...Delaware WR Nihja White caught just two passes for 29 yards but extended his pass-catching streak to 31 games, the third longest streak in Delaware history...both teams converted 6 of 14 third downs on the night...Jake Giusti and Hawkins led the Blue Hen defensive effort with nine tackles each...Danzel White led Towson with 11
tackles.
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Towson football — the best sports story in Maryland
Ambrose has 6-1 Tigers primed for Saturday night showdown vs. Delaware
Kevin Cowherd - Baltimore Sun
October 27, 2011
Go ahead, find me a better comeback story than the one Towson University's football team is writing this fall.
Think about it: this is a team that went 1-10 last season. A team with a grand total of two wins the year before. A team picked to finish last in the Colonial Athletic Association. A team that had lost 26 of 28 conference games going into this year.
Now the Tigers are 6-1 and ranked 13th in the nation among FCS teams. It's their best start since 1987. In fact, they're the most improved team in Division I — FBS or FCS.
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And now they're anticipating a sell-out crowd at 11,000-seat Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday night for the Delaware game.
Imagine that: a full house at Unitas Stadium, a place where crowds were often so sparse you thought you were at a tractor-pull.
Maybe you have to know how downtrodden the football program was to truly appreciate this roll the Tigers are on.
The comeback story begins with the coach, Rob Ambrose. When he left as offensive coordinator at Connecticut three years ago to coach his alma mater, he was appalled at what he found.
In some ways, the football team seemed almost like an after-thought. There were no organized weight-lifting programs. No nutritional program, either. For pre-game meals on the road, the Tigers dined on apples and Snickers bars.
Worse, there was a huge chasm between the athletic and academic sides of the campus. Both were wary of each other. Ambrose knew he needed the support of the whole school to be successful. So he set out to change the entire culture.
"For years, everybody here was just happy to have a team," he says. "It was, 'Cool, we have a team!'"
Except often it was a losing team that drew flies. And that attitude of settling for mediocrity fried Ambrose.
"Now it's, 'We want to be good,'" he says.
But Ambrose, a cocky guy, then only 38, had to be convinced the administration cared about excelling as much as he did.
At his job interview with former Towson president Robert Caret, Ambrose was blunt. He wanted to know if Caret was committed to winning. And spending the kind of dough it took to win at the Division I level.
If Caret wasn't, Ambrose was ready to call a cab right then and there.
"If you're going to have a seriously renowned institution, then you're going to have to have a seriously renowned athletic department," Ambrose says. "… [But] there are a whole bunch of incredibly intelligent people on the planet that just do not want to hear that."
From all accounts, Caret was blown away by Ambrose's passion. So Ambrose took the job and went to work.
The first two years were incredibly difficult. Ambrose and his staff concentrated on getting the players in shape and getting them to buy into his ideas about sacrifice and changing the culture.
Sacrifice? Starting last January, the Tigers did conditioning drills at 5 a.m. at Unitas Stadium. And when official practices began, they did them at 5 a.m., too.
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NCAA approves major scholarship changes at meeting
October 27, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA is giving college sports a whole new look.
On Thursday, the Division I Board of Directors approved a package of sweeping reforms that gives conferences the option of adding more money to scholarship offers, schools the opportunity to award scholarships for multiple years, imposes tougher academic standards on recruits and changes the summer basketball recruiting model.
It was one of the busiest board meetings in history, and it was all by design.
Just 2½ months after NCAA President Mark Emmert told school leaders that they could not wait to clean up college sports, university presidents passed four landmark measures.
Conferences will now vote on whether to add $2,000 in spending money to scholarship offers. Previously, scholarships covered the costs of tuition, room and board, books and fees. But Emmert came out earlier this week in favor of increasing the allowable money, which the NCAA calls full cost-of-attendance.
BCS leagues are expected to quickly approve the changes, but it's unclear how many other conferences can afford it. All additional funding in men's sports would have to be matched equally in women's sports because of Title IX rules.
Individual schools also will have the option of awarding scholarships on a multiple-year basis or keeping the current model, which is done year-by-year. Critics contend the move is long overdue.
"The coach can cancel those (annual scholarships) for any reason, and the reason usually is they find a prettier girl to bring to the dance," said Ohio University professor David Ridpath, past president of The Drake Group, an NCAA watchdog. "If you're Frank Beamer or Nick Saban, they make a lot of money and they should be able to coach that kid up. I will tell you this from personal experience, it happens all the time. The way it's set up, the kids have no recourse. You just have to notify them by July 30th every year."
The board also decided to phase in the new Academic Progress Rate cutline over four years. In August, presidents approved increasing the cutline from the current 900 to 930. Schools that fail to meet the benchmark will be ineligible for postseason play.
On Thursday, the board approved a measure to use 900 starting in 2012-13. The cutline will increase to 930 in the fourth year. It also adopted a measure to include the rule in bowl licensing agreements, meaning it would apply to the 120-member Football Bowl Subdivision -- the only sport the NCAA for which does not sanction a postseason tourney.
In addition, the board agreed to increase eligibility requirements for incoming freshmen and junior college transfers. Both groups needed a 2.0 GPA to be eligible. Now, high school grads will need to maintain a 2.3 GPA in the 16 core courses and take 10 of those core classes before their senior year. Junior college players will have to maintain a 2.5 GPA and the NCAA will limit the number of physical education credits that will count toward eligibility.
The board also adopted a new summer basketball recruiting model.
Under the new measure, coaches would get four evaluation days in April and 12 in July. Previously, April was a dead period and coaches had 20 evaluation days in July. Coaches also will be permitted more contact with their own players during the summer and will benefit by the elimination of a text messaging ban.
Jim Haney, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said coaches support the changes.
"Oh yes, I think the feedback from our coaches has been very positive," he said. "I do see some challenges to evaluate in April, and it does reduce what can be done in July."
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Rhode Island Bests #13 Delaware 38-34 on Homecoming
Rams use a balanced air and ground game to beat the nationally ranked Blue Hens in Kingston
Oct. 22, 2011 - www.gorhody.com
Football: Rhode Island 38, #13 Delaware 34
How It Happened:
Rhode Island started the game strong, as QB Bob Bentsen found Anthony Baskerville on a 73-yard TD pass just two plays into the game. Bentsen would punch the ball into the endzone on a two-point conversion. After Delaware took an 11-8 lead with 9:45 left in the first half, the two teams traded scores for much of the rest of the game before a 45-yard field goal from Louis Feinstein - his longest of the season - made it 18-18 at the half.
In the third quarter, Feinstein connected on a 41-yarder, while the Blue Hens' Sean Baner added a 22-yard boot of his own, and the two teams headed into the 4th quarter knotted at 21-21.
But two more Rhody touchdowns - a 13-yard pass from Bentsen to Brandon Johnson-Farrell and a 12-yard run by Deontray Johnson made it 35-21 with 11:21 to play. Delaware cut it to 35-28 with 8:06 to go, but a third Feinstein field goal with 1:19 put the game out of reach.
Inside the Box Score and Beyond:
* Baskerville posted another career-high in receiving yards, hauling in seven passes for 147 yards. His previous high was 134, set earlier this season at UMass.
* Bob Bentsen completed 18-of-33 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. He also made two interceptions. The sophomore from Warwick, R.I. also rushed for 33 yards, including a two-point conversion on the first score of the game.
* Bentsen was the first Rhode Island born and Rhode Island bred quarterback to start under center for the Rams since Steve Holland (Sept. 12, 1992 vs. Towson).
* And from the two-degrees-of-separation-for-RI-native-quarterbacks file, the last Rhody native to start at quarterback in Meade Stadium came on Nov. 1, 2008 when current Rams' quarterbacks coach Liam Coen starred for UMass.
* In addition to Baskerville's triple-digit day in the box score, Brandon Johnson-Farrell also posted 100 yards in the air and had his first two-touchdown game of his career.
* On the ground, sophomore Deontray Johnson posted a career-game on the ground, with 122 yards rushing. It is his second career 100-yard game. The first came on Sept. 24 of this year at home against Fordham.
* Rhode Island, the smallest state in the Union, covers 1545 square miles. Delaware, the second smallest state, covers 2489 square miles.
* Defensively, Dave Zocco and Doug Johnson each tallied seven tackles - six solo. Johnson, James Timmins, and Willie McGinnis each registered 2.0 tackles for a loss.
* Zocco and Selwyn Nicholas each had an interception.
* Darrell Dulany (1.5) and Timmins (0.5) combined for two sacks of Delaware quarterback Trevor Sasek.
* With the win over Delaware, it improves Rhody's record against ranked teams over the last two seasons to 4-3 and its home record to 6-2 over the last eight games.
What's Next:
Rhode Island will travel to Durham to face New Hampshire in a noon-time game on Oct. 29. The game can be seen live on Comcast SportsNet New England. Fans can also tune into Steve McDonald and Terry Lynch live on WHJJ 920 AM.
Scoring Summary:
1st 10:16 URI - Baskerville 73 yd pass from Bentsen (Bentsen rush), 2-98 0:51, DELAWARE 0 - URI 8
2nd 11:10 DELAWARE - Baner 47 yd field goal, 11-48 4:53, DELAWARE 3 - URI 8
09:45 DELAWARE - Pierce 13 yd run (Pierce pass from Sasek), 3-20 1:18, DELAWARE 11 - URI 8
04:58 URI - Johnson-Farrell 2 yd pass from Bentsen (Feinstein kick), 10-71 4:41, DELAWARE 11 - URI 15
01:48 DELAWARE - White 33 yd pass from Donnelly (Baner kick), 1-33 0:10, DELAWARE 18 - URI 15
00:05 URI - Feinstein 45 yd field goal, 10-33 1:43, DELAWARE 18 - URI 18
3rd 10:31 URI - Feinstein 41 yd field goal, 7-26 2:47, DELAWARE 18 - URI 21
01:11 DELAWARE - Baner 22 yd field goal, 4-7 1:59, DELAWARE 21 - URI 21
4th 14:47 URI - Johnson-Farrell 13 yd pass from Bentsen (Feinstein kick), 4-73 1:18, DELAWARE 21 - URI 28
11:21 URI - De. Johnson 12 yd run (Feinstein kick), 4-60 2:05, DELAWARE 21 - URI 35
08:06 DELAWARE - Pierce 2 yd run (Baner kick), 9-69 3:08, DELAWARE 28 - URI 35
01:19 URI - Feinstein 39 yd field goal, 10-32 4:37, DELAWARE 28 - URI 38
00:00 DELAWARE - Jones 36 yd pass from Donnelly, 10-80 1:19, DELAWARE 34 - URI 38
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Blue Hens Can't Overcome Mistakes, Drop Second Straight with 38-34 CAA Setback to Rhode Island
October 22, 2011 - UD Sports Info Dept
KINGSTON, R.I. -- Multiple mistakes by the University of Delaware proved to be too much to overcome as the Blue Hens dropped a 38-34 Colonial Athletic Association football setback Saturday afternoon at Meade Stadium.
The No. 16 ranked Blue Hens (4-4, 2-3 CAA) did force four turnovers on the day, turning two of them into first half scores, but three turnovers of their own and two big mental mistakes in the final quarter proved to be Delaware's undoing.
Delaware dropped its second straight game and remained winless in three road games this season. Rhode Island, which has endured several tough-luck losses throughout the season, losing four games by nine points or less, put an end to its three-game losing streak and improved to 2-5 (1-3 CAA), sending its Homecoming crowd away happy.
"There is not a whole lot going our way right now," said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, whose team had defeated the Rams four straight times since 2006. "Our big thing right now is that we are not only making mistakes, we are compounding them. We are not doing a good enough job about forgetting about the last play and moving on."
Athlete photoA game that featured three ties and four lead changes typically wasn't decided until late as Delaware rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the final quarter but couldn't complete the deal.
Rhode Island broke a 21-21 tie with two scores in the first five minutes of the final quarter as Brandon Johnson-Farrell hauled in a 13-yard scoring pass from Bob Bentsen on the second play of the final quarter and De’ontray Johnson followed three minutes later with a 12-yard burst to give Rhody a 35-21 lead with 11:21 remaining. Johnson’s touchdown was set up when Ram linebacker Dave Zocco intercepted a pass at the URI 40-yard line.
The Blue Hens cut the gap to 35-28 on a two-yard scoring run by sophomore All-American Andrew Pierce, his second of the day, with 8:06 left, and the Hens had a chance to even things but couldn't get it done.
Rhode Island was forced to punt from its own 41-yard line with 5:40 left to play and a high snap went over the head of punter Louis Feinstein. Feinstein, who also kicked three field goals on the day as the team’s placekicker, chased the ball down and was able to get off a punt on his own five-yard line.
The ball rolled to the Rhode Island 47-yard line where Delaware punt returner Rob Jones (middle left) tried to pick it up. But the ball slipped away from the Blue Hen junior and URI's Selwyn Nicholas recovered to keep the Ram drive alive.
Athlete photoLater on that same drive, Rhode Island faced a fourth and one situation at the Delaware 45-yard line. The Rams went for it, using a hard count to try to force the Hens offsides. The tactic worked as Delaware defensive end Quincy Barr jumped too soon and was whistled for a penalty, again keeping a drive alive. URI then drove down to the Delaware 22-yard line and seven plays later Feinstein converted a 39-yard field goal with 1:19 left to push the score to 38-28.
Delaware got one more chance and drove the length of the field, scoring on the final play of the game when quarterback Tim Donnelly, who had replaced starter Trevor Sasek in the first half, hit Rob Jones on a 36-yard pass play. But it proved to be too little too late.
Rhode Island piled up 484 total yards on the day as Bentsen, who got the start in place of injured Steve Probst, hit on 18 of 33 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns while Johnson ran for 122 yards on 15 carries, Anthony Baskerville caught seven passes for 147 yards, including a 73-yarder to open the scoring in the first quarter, and Johnson-Farrell caught six passes for 100 yards and two scores. The Rams had three plays go for over 30 yards during the day, including Baskerville’s 73-yarder and Johnson’s 60-year scamper that set up a second half touchdown.
Donnelly hit on 16 of 27 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns while Sasek was 7 of 12 for 47 yards. Nihja White (top right) caught six passes for 90 yards and a score and Pierce finished the day with 22 carries for 80 yards.
"We just played poorly and made a lot of mental mistakes today," said Delaware senior linebacker Andrew Harrison, who made seven tackles. "I'm surprised where we are right now. We play in a difficult conference but we have to play better."
Delaware's leading tackler Paul Worrilow (bottom right) led the team with eight tackles while Travis Hawkins and Tim Breaker each intercepted a pass, Jessel Curry broke up three other passes, and Michael Johnson and Derek Coleman each recovered fumbles on special teams. In addition for the Hens, kicker Sean Baner converted field goals from 47 and 22 yards.
After the teams played to a 21-21 tie, the score remained knotted as Feinstein and Baner each traded third quarter field goals. Baner’s field goal was set up when Coleman recovered a fumble by Johnson on a punt return at the URI 23-yard line.
Rhode Island pulled ahead thanks to Johnson-Farrell’s 13-yard scoring reception from Bentsen in the right corner of the end zone and Johnson’s 12-yard scoring burst up the middle, a score that proved to be the game-winner. Johnson-Farrell’s scoring capped a four-play, 73-yard drive that was highlighted by a 60-yard dash by Johnson, who broke multiple tackles to move the ball down to the Delaware 13-yard line.
A wild first half that saw the teams combine for five scoring plays in the second quarter alone ended fittingly in an 18-18 tie at the break.
After Delaware missed a golden scoring opportunity when White dropped a sure touchdown catch at the five-yard line on the Hens’ first drive of the day, Rhode Island came right back to score first as Bentsen sent a perfect pass nearly 50 yards through the air to Baskerville and the Ram wideout capped the 73-yard scoring toss with 10:16 left to play. Bentsen, who also doubles as the URI holder, picked up the bobbled snap and ran in for the two-point conversion to give URI the 8-0 lead.
Rhode Island’s Nicholas intercepted a Sasek pass at the Rhode Island 13-yard line to stop another Blue Hen drive, but the Rams could not take advantage as a 39-yard field goal attempt by Feinstein hit the left upright.
Delaware came right back to take an 11-8 lead early in the second quarter as Baner matched his career-high with a 47-yard field goal with 11:10 left and Pierce scored around the right side for a 16-yard scoring run with 9:45 left and then added a two-point conversion on a pass from Sasek. Pierce’s touchdown was set up when Johnson recovered a fumble by Billy Morgan on the kickoff return at the URI 20-yard line.
The Rams took back the lead moments later as they drove 71 yards on 10 plays and capped the drive when Bentsen hit a diving Johnson-Farrell from two yards out with 4:58 left for a 15-11 lead.
But the lead changed hands again thanks to the Hens taking advantage of another URI turnover. Hawkins, who would later leave the game with a concussion, picked up his second interception in two weeks as he stepped in front of a Bentsen pass and returned it to the Ram 33-yard line.
On the next play, Donnelly spotted a wide-open White on the left side the Blue Hen junior stepped into the end zone from 33 yards out to give the Hens an 18-15 lead with 1:48 left. The touchdown was White’s team-high fourth of the year.
Rhode Island then tied the contest at 18-18 just before the half ended as Feinstein nailed a season-long 44-yard field goal with just five seconds left in the stanza.
The Blue Hens will continue their two-game road swing and be looking to back into the win column this Saturday when they travel to Towson to take on a much-improve Tiger team that entered Saturday ranked No. 15 and tied for the CAA lead with a perfect 3-0 league mark.
Hen Scratchings.....Delaware now leads the series with Rhode Island 19-8 as the Rams downed the Hens for the first time since the 2002 season...Delaware extended its game-scoring streak to 194 straight game with at least a point, a mark that dates back to the 1997 season....Delaware, which entered the game ranked No. 3 in the nation in third-down conversion defense at 23.9 percent, allowed the Rams to convert just 5 of 14 for the game...Pierce’s final carry of the game, his 22nd of the afternoon, was his 500th career carry, making him just the seventh player in school history to reach that milestone...Pierce also moved into seventh place on the all-time UD career rushing yardage list with 2,452 yards, passing UD Hall of Famer Gardy Kahoe, who had 2,374 yards in 1969-71...White has now caught at least one pass in 30 straight games, the third longest streak in UD history.
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UMass football starts fast and pulls off upset of ninth-ranked Delaware
Published: Saturday, October 16, 2011
http://www.masslive.com/
NEWARK, Del. - The University of Massachusetts offense was tremendous for one quarter, and that was all it needed.
UMass scored 21 first-quarter points and the defense took advantage of a lackluster Delaware offense to post a 21-10 win over the ninth-ranked Blue Hens on Saturday before 21,902 at Delaware Stadium.
It was the second straight win for the Minutemen (4-2) and the first win over a ranked opponent since defeating James Madison on October 30.
"Anytime you come down to Delaware and walk out of here with a win you've got to be pleased,'' UMass head coach Kevin Morris said. "The guys did good in all three phases of the game.''
Overall, it wasn't an impressive offensive showing, but it didn't have to be. What was impressive is that the Minutemen did not turn the ball over for the second straight game and the defense took advantage of a poor Delaware offense.
"The past few games I kind of started off not as sharp as I would have liked to but kind of picked it up in the second half,'' UMass quarterback Kellen Pagel said.
Free safety Darren Thellen had two interceptions for the second consecutive game and the UMass front seven sacked the Delaware quarterback five times.
UMass nearly equaled its first quarter offensive output from the first five games in the first quarter at Delaware. UMass led 21-0 after the first 15 minutes. They scored just 23 points combined in the first quarter before this game.
Delaware had not trailed by that much in the first quarter since 1975 when Temple went up 24-0 on the Blue Hens.
"We knew they were a a great team and we couldn't let up because they could easily get back into the game,'' Linebacker Tyler Holmes, who led UMass with 10 tackles and two pass breakups, said. "We just needed to keep doing what we were doing and that was applying pressure.''
Pagel was nearly flawless, completing 7 of 10 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown while Jonathan Hernandez had 9 carries for 64 yards and a score. The third touchdown was a 3-yard end around by wide receiver Julian Talley.
Delaware's offense gave the Minutemen big assists. The first UMass possession started on the Delaware 47 thanks to an intentional grounding call on Tim Donnelly. That led to a five-yard touchdown run by Hernandez, who would miss the second and third quarters with a left arm injury.
The third scoring drive started on the UMass 49 following a Darren Thellen interceptions and that ended with Talley's score.
The second drive was the most impressive, UMass marched 82 yards on 10 plays, capping it off with a great 6-yard catch by tight end Emil Igwenagu on a pass play Pagel kept alive with his feet.
"I was trying to move around in the end zone and Kellen was moving around,'' Igwenagu said. "I just went up for it and did what I was coached to do, come down with it.''
Delaware could not get out of its own way on its first three drives, but put it together on the fourth one, driving 59 yards on 11 plays, Donnelly finishing it with a 14-yard strike to tight end Nick Boyle to make it 21-7.
The Blue Hens had great chance to cut the lead to one score but had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Sean Baner.
The second half was not very good offensive football. UMass had 235 yards in the first half and only 110 in the second half. Delaware had about the same yardage in each half but had two of its three turnovers in the second half.
UMass also pinned the Blue Hens deep in their end twice in the second half. Jeff Strait dropped one on the Delaware one and Ray Pendagast pinned the Blue Hens back on their two.
The Blue Hens tried to shake up their offense by switching to Trevor Sasek at quarterback, a better passer than Donnelly, but that didn't work. UMass sacked him as well. Five different Minutemen had the sacks.
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Delaware Stadium crowd brings back memories of yesteryear
UMass topples Hens 21-10 in front of sold out crowd
Published: Sunday, October 16, 2011 - Newark Post
It was almost perfect.
After a long week hearing and talking about a trumpet, it’s nice to get back to football.
But before we do, I have to give kudos to trumpet-blaring fan Matt Delaney for how he handled the post-incident interviews, and also (don’t yell) hats off to Bernard Muir for more or less admitting UD’s rule of “no artificial noisemakers in the stadium” was fan-unfriendly, and, quite frankly, downright stupid. Now, on to football.
I’m not sure what was more exciting on Saturday, the fact that I arrived an hour early and struggled to find a parking spot for the first time all season, or that I couldn’t take attendance in section N from my seat in the press box. It actually felt like the old days of just a few years ago when if you didn’t have a ticket by the end of the day Monday leading up to the game, you were out of luck.
Finally, five home games into the season, Delaware stadium was sold out. Granted, it was Parents and Family Weekend, but these are desperate times.
If you’re a Blue Hen fan, unless you’ve been sleeping underneath Tubby Raymond’s bust, you know attendance has been an issue this season. Most likely UD will draw less than 20,000 per game for the first time in years.
Fans claim the low attendance is due to new season ticket policies and lack of student support, both surely culprits contributing to the issue. However, I think it’s a bigger issue, similar to the one the men’s basketball program has faced ever since former coach Mike Brey gathered up his rosary beads and headed west to play in a building alongside “Touchdown Jesus.”
When Brey was here and the Blue Hens were home, the Bob Carpenter Center was THE place to be for men’s basketball, and tickets were as scarce here in Newark as they are in Durham. (OK, that might be a stretch, but you get my point.) But then the fan-favorite coach left, a few losing seasons followed, and so did the fans – as in right out the front door. The program has yet to recover.
A similar situation is happening on Saturdays at Delaware Stadium, but in the case of football it has nothing to do with wins and losses. Rather, it’s a changing of the guard, or in this case, the fan – from old to new.
What has to happen is that UD has to make Delaware Stadium THE place to be again. Clearly, some disgruntled veteran fans — my nice way of saying old-timers — have left and their vacated seats remain available to the highest bidder; I mean donor. The veterans who have chosen to put up the extra money to keep their seats, well, let’s face it -- they won’t be around forever due to some natural phenomenon called aging. So, if these fans raised in the depression aren’t replaced by new ones from the iPhone generation, the seats they either no longer occupy or will eventually give up will remain barren for years to come.
I think it’s a given UD can’t rely on future alumni to fill those seats. Heck, they can’t get students to come to games now when their lives are footloose and fancy-free, and so are the tickets.
Instead, UD needs to market its product to the young families in the area and hope they become the loyal fans of the next generation. Their alma mater shouldn’t matter, and it won’t if the venues are THE place to be. Neither will their knowledge in sports. After all, anyone likes a good time.
I’m not saying anything in this column space that every UD administrator doesn’t already know. My point is this: We need to stop complaining about the lack of students. (As tailgating arrests rise, student attendance will continue to drop.) I’m done harping about whether PSLs at this level are warranted or not. (They are in order to win.) And, quite frankly, I never played an instrument and so don’t really care about the noisemaker rules either way. (But whatever rule there is has to be applied fairly and consistently.)
You see … I’m a Blue Hen fan, too. And today, it once again felt like Delaware football (other than the loss). And I want that feeling back for good.
Let’s hope this feeling returns to Delaware Stadium — and the BCC — on a consistent basis. And let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later.
It was a packed house today at Delaware Stadium, trumpets and all. All that was missing was a win.
It was almost perfect. But it was still pretty darn good.
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Early Offense, Late Defense Click In 21-10 Win At #9 Delaware
http://www.umassathletics.com/ - 10/16/11
Minutemen score 21 first quarter points, hold Blue Hens to season-low 10 points
NEWARK, Del. - A 21-point first quarter followed by standout defensive play throughout the game led the UMass football team to a 21-10 win at No. 9 Delaware on Saturday afternoon at Raymond Field. Kellen Pagel threw for 245 yards, while Darren Thellen had a pair of interceptions for the second straight game.
The Minutemen will return to action next Saturday at Gillette Stadium for the Colonial Clash against New Hampshire. Kickoff is set for 3:30 PM and the game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet New England.
UMass (4-2) took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter - the first time since 1975 that Delaware has allowed 21 points in the opening frame. Jonathan Hernandez put the Minutemen on the scoreboard with a 5 yard rush with 12 minutes left in the quarter. Emil Igwenagu added a six-yard touchdown reception nearly just over seven minutes later and Julian Talley scored on a three-yard rush with 91 seconds remaining.
Delaware (4-3, 2-2 CAA) got on the scoreboard with 9:34 left in the second quarter on a Boyle 14-yard reception from Donnelly (14-of-30). The Blue Hens scored on a 27-yard field goal with 58 seconds left in the first half to close out the scoring for the game.
Pagel finished the game going 20-of-39 for 245 yard and a touchdown. Tom Gilson had six catches for 67 yards, while Jesse Julmiste led all receivers with 90 yards on four catches. Igwenagu's touchdown pass was his third in as many games.
Defensively, UMass was led by Tyler Holmes whose 10 tackles marked the fourth straight game in double-digits. Perry McIntyre had nine including 1.5 sacks. Ed Saint-Vil (8 tackles) and Shane Vivieros each returned to the starting line-up making eight and four tackles, respectively.
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Hens fall behind early, fall to UMass
Published: Sunday, October 16, 2011 - Newark Post
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware’s largest first quarter deficit in over 30 years proved to be insurmountable Saturday afternoon as the No. 9 ranked Blue Hens allowed three first quarter touchdowns and dropped a 21-10 football decision to Massachusetts at Delaware Stadium.
Massachusetts (4-2), a former Colonial Athletic Association member who is headed to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level next year as a member of the Mid-American Conference, scored on its first three drives of the day. UMass, which won its second straight game, got short scoring runs from Jonathan Hernandez and Julian Talley and a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kellen Pagel to Emil Igwenagu, all in the opening 13 minutes of action, and never looked back.
Delaware (4-3, 2-2 CAA), coming off a solid 21-0 victory over then No. 9 William & Mary a week earlier, lost the shutout in the first two minutes of the game this time and could never put together enough offense to catch up. The 21-0 deficit was the largest margin the Hens have trailed by in the opening stanza since falling behind Temple 24-0 on the way to a 45-0 loss in 1975. Coming into the game, the Hens had allowed just 17 total first half points in four home contests this season.
The Blue Hens had six more first downs and just 13 less yards than the Minutemen, but were pinned back in their own territory almost the entire game and were hurt by three turnovers. All 15 of the Blue Hens’ drives started inside their own territory, and thanks to well-placed punts by Massachusetts, had one drive start on the one-yard line and another on the two-yard line.
“You just can’t spot a team 21 points and think it will come out okay,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler. “Mentally we were not as sharp as we needed to be and they took advantage of the wind (25 miles per hour at their back) in that first quarter. They made some big plays and kept us off-balance.”
Pagel completed 20 of 39 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown while Hernandez rushed for a team-high 69 yards on 15 carries. The UMass defense, led by 2010 CAA Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Holmes at linebacker, recorded five sacks, broke up eight passes, collected two interceptions, and forced two fumbles. Holmes recorded a team-high 10 tackles while Darren Thellen had five tackles and intercepted two passes for the second straight week.
Delaware’ seven-game win streak, the fourth longest current home win streak in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, came to an end as the Hens lost for the first time since a 28-21 overtime setback to CAA foe Villanova last Nov. 20. Delaware lost for just the second time in its last 16 home games dating back to 2009 and fell for just the fourth time in 16 meetings all-time vs. UMass in Newark.
Blue Hen quarterback Tim Donnelly completed 14 of 30 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. Nihja White caught six passes for 85 yards while running back Andrew Pierce picked up 85 yards on 23 carries.
Delaware put up its only points of the day in the second quarter as Donnelly connected with freshman tight end Nick Boyle on a 14-yard scoring toss - Boyle’s first career touchdown - and Sean Baner converted a 27-yard field goal just a minute before halftime.
Neither team could muster much offense the entire second half. Massachusetts gained just 97 yards in the second half and never got closer than the Delaware 28-yard line. The Blue Hens managed just 170 yards in the second half and never got closer than the UMass 13-yard line and that came on the final play of the game.
“I thought the whole first half we played hesitant and had some poor tackling,” said Delaware junior linebacker Paul Worrilow, who posted nine tackles. “You just can’t put your offense in that kind of hole. We played better after that first quarter but we still didn’t cause any turnovers. You can’t put that much pressure on your offense.”
Delaware lost 11 yards on its first possession of the day and paid dearly for it. Massachusetts, starting on its own 47-yard line, struck quickly as Pagel hit Jesse Julmiste on a 41-yard toss on the first play of the drive and three plays later Hernandez found a hole on the right side and burst into the end zone from six yards out just three minutes into the game.
The Hens could muster just 22 yards on its next drive and UMass took advantage again on its next possession, driving 82 yards on 10 plays capped by Pagel’s six-yard toss to Igwenagu with 4:53 left in the stanza. A 39-yard run by Hernandez and three third down conversions highlighted the drive. The score increased to 21-0 just over three minutes later when Thellen intercepted a pass by Donnelly to set up a 51-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown by Talley on a sweep with 1:21 left.
Delaware came right back on its next possession to finally get on the board as the Blue Hens drove 59 yards on 11 plays and converted when Donnelly hit Boyle all alone in the left side of the end zone for a 14-yard pass play with 9:34 left in the half. Boyle, a true freshman who saw extensive playing time after All-CAA starter Colin Naugle suffered a game-ending knee injury in the first quarter, scored on just his second career reception. Baner then cut the UMass lead to 21-10 when he converted his eighth field goal of the season, a 27-yarder, with 58 seconds left in the half. The kick capped a 74-yard drive that saw Donnelly complete 6 of 10 passes for 42 yards.
Delaware will play three of its final four games on the road beginning with a trip north to CAA foe Rhode Island next Saturday, Oct. 22, in Kingston, R.I.
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Music returns, but there's little to celebrate
Instruments back in stadium after policy reversed
3:13 AM, Oct. 16, 2011- News Journal
NEWARK — It was rather quiet at Delaware Stadium on Saturday.
And it had nothing to do with a crackdown on musical instruments or noisemakers.
Rather, it was because of the play on the field, when the Blue Hens fell behind by three touchdowns in the first quarter in their 21-10 loss to Massachusetts.
While UD fans wished for a different result, they were pleased that the university reversed its policy and allowed fans to bring in noisemakers.
“I think the university did the right thing,” Bear resident Jim Knarr said. “It shows that they’re trying to do what’s right.”
Last week, security officials ejected Matt Delaney from the game after he was playing his trumpet in the stands.
The university announced a few days later that it was following an NCAA and Colonial Athletic Association policy that prohibits artificial noisemakers in the crowd. The NCAA policy, however, is for the postseason. And the CAA policy discourages them, but doesn’t prohibit them.
The university dropped the ban Friday, and Delaney, a 2003 UD graduate, was ecstatic. He was in his usual seat in Section J, Row P, and he even had a brand new trumpet.
“I thought it was a special occasion,” Delaney said. He had brought his trumpet to the games for years, much to the delight of his neighbors in Section J.
Delaney said he had no trouble with security guards Saturday.
“Everybody has been great,” Delaney said. “It feels like old times, like everything was back to normal.”
In fact, the university seemed to poke fun at itself as the mascot YouDee and his sidekick, Baby Blue, came on the field during the marching band’s performance with noisemakers. They were chased by characters with nets and the sign “Bird Catchers” on their heads.
Delaney and the other fans sitting near him got a laugh out of that.
Once play resumed, Delaney played his trumpet. Three rows back, Dover resident Mike Bradley proudly played his bugle.
Bradley said he has been bringing his bugle to the games off and on for years. He said he and a few others started the “Fightin’ Blue Hen Bugle Corps” several years ago.
But Delaney, he said, took it to another level.
“We make noise, he plays music,” Bradley said with a laugh.
Bradley didn’t bring his bugle last week. But he witnessed the commotion. Once he found out the ban was lifted, he made sure to bring his bugle.
“We want to support the team,” Bradley said. “We’re not here to interrupt things or disturb anybody. So I’m glad they let us bring our instruments. It’s definitely been a tradition for us.”
Delaney, Bradley and other musical aficionados – and non-aficionados – were glad the tradition was allowed to continue.
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Sound the trumpets! UD alters noisemaker rules
Posted on October 14, 2011 by Kevin Tresolini - Delawareonline.com
The din of public complaint wasn’t music to University of Delaware ears, and UD has just announced that noisemakers will be allowed in Delaware Stadium for Saturday’s 3:30 football game against Massachusetts.
“Noisemakers are allowed to be brought in and played as long as they do not disrupt the flow of the game or cause any type of safety hazard,” said Scott Selheimer, assistant athletic director for media relations.
Selheimer said the reversal of policy is “in response to fan requests over the past week.”
Saturday’s Parents Day game is soldout, Selheimer added.
The change is a response to the outcry from UD fans over the ouster of 31-year-old Matt Delaney from last Saturday’s game against William & Mary. Delaney was ejected and escorted from his seat in the third quarter when CSC security personnel asked him to turn over his trumpet, which he has blown at games for 15 years to the delight of many of his Section J neighbors.
He was handcuffed and taken to UD Police headquarters but released without being charged. An estimated 200 fans left the stands in protest of Delaney’s removal, and a subsequent skirmish between UD fans and police underneath the East grandstand led to a 60-year-old man’s arrest for disorderly conduct. Friends say the confrontation was instigated by police and he will fight the charges.
“I think it’s tremendous,” Delaney told me late this afternoon, “how an event like this that transpired so quickly and with so much emotion has potentially swung into something that can be very positive for the university’s program, for the fans and really everybody who’s going to be there Saturday afternoon. I’m really hoping that we’re going to see a great showing of support. It made me feel good.”
On Monday, Delaware had released the following statement, and then said it would have no further comment in regard to the Delaney episode, in what came off as an “our-way-or-the-highway” approach:
“The strict adherence to the game management guidelines of both the NCAA and CAA, which prohibit artificial noisemakers inside of a venue, reiterated in the 2011 Delaware Stadium Fan Guide, which states: “Noisemakers musical instruments or any type of noise-making device are prohibited inside Delaware Stadium, even if purchased on-site at the University” led to a fan being escorted from the game on October 8, 2011 by public safety officials after repeated requests to refrain from using the artificial noisemaker. The fan was later released without any criminal charges. An assessment of the activities surrounding the fan’s removal from the Stadium, including a review of videotape footage, was conducted by senior University officials. Based on this assessment the actions of Stadium public safety personnel were appropriate.”
The backlash was fast and furious.
When asked to cite specifically Wednesday what those NCAA and CAA rules were, Delaware said that it’s actually only a postseason NCAA rule and cited the CAA Gameday Management Manual, which does not prohibit but does “discourage” horns.
This whole episode has been a PR nightmare for UD, already dealing with falling attendance and fans angry over season-ticket surcharges. To his credit, athletic director Bernard Muir has spent the week talking to many UD fans trying to ease tension, including Delaney. Many have suggested the incident simply resulted from one overzealous security guard, but UD never took the stance — perhaps to its regret.
================================================
A Blog by News Journal Repoter Kevin Tresolini on the UD Security Abuse
Posted on October 13, 2011 by Kevin Tresolini - Delawareonline.com
Trumpet-player Matt Delaney (rear) had several fellow bugle blowers
several years ago in Section J at Delaware Stadium.
I’ve delayed blogging on Saturday night’s ejection of Matt Delaney,
the UD fan who’d long been known as Trumpetman to his Section J
neighbors at Delaware Stadium, as I went about the reportorial tasks of
putting together today’s A1 story:
Delaney was escorted away by CSC security and UD Police in the third
quarter of Saturday night’s 21-0 win over William & Mary. He’d been
asked to turn over his trumpet so he wouldn’t play it anymore, as he
has several times each game — the Charge! theme and UD fight song,
mainly — for 15 years. He instead passed it to others — basically
turning the episode into a “You can’t have my trumpet, so you’ll
have to take me” episode, telling me this week he didn’t trust his
instrument in the hands of others.
At the time, the 31-year-old Delaney’s actions may have felt like a
bit of satisfying martyrdom, especially after roughly 200 fans — angry
at his ejection — left their seats in protest.
But when we spoke this week, Delaney was clearly upset about what had
transpired — scuffles between fans and UD Police underneath the stands
leading to an arrest — and regretted that attention had been diverted
from the football team he clearly loves.
He basically just wants everyone to get back to rooting for the Blue
Hens, now ranked No. 9 in the country, to beat Massachusetts in
Saturday’s 3:30 Parents Day game. Delaware Stadium is likely to be
soldout for the first time this year.
“The ultimate goal here is for the fans and the university to have a
shared experience that’s positive,” Delaney said. “I don’t ever
want this to be something where I’m not going to ballgames because of
what happened. I want the people to enjoy the game, I want people to
feel that sense of spirit and be part of that crowd that helps the team,
travels with the team and supports it in the playoffs.”
Certainly, no one wants anything to lead to the melee that erupted
underneath the East grandstand. UD said police acted accordingly, but
several witnesses differed and described their tactics as bordering on
Gestapo. This wasn’t a fracas involving students. It was with
Delaware’s core fan group — mostly fans 40, 50, 60 and older.
That’s alarming.
Delaware officials, including AD Bernard Muir, wisely reached out to
Delaney, realizing he’s exactly the kind of loyal fan they need more
of.
But Saturday’s events exposed plenty, including inconsistency in how
rules are enforced at Delaware Stadium and a general underlying,
simmering anger among some UD fans. The picture above, taken several
years ago, shows a merry bunch of brass-kicking Section J bugle blowers.
It was actually the older gentlemen in front who had, in years before,
invited Delaney to join them.
Had CSC security personnel more familiar with Delaney and his trumpet
been in Section J Saturday, it’s likely he would have been ignored —
as he has been in three previous games this year, he said.
Many Delaware fans have complained about the impersonal way they’ve
been dealt with by a few CSC guards since the black-and-yellow-outfitted
crew came in last year. That includes one of my colleagues on the
sidelines, tailgaters, and even opposing football teams, including
William & Mary, which was somewhat taken aback at the extent of the
search it endured when it brought its communications equipment onto the
field Saturday. Then again, security isn’t security if it isn’t
thorough, right?
Long-time UD fan Tom Moore‘s comment to me in today’s story, that
some guards act like they’re dealing with 700 level patrons at Eagles
games at old Veterans Stadium, was quite pointed.
It’s my impression that UD scrambled some to c
over for CSC
overzealousness. On Monday, UD cited “strict adherence to the game
management guidelines of both the NCAA and CAA, which prohibit
artificial noisemakers inside of a venue, reiterated in the 2011
Delaware Stadium Fan Guide.”
But the NCAA doesn’t prohibit noisemakers in the regular season, and
the CAA does not prohibit them, but discourages them. UD came back
Wednesday and said it follows NCAA postseason rules, during which
noisemakers are not allowed — Delaney was told to put the trumpet away
during a playoff game last year, and did, he said.
One person I spoke to called this “a public relations nightmare”
for Delaware, which has already seen an attendance dropoff leading to
its smallest crowds in 13 years. The season-ticket surcharge, despite
being common at other top FCS schools, has angered fans who feel UD
could have communicated better and implemented it differently, perhaps
to fewer areas of the stadium or with more recognition for long-time,
older customers.
Some feel recent promotions to sell tickets, one even billed as a
“fire sale,” have “devalued” those season tickets. One fan
said that it didn’t help the mistrust between UD and its ticket-buyers
when the school claimed it was OK that ticket sales dropped because
donations were up.
Anyway, it’s been an interesting — and transitional — week. From
people I spoke to, it also sounds like Section J is about as fun a place
as any to watch a Delaware game, with some fans there even donning
“Section J” T-shirts and other colorful characters present. Some
with particularly rebellious spirits in that area have suggested
bringing noisemakers this Saturday.
You wouldn’t do that . . . would you?
=====================================
For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Saturday incident brings rift between school, football followers to forefront
12:53 AM, Oct. 13, 201 - http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111013/SPORTS07/110130348/For-UD-fans-games-now-no-fun-zone?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home
NEWARK -- Matt Delaney never wanted himself and his trumpet to become central figures in the growing rift between the University of Delaware and some football fans.
When he was tooting his horn in Section J at Delaware Stadium -- or at NCAA title games in Chattanooga, Tenn., or Frisco, Texas -- it was about bringing attention to the Blue Hens.
"I did everything I could to try to get our section and the stands excited for the ballgame and to support our ballclub," he said.
But when Delaney, 31 and a 2003 Delaware graduate, did that Saturday night, it set off a chain of events that riled Blue Hens rooters and led to a commotion involving fans and UD police. The incident, some fans say, exemplifies how UD football games in recent years have become less appealing as administrators have made the experience more expensive and less fun.
In the third quarter of Delaware's 21-0 win over William & Mary, Delaney was escorted down the stairs from his row Q seat in Section J of the East grandstand after playing his trumpet, as he's done several times each game the last 15 years.
Other fans sitting in the area stood and booed Contemporary Services Corp. (CSC) security personnel and UD police officials as Delaney was led out. Underneath the stands, he was handcuffed and taken to UD police headquarters.
He was not charged, but many fans, angry over Delaney's removal, left their seats in protest, leading to confrontations between fans and police underneath the stands.
Some had chanted "Trum-pet! Trum-pet!" as they saw Delaney led away.
One fan, 60-year-old Robert W. Bradford, of Bear, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, according to UD police, after he chest-bumped an officer, was pushed back, charged at the officer and was wrestled down by several officers.
Friends of Bradford disputed that version, saying he was provoked. They said he won't comment on the advice of an attorney. Other fans felt police overreacted.
"What I observed was shameful, and I've been attending games a long time," said UD graduate and season-ticket holder Reza Moqtaderi.
=========================================
UDPD steps up tailgate regulation
By Marina Koren Student Review - UD Student Newspaper
Published: Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Tailgate
Courtesy of University Police
University police plan to increase law enforcement at all home games this football season, targeting underage drinking and other criminal activity at tailgates with the help of undercover policemen and state agencies.
University police Chief Patrick Ogden, who joined the Office of Public Safety two years ago, said increased police presence at home games this year reflect a renewed commitment to enhancing student safety. In previous years, activity at student tailgates was not as heavily regulated.
"Everything that we do revolves around the health and safety of our students," Ogden said. "We don't want to give anybody a hard time. I don't want to ruin anyone's tailgating or football experience. It's all in the name of safety."
Ogden said officers' main concern is the concentration of thousands of individuals in one area. If an emergency situation were to arise within the crowd, emergency personnel would have difficulty quickly arriving at the site of an incident.
University police have also partnered with the Newark Police Department's Street Crimes Unit, which operates using plainclothes officers, for all home games this season. While the focus is regulating underage binge drinking, Ogden said the four undercover officers assigned to tailgates are also targeting ticket scalpers and illegal drug use.
The large crowd at the season's home opener Sept. 10 posed several safety issues, and although no arrests were made, Ogden said officers evaluated the scene in order to prep for future increased enforcement.
For Sept. 17's home game, university police reached out to the Delaware Department of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement and Newark police for assistance. The department does not impose its own set of regulations on campus police handling tailgates, but offers additional police manpower at no cost to the university.
Previously, these agencies would only be called in for Homecoming or other special game days. These departments were also present for Saturday's game against William & Mary, and will be monitoring attendees for the rest of the season, including during Homecoming on Nov. 12.
"The more people, the more precautionary measures we have to take," Ogden said.
He cited an example of excessive drinking at Saturday's game involving a 21-year-old student requiring medical attention because his blood alcohol content had reached .27. The legal limit for driving is .08.
"I'm worried we get a kid like that in the crowd, he goes and lays in the back of a car, and he dies," Ogden said. "That's my concern, is that these blood alcohol contents are so high. I feel like it's the right thing to do to increase our presence and try to curb some of this binge drinking."
At the second home game, university police made 25 arrests, with charges including underage consumption of alcohol and providing alcohol to minors. The third game day on Sept. 24 saw five arrests, and Saturday's game saw no arrests, with three students referred to the Office of Student Conduct for underage drinking.
Ogden said he believes these recent enhanced monitoring efforts have curbed student arrests for underage drinking. At the start of Saturday's tailgate, two pickup trucks arrived, one carrying 900 cans of beer. University police officers warned the drivers that they would be held accountable for each can of beer, especially if one were to be passed to someone under 21. The drivers left with both trucks, a move Ogden said prevented several arrests that day.
By game three, Ogden said the tailgate atmosphere in front of the Fred Rust Ice Arena was markedly different than the home opener, perhaps due to word of increased police presence spreading on campus. Attendees were participating in traditional tailgating games, he said, rather than raucously partying in the open space, which was filled with people during the first game.
"We definitely want people to come and tailgate and enjoy the whole game day experience, but the idea is that you're supposed to go to the game," Ogden said. "The problem is there's more students tailgating in that lot then there are students in the game."
Kelly Lawless, a 2011 graduate, also noticed a difference in atmosphere when she arrived at Saturday's tailgating festivities in front of the ice arena.
"This is just sad," Lawless said, looking around the parking lot. "There's no one here."
Lawless and her friend, fellow graduate Carys Golesworthy, heard from undergraduate friends that police were cracking down on tailgate activity. Golesworthy said this decision seems superfluous, as there haven't been any serious incidents at tailgates in the past to her knowledge.
"It deters the university community from coming to the game," Golesworthy said. "It's just not the same sense of camaraderie and school spirit."
Senior Brendan Vilar said heavier tailgate regulation discourages underclassmen, who typically fill up the majority of the student section in the stadium, from going to games.
"There's a clear cause and effect that attendance is the lowest it's been since 1998 since the tailgate crackdowns three weeks ago," Vilar said.
=======================================
Poor student attendance at UD football games baffling
Cash and prizes don't entice students
October 10, 2011 - Newark Post
NEWARK, Del. — I helped stadium officials take attendance Saturday night at Delaware Stadium, counting the fans in sections M and N while perched in my seat inside the press box.
Seriously – the sections were that desolate. Not even when the tuba team trudged up to the top of section M did it make much of a difference, other than messing up my previous totals.
Not counting the band, the south end zone was half empty. Not even perfect weather or promises of giveaways and a grand prize of $5,000 made a difference to UD students, who missed the Hens' 21-0 win over CAA rival William & Mary.
K.C. Keeler said fan attendance this year is “disappointing” for anyone involved in Delaware football. And he’s right.
The marketing target for the William & Mary game: students. The ammo: greenbacks. And lots of them.
But like the U.S. economy, the strategy tanked. That is, unless there were about 2,500 students sitting somewhere other than in the south end zone … with a paid ticket. I doubt it.
Give the athletic department credit -- it's trying.
Why aren’t the students coming out to games? Nobody seems to know for sure. And I don’t have an answer either. At least not a viable one.
It can’t be the cost. Student tickets are free. And there’s no personal seat license needed to get one. They just show up at the gate and show their UD student identification card and waltz right into the south end zone.
The only way the athletic department could make it easier is if George Jetson picked each student off and dropped him or her into a seat. Now there’s an idea … but not a viable one.
Some say the lack of students this year is because of the crackdown on underage drinking in the parking lots before the games. One student, who rarely misses a game, told me that if a cop sees you crack open a beer they card you “no matter what,” and so they’ve “taken the pregame experience out of it for anyone under the age of 21.”
Well, at least the most popular pregame experience among students. Last I checked, although it’s not common, you can still play Baggo without a beer in your hand.
Is it the you-must-go-into-the-game-at-kickoff rule? My guess is that has something to do with it, but isn’t the complete answer. Even back in the day when there were no pre- or post-game tailgating rules — that’s right, like most every major football program in the country still has, or should I say, doesn’t have —there were thousands of students inside the stadium looking out at hundreds who remained in the parking lots.
In other words, there were plenty of students interested in the game itself, not just trying to master flipping those red plastic cups and playing ping pong, or at least some version of it.
Is it the competition? Before Saturday's game against William & Mary -- attendance was 17,808 -- home contests have been against a Div. II team, a team that belongs in Div. II, and a school better known for women’s basketball than its 3-year-old football team.
But should the opponent really matter? Don’t the students camp out in Paternoville whether the Nittany Lions are playing Alabama or Akron? And those students pay for their tickets; and would crawl across campus to pick them up if necessary.
I don’t know the answer for the poor student support, and apparently nobody else does either, including the U.S. Mint.
How about free beer to UD students.
I told you I had nothing viable to offer. I’ll stick to taking attendance.
Reach Jon Buzby at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.
==========================================
Keeler looking forward to playing UMass one last time
UD and Alabama only Div. I schools to post two shut outs
October 10, 2011 - Newark Post
Coach K.C. Keeler addressed the media at his weekly Monday press luncheon to talk about Saturday’s 21-0 win over William & Mary and discuss Saturday’s Parents/Family Weekend game against Massachusetts (3-2), who the Hens are playing for the 32nd and last time in the foreseeable future as the Minutemen prepare to move to the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I.
ON THE WIN: “What a great win. To beat a team that at the beginning of the season everyone had as the top team in this league and a top team in the country. … We really focused [during the week] on us getting better as a team and the details of the game and I thought it really showed Saturday night. After the Maine loss we were so disappointed. … The whole emphasis this week was focusing on little things.
“It’s one of those wins that will keep giving back to you because hopefully they keep on beating a bunch of people that we’ll need for them to beat.”
ON MASSACHUSETTS: “To us it’s going to be getting to 5-2. Getting to 4-1 in the conference would be a big deal. It’s a really important football game and we’re really looking forward to it.
“They want to run the ball first and then a lot of play-action passes. They do a nice job offensively. This team is another good team. The older guys know it’s just another team in the CAA, it doesn’t really matter. This team is wearing red. Last week’s team was wearing green.”
ON THE MINUTEMEN’S MOVE TO THE FBS: “I don’t live in their world and so I don’t know what their needs are. I know for us it’s not as attractive to go play Ball State or Eastern Michigan versus playing Richmond or Villanova or James Madison. With the schools we have in a four-hour radius of us it wouldn’t make any sense for us to go in that direction. There’s not a lure to go play Western Michigan. It’s a lot better for our fan base and for us if we’re playing Towson … if we’re playing Old Dominion.”
ON STARTING QUARTERBACK TIM DONNELLY; “It really was a big bounce-back game. Here’s a guy having success the first three weeks and all of a sudden he gets hit in the mouth. Four interceptions and you lose a conference game. And now the guy who was the starter is back practicing. But that’s the great thing about Timmy. He doesn’t get flustered a lot. Very steady kid. … Just went out and had a good week of practice and went out and played very well. I thought it was a great testament to his character how he bounced back.
ON BACKUP QB TREVOR SASEK (who appeared in the game late in the fourth quarter): “Good to get Trevor in the game. I still know what I saw in that Navy game and how impressed I was with Trevor. … I thought it was important to get him in front of a real crowd, real officials, real tempo of the game. … I thought that was good for him. I really want to feel like I have two quarterbacks I can go to. Now, for the first time going into this game I feel like I have that. I don’t think there are a whole lot of teams that have two quarterbacks that they think they can win with and I think we do.
ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE: The whole offensive line just dominated the day. I think they had their best game of the year. Rob (sr. center Rob McDowell) is one of the best centers I’ve ever coached. It’s not only his physical ability but his mental ability. Just the amount of thinking that goes on at the center position … Rob excels at those kind of things.”
FACT OF THE DAY: Only two Division I teams have posted two shut outs this season: Delaware and Alabama.
AWARDS: Junior linebacker Paul Worrilow was named defensive player of the week after recording a team-high 11 tackles as William & Mary was shut out for the first time since 1997.
=============================================
UD statement on 'bugle' incident Saturday night
The University of Delaware has issued a statement reminding fans that artificial noisemakers are prohibited in Delaware Stadium.
"The strict adherence to the game management guidelines of both the NCAA and Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), which prohibit artificial noisemakers inside of a venue -- reiterated in the 2011 Delaware Stadium Fan Guide, which states: 'Noisemakers musical instruments or any type of noise-making device are prohibited inside Delaware Stadium, even if purchased on-site at the University' -- led to a fan being escorted from the game on Oct. 8, 2011, by Public Safety officials after repeated requests to refrain from using the artificial noisemaker.
"The fan was later released without any criminal charges. An assessment of the activities surrounding the fan’s removal from the stadium, including a review of videotape footage, was conducted by senior University officials. Based on this assessment the actions of stadium public safety personnel were appropriate.
"The University and football team appreciate the support of our Blue Hen fans. We remind all fans that the use of artificial noisemakers in the stadium could lead to a violation of the CAA code of conduct."
==========================================
In the FCS Huddle: CAA stands for Crazy Astonishing Agonizing
Oct 9, 2011
http://www.ksdk.com/
Newark, DE (Sports Network) - How much parity is too much for CAA Football? That's the question being asked after another Saturday of action muddied the situation even more.
At least as far as the CAA's postseason aspirations are concerned.
It seemed so much easier for the conference when its best bets to make the FCS playoffs were traditional powers like William & Mary, Richmond and Villanova, not the likes of Maine, Old Dominion and Towson.
While this year's bunching of CAA teams is providing a great title race, it sure could make for a different type of postseason than what is accustomed along the eastern seaboard. It's a conference that has had national finalists in seven of the last eight years, with four different schools capturing national titles.
The way 13th-ranked Delaware handed ninth-ranked William & Mary its first shutout since their 1997 meeting, 21-0, Saturday evening underscored this year's wild ride. The losing Tribe felt the pressure gauge soar to a level that was not expected when they were made the conference's preseason favorite and viewed as a national title threat.
With five games remaining in the unforgiving conference, William & Mary (3-3, 1-2) might have to win them all to get into the playoffs. One of the Tribe's wins occurred against Division II New Haven, and the NCAA selection committee has always preferred playoff teams reach seven wins against Division I competition. The Tribe stand at two.
"I don't think we look ahead, I think we look at getting ready for next week. I mean, that's all we do," William & Mary head coach Jimmye Laycock said after the bitter defeat. "That's where we'll put our emphasis and we'll be consistent about the way we approach it. They're not going to panic. We've got good players and good people."
"It's mind-boggling the depth of this conference," Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler said. "I think it's so well respected, and we've had a lot of success in the playoffs, that I can't imagine that if it comes down to us getting a 7-4 team in there, that we can't get a 7-4 team in there."
What has happened at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association -- or do we call it Crazy Astonishing Agonizing? -- has been mirrored by inspired change at the bottom.
While the long-time success of perennial powers has forced the lower-tier teams -- and in newcomer ODU's case, a perceived lower-tier team -- to raise their level of play, it was still hard for anybody to foresee this first half of the season.
It's so different that Villanova (1-5), the national champ just two years ago, already is playing for next year.
Maine and Towson are surprise co-leaders along with playoff staple New Hampshire, all at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Surprising ODU (5-1, 2-1) is right behind with James Madison (4-2, 2-1) and Delaware (4-2, 2-1) hoping not to slip up the way William & Mary and Richmond (3-3, 0-3) seem to be doing. Rhode Island (1-4, 0-2), which was supposed to join the race this season, won't be doing that, and Massachusetts (3-2) isn't eligible for the title as it gets ready to depart the conference in a move up to the Bowl Subdivision.
The CAA has had as many as five playoff qualifiers in a year and hasn't had fewer than four since having only three representatives in 2006. The expansion of the playoffs from 16 to 20 teams last year helps the CAA's cause, but if its teams beat up on each other in the second half of the season, keeping it parity-filled, then the other top conferences -- the Southern Conference, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Big Sky Conference -- will have a clearer path to the five playoff seeds and more games at home.
"There's no dominant quarterbacks in the league," Keeler explained. "There's no (Pat)
Devlins, there's no (Joe) Flaccos, there's no Andy Halls. We all play with the same players. We really do.
"I think what you're going to see is that there's going to be a lot of parity, a lot of people beating each other back and forth. This could be a league where two losses might win the league."
The William & Mary-Delaware match-up was a meeting of the two teams which shared last year's CAA title. The shorthanded Tribe -- starting quarterback Michael Graham and star linebacker Dante Cook were among the missing -- were sent reeling after the Blue Hens offense knew what to do with both long and short fields.
Delaware capped a 98-yard drive with Tim Donnelly's 29-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Russo with 6:57 left in the first quarter. Then after William & Mary's Drake Kuhn's shanked a punt late in the first quarter, the Blue Hens needed to go only 24 yards to make it 14-0, with All-America running back Andrew Pierce (143 yards) scoring on a 4-yard run early in the second quarter.
Delaware went another 91 yards in a drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters to go up 21-0 on Donnelly's 11-yard touchdown pass to Nihja White. The convincing win ended the Blue Hens' three-game losing streak in the series.
"Offensively, we couldn't get anything going," Laycock said. "As soon as we'd get something going, we'd make a mistake."
"Everybody can beat everybody, really," said Delaware senior linebacker Andrew Harrison, who had his first career interception. "It's really going to come down to which team prepares the best."
The wild season could mean more CAA teams will get to seven D-I wins -- and playoff eligibility -- or it could mean the opposite, with fewer teams getting there.
Either way, there will be plenty of nervous contenders hoping not to become pretenders in the weeks ahead.
MIDSEASON SURPRISES
Believe it or not, we have reached the midway point of the 12-week season. Here's a surprise team from each conference:
Big Sky - Some surprises aren't positive. Eastern Washington, the defending FCS champion, started off the season with four straight losses. Although the Eagles have won two straight games, they likely need to run the table to make the playoffs at 7-4.
Big South - Coastal Carolina often gets overshadowed by Liberty, but it will take a conference-best 4-1 record when it visits the Flames next Saturday.
CAA Football - Towson was a combined 3-29 in the CAA over the last four seasons, but has won its first two conference games, is 4-1 overall and enjoying life in the national poll. Maine, always up and down under veteran coach Jack Cosgrove, is up at 4-1 and 2-0, following a 25-24 win at James Madison when it scored on Chris Treister's two-point conversion to end overtime.
=========================================================
QBs flat again, William and Mary loses to Delaware 21-0
By Aaron Bracy, CORRESPONDENT - http://www.dailypress.com/
October 9, 2011
NEWARK, Del. – William & Mary's playoff hopes are on life support after a lackluster performance in Saturday's loss to Delaware.
But the Tribe, who likely must win their final five games to earn their third straight postseason berth, have more immediate problems on their hands after a 21-0 defeat to the Blue Hens in a matchup of the defending Colonial Athletic Association co-champions at Delaware Stadium
Namely, ninth-ranked W&M (3-3, 1-2 CAA) needs to find a quarterback – and fast. Senior Michael Paulus continued his season-long struggles and was pulled early in the second half. Paulus, who started the first three games before being replaced by sophomore walk-on Michael Graham, finished 10-for-24 for 84 yards with a pair of interceptions.
"He had some trouble reading in the secondary, made some poor decisions with the throws and things like that," Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock said.
Paulus was only in the starting lineup because Graham couldn't go with an undisclosed illness. Laycock said Graham, if healthy, would return to the lineup for Saturday's game against New Hampshire.
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If not, well, it's anyone's guess who will be under center for W&M.
Paulus, the heralded high school signal-caller who transferred in from North Carolina, couldn't get into any kind of rhythm. His throws were off target for most of the evening and he's now 28-for-72 (39 percent) for 267 yards with three picks and one TD for the season.
He was replaced by Brent Caprio, who was 5-for-8 for 50 yards but didn't fare much better. In fact, the entire Tribe attack was bottled up, as the No. 13-ranked Hens (4-2, 2-1) crowded the box and held Jonathan Grimes, the CAA's preseason co-offensive player of the year, to 47 yards on 15 carries. W&M was 1-for-13 on third-down conversions.
Neither Paulus nor Grimes were made available for comment.
"Offensively we couldn't get anything going," Laycock said. "As soon as we'd get anything going, we'd make a mistake and of course we had a couple of interceptions that really hurt us, some penalties, a dropped pass here."
W&M did very little offensively in the first half but trailed just 14-0 at the break. The Tribe opened the second half with possession but the drive ended when Paulus threw behind D.J. Mangus for his second interception, giving the Hens good field position on the Tribe's 45 and ending the night for Paulus.
"We shuffled around quarterbacks to try to shake things up a little bit and see if we could get things going," Laycock said.
Caprio, who entered 10-for-24 for 84 yards with two INTs in limited action in all five games, wasn't able to provide the spark and the Tribe's hopes were all but dashed when Hens QB Tim Donnelly connected with Nihja White for an 11-yard score that put Delaware up 21-0 with 13:19 left.
The defeat puts W&M in a must-win situation from here out, as no at-large team ever has made the FCS playoffs with fewer than seven wins over Division I opponents. The Tribe, whose victory over Division II New Haven doesn't factor into playoff eligibility, would need to win out to reach the postseason for the 10th time under the veteran Laycock.
But the coach, in his 32nd season, isn't focused on the postseason.
"I don't think we look ahead," he said. "We'll put our emphasis on getting ready for next week. We'll be consistent about the way we're going to approach it. We have good people. They don't try to make mistakes or mess up. We'll keep working at it."
Asked who will start at QB against UNH, Laycock said, "We'll look and see whether Mike Graham is healthy or not. If he's not, we'll look at these other guys."
W&M fell behind by a pair of scores early, but was in good position to get on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter when it had the ball on the Hens' 18. But Paulus was intercepted on first down when Travis Hawkins stepped in front of an in route for an easy pick.
The Tribe found themselves in a 14-point hole when Andrew Pierce ran up the middle on third down for a 4-yard TD 1:17 into the second quarter. The Hens started the drive from the Tribe's 24-yard line after Drake Kuhn's shanked punt went just five yards.
The Hens opened the scoring when Donnelly capped a 9-play, 98-yard drive with a 29-yard pass to Bobby Russo.
The defense was mostly stout from that point, but didn't get the necessary help from the other side of the ball.
"I'm disappointed we didn't get more going on offense and play a little better," Laycock said. "We just couldn't quite get the rhythm there."
===============================================
No. 9 Tribe Falls at No. 13/11 Delaware, 21-0
10/08/2011
by TribeAthletics.com
NEWARK, Del. - The ninth-ranked William and Mary football team fell at No. 13/11 Delaware, 21-0, on Saturday evening.
The loss marked the Tribe's (3-3, 1-2) first shutout since losing at Delaware, 14-0, in 1997.
Led by sophomore running back Andrew Pierce's 143 yards on the ground, Delaware (4-2, 2-1) outgained W&M, 338-210, and controlled the time of possession, 34:35-25:25. Additionally, the College was just one of 13 on third-down situation
Senior linebacker Jake Trantin led the Tribe with a game-high 12 tackles, while junior linebacker Brian Thompson totaled 10 stops. Senior defensive end Marcus Hyde also came up big with eight tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery, while senior safety Jake O'Connor recorded six tackles and an interception.
After holding Delaware to a three-and-out on the game's opening series, sophomore linebacker Quincey September blocked Rauley Zaragoza's punt to give W&M starting field position at midfield. Although W&M moved to UD's 31-yard line, an illegal block penalty stalled the drive and forced the Tribe to punt.
While a Drake Kuhn punt pinned Delaware at its own 2-yard line to begin the ensuing series, the Blue Hens marched 98 yards in nine plays to go ahead 7-0 on a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tim Donnelly to wideout Bobby Russo with 6:57 remaining in the first quarter.
W&M looked as if it would answer with points on its next drive, but Kuhn's 44-yard field goal attempt from the left hash missed wide to the right.
A 4-yard touchdown run by Andrew Pierce with 13:43 remaining in the second quarter pushed Delaware's lead to 14-0. The drive covered just 24 yards and was aided by a short W&M punt.
The Tribe responded to UD's second touchdown by marching into the red zone, but Delaware cornerback Travis Hawkins intercepted senior quarterback Michael Paulus at the 7-yard line to halt W&M's scoring opportunity.
After both teams went scoreless in the third quarter, the Blue Hens extended the margin to 21-0 with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Donnelly to wide receiver Nihja White with 13:19 remaining in the contest. The 15-play, 91-yard drive lasted 6:52 and came mostly on the ground, as the Blue Hens piled up 58 rushing yards on nine carries.
Although W&M moved into the red zone on its next possession with sophomore quarterback Brent Caprio taking over under center, it was unable to come away with any points when it turned the ball over on downs at the UD 17-yard line.
The Tribe will return to action next Saturday when it hosts New Hampshire.
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Blue Hens abuse Tribe while UD Security does the same to fans
Oct. 8, 2011 - Bluehenfootball.com
The Hens defense did not allow the Tribe to enter the redzone in four quarters of play, while UD Security kept tight control over noisemakers in the stands. The Hen defense manhandled the tribe all night shutting out the Tribe and providing enough offense to put up 21 points. While UD Security had similar results both in the stands and underneath of them in the second half. For some reason UD Security thought it was appropriate to display their force by escorting a popular section J fan out of the stadium for playing a trumpet, and in response - hundreds of fans of the same section, and nearby section K, marched out in protest. While underneath the stadium, long time older blue hen fans were manhandled by UD Security and pushed to the ground for shouting Nazi and other chants in protest. Many longtime Blue Hen fans were heard stating they would never attend another game after how UD Security and Police officers treated them. There is something very wrong in the UD nation these days, and what transpired between long time UD fans and UD Police under the east stands tonight is reflective of that.
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University reverts to 2008 football ticket policy
By Pat Gillespie - UD Student Review News Paper
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The football ticket policy change comes after a low student turnout of
1,403 at the Sept. 24 home game against Old Dominion.
A dramatic decline in student attendance at football games has caused
university officials to reconsider ways of attracting students to games.
In addition to offering cash prizes to students, the university athletic
department announced Wednesday a return to an earlier policy for
football games that does not require advance ticket pickup.
For the remainder of the season, students can gain entrance to Delaware
Stadium by swiping their UD ID cards, as they did through 2008's
policy.
"It's disappointing—we've had a long history of great attendance,"
head coach K.C. Keeler said Monday. "When they hired me they might not
have said, ‘Hey, your job is to get 20,000 in the stands, your job is
to win football games.' At the same time, now that we're struggling
[with attendance], my job title definitely has moved to, ‘We need to
get fans back in the stands.'"
The new "Drive for Five" promotion announced Wednesday aims to attract
a student crowd of 5,000 to the south endzone stands, commonly referred
to as the Cockpit. Prizes, like an iPad, will be offered to students
throughout the game, with a cash prize of $5,000 awarded at the end to
encourage students to stay for the whole contest.
The announcement comes after a turnout of 1,403 students at the home
game against Old Dominion on Sept. 24. The overall attendance,
consisting of both students and other attendees, was 16,789—the lowest
attendance since a November 1998 game against James Madison.
Attendance dropped from 19,593 in the home opener against West Chester,
to 18,011 in the Delaware State game, to last week's 13-year record low
attendance.
"We want to fill this place," Keeler said.
He also noted that the usual atmosphere at Delaware football games,
which has typically been approximately 20,000 fans, helps to recruit
players, and the presence of the student body is an integral part of
that atmosphere.
"We've seen the student numbers go down each game," associate athletic
director Stacey Bunting said.
Bunting noted this year's students are picking up tickets prior to the
game, but thousands of them are not actually attending the game. For the
first three home games, 3,707 tickets were picked up by students, but
not all were redeemed at the game, she said.
"We had a full endzone picked up, and I would say there were probably
less than 1,000 students who actually showed up on gameday," Bunting
said of the Old Dominion game. "When we saw that this problem was
happening over the first three games, where tickets were being picked
up, but people weren't showing up, we thought, ‘What's it going to
take to get students to actually come into the game?"
Junior wideout Nihja White suggested poor attendance could be caused by
university police cracking down on tailgating parties before the game.
"From the students' perspective, I think it's [the] tailgating
policy—you know the police cracking down on how much [students] can
tailgate," White said Monday. "And I've heard people complain about the
ticket policy, how they have to go get a ticket in Trabant, takes time
and the line is long. I've heard it from—all my friends tell me so I
guess the ticket policy and the tailgating are the two biggest things
for them."
Bunting said she had not heard any complaints from students about
tailgating issues. She did say, however, that over the last five years,
attendance at games gradually drops until Homecoming weekend—the
second most attended game of the year.
Although Keeler did not speculate as to why students are not coming to
games, he outlined one of the effects of poor attendance.
"It's all a part of our recruiting persona," he said. "You want to know
about Delaware fo
otball? This is who we are. And 20,000 fans in the
stands every Saturday afternoon is who we are. And unfortunately, that's
not who we are right now."
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Underpreview: Delaware vs. William & Mary
By TIM MASTRO - UD Student News Paper - The Review
Published: Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Time: Saturday at 6 p.m.
Location: Delaware Stadium
About the Teams:
About Delaware: The Hens are coming off a disappointing result up in Maine which dropped their record to 3-2 (1-1 CAA). The loss made Delaware fall back to No. 13 in the polls after being in the top 10 all season. The Hens' defense let up a lot of big plays and quarterback Tim Donnelly had his worst game, throwing four interceptions. K.C. Keeler said Donnelly and Trevor Sasek, who was the starter before an injury in the first game of the season, will split time in practice and whoever looks best will be the starter.
About William & Mary: The Tribe have underachieved this season, considering many predicted them to be the class of the CAA. They their CAA opener against James Madison before edging out a weak Villanova team this weekend on the road by the score of 20-16. William & Mary is ranked No. 9 in the polls. Last season, the Tribe split the CAA regular season crown with Delaware.
Why the Hens can win:
The Hens need this game for a variety of reasons. The defense needs to prove it can shutdown an opponent. Tim Donnelly (or Trevor Sasek) needs to show that he can be depended on to lead this team. The offensive line needs to prove that all the preseason accolades they garnered as one of the best in the country is not just hype. They well welcome a return to Delaware Stadium where they have won 13 of their last 14 games.
Why the Hens could lose:
William & Mary have won the last three games between the two teams. They have one of the best players in the CAA, running back Jonathan Grimes who shared CAA Pre-Season Player of the Year honors with Hens' running back Andrew Pierce. If Delaware tackles the way it did against Maine, Grimes could be in line for a career-day.
The Numbers:
281.6: Yards per game the Tribe average, second to last in the CAA.
3: Number of sacks Delaware has the season. It's the worst mark of all CAA teams.
100%: The times Delaware opponents have scored while in the red zone, 12 for 12.
The Prediction:
If Delaware loses this game, it has the potential to put their playoff hopes in jeopardy despite just entering the second month of the season. The way the defense looked against Maine does not instill confidence of how they'll deal with Grimes and company.
Tribe 27
Hens 19
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COMMENTARY: “TIME TO GET DEFENSIVE”
By DAN MOBERGER - UD Student News Paper - The Review
Published: Tuesday, October 4, 2011
After the loss to Maine on Saturday, I'm sure the football team is
looking for some answers. They're now 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the CAA.
There are six games left, all of which are CAA games against, at the
very least, capable opponents. This week's William & Mary matchup is
going to be a test for them. Can they find answers to those questions
hovering around the locker room like a dense fog? If so, this team could
find itself in the playoffs again with a chance to surprise some
people.
Whether Tim Donnelly is the quarterback they want to finish the season
with may be one question that needs answering, but at this point, he's
really only had one bad game. His three straight contests without an
interception leading up to last week's Maine loss show his potential to
manage the game, even if he may not be the most talented quarterback to
grace Tubby Raymond Field in a Delaware uniform.
The real question they need answered is who is going to step up and
become a leader on this defense?
The talent is there. Head coach K.C. Keeler has said that over and over
about his team this season, but he's also said they're not the most
experienced group and need to find a way to eliminate foolish mistakes
and problems with consistency.
As a unit, the projected starters for this Saturday's game against
William & Mary have earned 18 letters. The only two players who haven't
won letters with the Hens are transfers from other schools. Jessel
Curry, a sophomore linebacker who transferred from Auburn, and Travis
Hawkins, a sophomore defensive back transfer from Maryland, are not
shabby replacements that got thrown in the starting lineup because
Delaware couldn't recruit anyone better.
Curry was a true freshman on the Auburn squad that won the national
championship at the Division I level last year. Saturday is shaping up
to be a test for him as it looks like he'll be in the starting lineup
this week and needs to contribute to a core of linebackers that is going
to have to stop a very talented running back in Jonathan Grimes.
Travis Hawkins caught my eye in the spring game as one of the most
gifted players on this defense. He hasn't played badly, but a few missed
tackles and blown assignments here and there have me craving more of the
shutdown, game changing corner I think he has the potential to be.
The only other sophomore scheduled to start Saturday is defensive
tackle Irv Titre, who is actually a junior with sophomore eligibility
due to an injury last year that lingered longer than he and the training
staff expected.
That leaves eight starting defensive spots that are filled up by
upperclassmen—three seniors and five juniors. Granted only three,
defensive end Michael Atunrase and linebackers Paul Worrilow and Andrew
Harrison, of those eight are returning starters from last year, but at
this advanced stage in their college careers, I would've expected more
leadership to arise out of this group.
Senior defensive tackle Matt Hardison and junior defensive end Ethan
Clark are the other two starters outside of the secondary. Hardison and
Clark are some of the smartest players on the team, each receiving
Academic All-American considerations. I've seen Hardison play and heard
him speak in person, and there's no reason this guy can't be a leader on
the team.
Coming into this year, the secondary looked like the real issue. While
the lineup lost an incredible class of defensive backs last season, some
talented guys came in to fill those gaps. Marcus Burley, Ricky Tunstall
and Tim Breaker look like they're going to start this week alongside
Hawkins. Burley is the leader of the group and has the most experience.
Sophomore Jake Giusti and redshirt freshman Brandon Cheaton are backups
that give solid contributions each week.
The potential is there this year. It's tough to repl
ace guys like Matt
Marcorelle, Anthony Bratton, Siddiq Haynes, Anthony Walters and Tyrone
Grant, all of whom contributed to the stout 2010 defense. This group
needs to address those questions about who is going to move into a
leadership role and who is going to mature mentally to a point where
they can help not only themselves improve, but their teammates as well.
If this defense starts functioning the way its potential leads me to
believe, they're going to be a force in the second half of the season.
That's a big "if."
=================================================
Brown Leads Football to 31-17 Win Over #5 Delaware
October 2, 2011 - http://www.goblackbears.com/
ORONO, Maine – Pushaun Brown (North Brunswick, N.J.) rushed for 193 yards and three scores to lead the University of Maine football team to a 31-17 win over #5 Delaware on Saturday night at Alfond Stadium. Maine is now 3-1 overall and 1-0 in CAA play while Delaware falls to 3-2 and 1-1 in league play.
Maine got on the board first as Brown completed a seven play, 89-yard drive with a 26-yard touchdown run.
The Blue Hens responded with a Tim Donnelly 16-yard touchdown pass and Sean Baner 46-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead into halftime.
The Black Bears would take back the lead on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Warren Smith (Forked River, N.J.) to Damarr Aultman (Wheatley Heights, N.Y.) to cap a five-play, 83-yard drive.
The Blue Hens would not go away as Andrew Pierce notched a 13-yard touchdown run with 3:40 left in the third.
It was all Black Bears after that.
Smith found an open Derek Session (Baltimore, Md.) for a 56-yard gain on the last play of the third quarter and Brown would run it in from 18 yards to give Maine the lead it would not relinquish.
With the Blue Hens trying to take back the lead, Vinson Givans (Cambridge, Mass.) would intercept Donnelly's pass at the Maine 25-yardline. Brown would take the next handoff 70-yards to the Delaware five and punch it in two plays later to give Maine a 28-17 lead.
Jerron McMillian (Hillside, N.J.) intercepted Donnelly's pass to open the Blue Hens' next series, and Brian Harvey (Wayland, Mass.) would put the game away with a 31-yard field goal with 5:30 left.
Smith completed 18-of-27 passes for 264 yards and a score while Session caught four balls for a game-high 111 yards receiving.
Darlos James (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) and Trevor Coston (Greenlawn, N.Y.) also notched interceptions.
Pierce had 120 yards rushing to lead Delaware.
Maine return to action next Saturday at James Madison live on Comcast SportsNet. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m.
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Maine Dominates Fourth Quarter To Defeat No. 6 Delaware, 31-17, Ending Hens’ Three-Game Win Streak
October 1, 2011 - UD Sports Info Dept.
Athlete photoORONO, Maine -- The University of Delaware took a three-point lead late in the third quarter on a 13-yard touchdown run by Andrew Pierce, but Maine scored the final 17 points of the game as the Black Bears won their Colonial Athletic Association opener with a 31-17 victory over the sixth-ranked Blue Hens Saturday afternoon at rain-soaked Alford Stadium.
Delaware, which dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in league play, had its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 10-4 all-time in Orono. The Blue Hens had won two straight over Maine, and had taken three of their last four trips to Alfond Stadium.
The Black Bears, whose only loss this season came by six points to Big East opponent Pittsburgh, improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the CAA. Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove picked up his 100th career victory in his 19th season at Maine.
Maine trailed 10-7 at the half, but after holding the Blue Hens on the first drive of the third quarter, took over on its own 17 yard line and quickly marched down the field in just five plays to regain the lead. The drive culminated with quarterback Warren Smith connecting with Damarr Aultman for a 37-yard touchdown strike to put the Black Bears in front, 14-10, with 8:58 remaining in the stanza.
However the Blue Hens would answer right back, engineering an 11-play, 74-yard scoring drive to go back on top. Running backs Andrew Pierce and David Hayes combined for 43 yards on the drive, which ended with a 13-yard touchdown scamper by Pierice that make it a 17-14 Delaware advantage.
The UD defense then held Maine to a three-and-out but the Blue Hens’ ensuing possession would stall, and the Black Bears dominated from there.
Maine took over at its own 26 yard line with 21 seconds left in the quarter, and Smith quickly found Derek Session for a 56-yard bomb on the final play of the period. Pushawn Brown then opened the fourth with an 18-yard touchdown run to put Maine in front for good.
After each team punted on its next possession, the Blue Hens looked to respond when they earned a first down on the Maine 25 yard line. However on third and 15 Delaware quarterback Tim Donnelly was picked off by Vinson Givans, who returned the ball to the Maine 25. The Black Bears immediately took advantage as Brown exploded for 70 yards, and two plays later he scored from five yards out to make it a 28-17 game.
Following another interception of Donnelly by Jeron McMillian, the Black Bears’ Brian Harvey drilled a 31-yard field goal with 5:30 left to close the scoring.
Brown ran 23 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns for Maine, while Smith finished 18 of 27 for 264 yards and a touchdown.
Donnelly, who entered the game having thrown just one interception through the first four weeks, was 24 or 45 for 163 yards and a touchdown but was picked off four times during the afternoon.
Pierce (at right) ran 24 times for 120 yards, surpassing the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season and moving into 10th place on the al-time UD rushing list with 2,146 yards. Nihja White caught seven passes for 52 yards and recorded his 100th career catch in the first half, becoming the 14th Blue Hen in school history to reach that milestone.
“There are a lot of teams in our league just like ourselves, and Maine is one of them,” said Blue Hen head coach K.C. Keeler. “I thought Jack (Cosgrove) put together a good game plan and attacked our secondary. It was pretty obvious that was what they were to going to try to exploit, and it worked for them. We just could not get the momentum tonight even though we had some opportunities. We had way too many turnovers and way too many mistakes.
"Maine is a good football team and dramatically improved from last year, and I thought that going in," Keeler said. "I told our kids we’re going to have to really earn this one because we were playing a good team. When Maine got the momentum, they seized and rode it. We gave up some big plays, and our turnovers gave them more opportunities. We are going to see a lot of games like this over the next 5 or 6 weeks, so we need to put this one behind us and move on. There was a time we had the lead and I thought if we got some momentum we would be fine. Sometimes one play can change a game. We just never grasped the opportunities that we had.”
Athlete photoMaine struck first after an interception by Trevor Coston deep inside Maine territory set up an 89-yard drive that was capped by a 26-yard run by Brown. Delaware’s Mark Schenauer appeared to be open on a post pattern down the center of the field but Coston came out of nowhere to pick off Donnelly’s pass at the 11-yard line. Donnelly had gone 55 attempts without an interception up to that point.
Seven plays later, Maine took a 7-0 lead as Brown swept to the right side, found a wide open gap, and then cut back at the five-yard line to go untouched for a 26-yard score with 6:13 left in the opening stanza.
The Blue Hens came back to knot the game at 7-7 two possessions later when Donnelly capped a 10-play, 59-yard drive with a 17-yard scoring toss to Colin Naugle (at left) for the senior tight end’s first scoring grab of the year. The Hens used a pass interference penalty by Maine in the end zone to get the ball at the Black Bear 19-yard line.
After moving to the seven, the Hens took a step back when Donnelly was sacked by by Raibonne Charles at the 17-yard line. But Donnelly regrouped on the next play and lofted a perfect pass to the left end zone where Naugle made a nice over-the-should grab just before stepping out of bounds for the score. Baner’s extra point tied the game at 7-7 with 13:48 remaining.
Delaware then took the lead on its next possession when an interception by sophomore linebacker Jessel Curry set up Sean Baner’s fifth field goal in the last two games. Curry, on the field for the first time since leaving the West Chester game Sept. 10 with a concussion, jumped to pull down a throw by Warren Smith in the open field at the Maine 21-yard line. Four plays later Baner converted a 46-yard field goal that just sneaked over the goalpost to give UD a 10-7 lead with 11:23 left.
Neither team was able to score again during the half as interceptions and a blocked field goal thwarted drives. After Baner had a 49-yard field goal attempt blocked, Delaware got the ball back moments later when Travis Hawkins stepped in front of a Smith pass and notched his first interception of the season at the 50-yard line.
But Delaware gave the ball right back as Donnelly had a pass slip out of his hands and Darlos Jones intercepted at the Maine 38-yard line. A desperation pass by Smith on the last play of the half sailed out of the end zone.
Following each team’s touchdown in the third quarter, the Black Bears dominated the fourth to pull away.
“They have some great athletes but a lot of it falls on us,” Donnelly said. “We just didn’t execute the way we should have today.”
Delaware lost despite converting 9 of 17 third downs while holding Maine to just 1 of 9 third down conversions. Opponents are now just 8 for their last 49 on third down conversions against the Blue Hens.
"I thought that we had the momentum,” said Pierce. “We just shot ourselves in the football too many times. It was a tough night.”
Delaware will return to action next Saturday when the Blue Hens host rival William & Mary at 6 p.m. at Delaware Stadium. The game will be a matchup between the two teams that shared the CAA title in 2010.
Hen Scratchings: The late Ron Rogerson, who served as head football coach at Maine and was a former Delaware assistant, was honored during the game. Rogerson’s wife and son were on hand to be recognized for a scholarship that will honor Ron’s memory...WR Nihja White extended his streak of catching a pass to 26 straight games and his third catch in the first half was the 100th of his career, making him only the 14th player in UD history to reach that plateau.
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Football Hosts #5 Delaware in CAA Opener
September 28, 2011 - http://www.goblackbears.com/
Notes
ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine football team hosts #5 Delaware in the Black Bears' CAA opener. The game marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons Maine has played a team from the previous season's National Championship Game. Saturday's contest will be broadcast live on WABI-TV and the CW throughout Maine.
Storylines
The University of Maine football team (2-1, 0-0 CAA) hosts the Delaware Blue Hens in the Black Bears' first CAA game of the season.
Maine is coming off a bye week.
Two weekends ago, the Black Bears went to Albany and defeated the Great Danes by the score of 31-15.
RB Pushaun Brown rushed for 125 yards and a score in his fifth-consecutive 100-yard rushing game against an FCS school.
TE Justin Perillo made six catches for 57 yards and a score while Vinson Givans led the defense with six tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss while Darlos James had an interception.
QB Warren Smith has moved up to fifth on the all-time passing list at Maine with 5,574 yards.
Delaware is coming off of a 27-17 win over Old Dominion in its CAA-opener.
QB Tim Donnelly led the way with 304 yards through the air as well as a pair of scores.
Maine will also be eyeing Delaware RB Andrew Pierce who is one of the top backs in the league and an All-American last season while LB Paul Worrilow will lead the defense of the Blue Hens.
Maine fell to Delaware last season in Newark by the score of 26-7.
DB Trevor Coston has 13 tackles in the game while LB Donte Dennis had 17.
The two teams have not had a game decided by less than 10 points since 2004.
Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove is one win away from 100 career victories.
Maine last defeated Delaware in 2008 by the score of 27-10.
GAME INFORMATION
When: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011
Where: Orono, Maine
Stadium (Capacity): Alfond Stadium (10,000)
Surface: Artificial Grass
Kickoff :3 p.m.
Series Record: Delaware, 23-7
Current Winning Streak: Delaware, 2
TOP 25 RANKINGS (FATHEAD.COM-SPORTS NETWORK/FCS COACHES)
Maine: RV/-
Delaware: 6/5
HEAD COACHES
Maine: Jack Cosgrove (Maine '78)
Career Record (Seasons): 99-109 (19th Season)
vs. Delaware 3-9
Delaware: K.C. Keeler (Delaware '81)
Career Record (Seasons): 165-64-1 (19th Season)
vs. Maine 5-2
TELEVISION
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on WABI-TV and the CW throughout the state.
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Blue Hens celebrate win, but know Maine Bears loom
Keeler's press luncheon notes
Jon Buzby - Newark Post
Published: Monday, September 26, 2011
Delaware coach K.C. Keeler opened up his press luncheon talking about the Blue Hens' 27-17 win over CAA foe Old Dominion University.
"Nice win," he said. "As I told the kids any time you get a conference win you have to enjoy it. ... Old Dominion is a good, quality football team. ... We weren't nearly as efficient as we needed to be [on offense], but our defense played lights out."
On the close win: "Although I just lost about a year of my life, down the road it's going to be good because of close games like that."
On special teams, which muffed a punt snap that was returned for a touchdown and had a field goal blocked: "I think we can become a really good special teams team."
On Maine's defense: "Maine is very similar to what ODU does defensively because that's where [ODU coach Bobby Wilder] came from. [Maine] gave Pitt everything they can handle. They are very physical up front and have very good athletes on the back end."
On the road trip to Orono: "It's always a challenge traveling up there. It's the easiest travel day we'll have because we'll jump on a charter and be there in an hour and a half. But it always seems they schedule an ice hockey practice just as we're changing. I'm sure they could put us somewhere else if they wanted to, but why would they want to."
On the rest of the CAA: "Like I told the team, we're not very good, but I don't think anyone else is very good either."
Injury update: "Andrew Pierce has a slight MCL strain. He did a pool workout today. We don't anticipate there's going to be any issues, but if there is, David Hayes is ready to go."
Keeler said the team will fly up to Orono on Friday at 1 p.m. following meetings and a walk-through here in Newark. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Honor: Junior quarterback Tim Donnelly was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week. UD sports information director Scott Selheimer pointed out that Donnelly became just the fourth quarterback since 1975 to win his first three games at the position. The other three were not named Brunner, Gannon or Flacco.
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Hens win on field, but trail ODU off it
Facilities, fans and recruiting boost young ODU program
By Jon Buzby - Newark Post
Published: Sunday, September 25, 2011
NEWARK — Delaware’s football history is steeped in tradition with multiple national championships, NFL players and All-Americans.
Old Dominion’s modern-day football program is a little over two years old. (The Monarchs reinstated football in 2009 after a 69-year hiatus.)
Saturday afternoon at Delaware Stadium the Blue Hens played in their 202nd game in a league that started out as the Yankee Conference. The Hens have been in three FCS (formerly I-AA) title games in the last eight years alone, winning it all in 2003.
ODU played in its first-ever Colonial Athletic Conference game, and are best known for national championships in field hockey and CAA titles in women’s basketball. Yet, the football Monarchs came into the game having compiled a 20-5 overall mark since their first game a little over two years ago. It’s the best start-up in FCS history.
The Hens handed the Monarchs their first loss in the CAA, 24-17, and based on history alone, or lack thereof in ODU’s case, one would assume the Blue Hens’ overall football program would be head and shoulders above the Monarch’s as well.
Not so fast.
ODU coach Bobby Wilder says he thinks he has the best situation in the country compared to all other FCS schools. And he might be right.
Facilities
ODU plays at Foreman Field, which underwent a $24.8 million refurbishment and will undoubtedly make K.C. Keeler drool the first time he sees it live. The stadium and surrounding practice facilities have all the amenities the 10th-year coach has wanted since he arrived. Maybe the Hens should take a 69-year vacation from football.
Recruiting
ODU is nestled in Norfolk, which is part of the football-fertile Hampton Roads metro area. More players head to Div. I schools from the Hampton Roads high schools in a season than do in a decade from The First State. Deep Creek High School alone has five current NFL players.
On the East Coast alone, ODU is drivable from the Carolinas to New York, expanding the recruiting area south beyond Delaware’s reach when a player wants his parents to be able to drive to home games.
One recruiting advantage the Hens do have is that it's easier for parents to get tickets for extended family.
Fans
ODU has sold out all 16 of its home games. With no big-time sports teams in the area, the Monarchs football program is the one to follow. Average home attendance in 2010 was a full-capacity 19,782, which ranked fifth in the FCS just behind Delaware’s 20,684. The major difference between the two schools was that most of ODU’s seats were filled last season, not just sold. And the Monarchs continue to sell out this season, setting records for attendance, not empty seats, like is happening here in Newark.
Today's paid attendance of 16,789 was the lowest since 1998 when the Hens hosted James Madison. It looked more like a Thanksgiving weekend playoff game than the third home game of a season following a run to the national title game.
Financial support
While Delaware fans have shown their displeasure about recent season-ticket licensing fees by not renewing them, ODU appears to have tremendous financial support from its fan base. Granted, this is probably due to the excitement of getting football back, compared to Delaware charging fees for the first time to a loyal fan base that spans not only decades, but generations.
There’s no doubt that off the field ODU has the upper hand. On the field, the nod still goes to Delaware.
The question is, for how much longer.
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Old Dominion falls just short in bid for upset
By Rich Radford
The Virginian-Pilot
September 25, 2011
NEWARK, Del.
Old Dominion's high-octane spread offense developed a knock in the engine Saturday as the Monarchs fell 27-17 to the Delaware Blue Hens at Delaware Stadium.
Playing in their first Colonial Athletic Association game, the Monarchs showed that pinning them as 23-point underdogs coming in was a bit much.
Pulling off the miraculous win that would have shocked the league, however, just didn't happen.
ODU quarterback Thomas DeMarco, who came in completing better than 70 percent of his passes this season, hit on only 50 percent of his throws, and the Monarchs' quick-strike offense never found a flow.
DeMarco completed 23 of 46 passes for 204 yards. A slew of passes were overthrown, thrown wide, thrown low or simply dropped.
"We just didn't play pitch and catch like we had been doing," ODU coach Bobby Wilder said. "Right from the start, we had passes where we either missed a receiver or the ball was dropped. And it kept us out of our rhythm all day."
It didn't, however, keep the Monarchs (3-1) out of the game.
Facing a Delaware squad known for its powerful running game, the Monarchs put the clamps on Andrew Pierce, who ran for 1,655 yards a year ago.
The Hens, ranked No. 7 in the Football Championship Subdivision by The Sports Network, managed 80 yards rushing and Pierce finished the game on the sidelines with a strained knee. He ran 14 times for 21 yards, his first game with less than 100 yards this season.
ODU also turned in some snazzy special teams play, blocking a field goal attempt and pulling off a timely fake punt in the fourth quarter that kept alive its lone touchdown drive.
But in the end, Delaware did what ODU couldn't: The Hens (3-1, 1-0 CAA) threw it and caught it well enough to win.
Tim Donnelly threw for 304 yards and completed 26 of 39 passes, none bigger than his 32-yard touchdown pass to Rob Jones with 9:29 remaining. It came on the heels of a 60-yard kickoff return by Travis Hawkins that would have been a touchdown if ODU's Craig Wilkins hadn't had a handful of Hawkins' shirttail.
ODU's last three drives were clunkers and the Hens tacked on an insurance field goal with 42 seconds remaining.
ODU had taken a 17-16 lead with 9:50 left on a 9-yard touchdown pass from DeMarco to Antonio Vaughan.
The drive was aided by punter Jonathan Plisco's fake-punt run of 15 yards.
According to DeMarco, that should have been Vaughan's second touchdown catch of the day, not his first.
Asked if there was one play he'd like to have back, DeMarco said, "I'm thinking about 15 I'd like to have back. But if there's one, it would be missing Vaughan on that post route."
It was early when that happened. Very early. Still in a scoreless tie, ODU had just recovered a David Hayes fumble caused by Eriq Lewis.
After a 20-yard end-around run by Colby Goodwyn, DeMarco had Vaughan open down the middle but overshot on what could have been a 62-yard scoring play.
Eventually, the Monarchs were first to score when Delaware fumbled on an attempted punt. The snap hit one of Delaware's shield blockers lined up 8 yards behind the line. A mad scramble followed and ODU's Chris Lovitt scooped it up and went 18 yards for a 7-0 lead.
Moments later, ODU botched great field possession after Eddie McClam blocked a 48-yard field-goal attempt by Delaware's Sean Baner.
ODU had the ball at the Delaware 38, but gave it right back when a quick-out pass by DeMarco was first tipped by Vaughan and then bobbled by Prentice Gill. The third player to get his hands on it was Delaware's Marcus Burley.
From that point, the Blue Hens were methodical and willing to take what ODU offered - the short passing game. A pair of Baner field goals pulled the Hens to within 7-6, and they ended the half with a 13-7 lead when Nihja White pulled in a 7-yard scoring pass from Donnelly with 42 seconds remaining.
The teams traded field goals, setting up the last 10 minutes when it looked like ODU just might pull off the upset.
"It's evident that ODU is pretty stout up front," said Delaware coach K.C. Keeler, whose squad lost last season's FCS title game 20-19 to Eastern Washington. "They are going to be pretty tough to run on.
"I wasn't sure what we were going to get today, but that's a good football team. They are going to win some games."
Rich Radford, (757) 446-2463, rich.radford@pilotonline.com
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Football Monarchs Fall at #7 Delaware, 27-17
ODU First Official Game In the Colonial Athletic Association
9/25/11 - http://www.odusports.com/
NEWARK, Del. -- The Old Dominion Football Monarchs had their eight-game win streak snapped with a 27-17 loss at Delaware in their Colonial Athletic Association debut on Saturday at Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium.
The Monarchs, who entered Saturday's contest with the nation's longest FCS win streak, fall to 3-1 on the season and 0-1 in the CAA. Old Dominion's last loss was against nationally-ranked Cal Poly back on October 9th, 2010.
The Blue Hens, one of five ranked CAA teams ODU will face during the 2011 campaign, improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in CAA play.
Thomas DeMarco finished the afternoon completing 23 of his 46 attempts for 207 yards, with 163 yards coming in the second half of action. DeMarco also made 13 carries for 43 yards, while running back Colby Goodwyn also had 13 carries, racking up 48 yards Reid Evans made eight catches for 80 yards.
Delaware's Tim Donnelly posted 304 yards in the air and two touchdowns for the Blue Hens. Nihja White made seven catches for 117 yards.
For the defense, the Monarchs were led by J.J. Williams with 10 tackles, while Craig Wilkins made nine stops.
The first quarter of CAA Football for the Monarchs was nothing short of exciting.
On Delaware's opening drive and the Blue Hens in Monarch territory at the ODU27, Eriq Lewis forced David Hayes to fumble and return possession back to the Monarchs with Carvin Powell coming up with the ball.
While Old Dominion did not score on its possession, the Monarchs' "All-Star Team", special teams, would end up putting the Monarchs on the board first.
The Blue Hens, who had outscored its opponents at home 35-0 in the first quarter, saw the Monarchs jump out to a 7-0 lead as Chris Lovitt returned a fumble made by the Blue Hen's punt team 18 -yards for a touchdown with 6:39 remaining in the first quarter.
As Delaware made its way downfield on their next drive, the Blue Hens attempted a 48-yard field goal, but the Monarchs' "All-Star Team" added another notch to its blocked kicks tally stopping Sean Baner's kick from going through the uprights and persevering ODU's 7-0 lead.
The momentum was shorted lived however as on the first play of ODU's ensuing drive, Thomas DeMarco's pass was intercepted. Delaware would find the uprights this time and score on a 40-yard field goal as Old Dominion led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Delaware closed their deficit to one with Baner's second field goal of the afternoon, a 39-yard attempt with 9:13 left in the second quarter. Then as the second quarter was coming to close Nihja White capped of a 11-play, 64-yard-drive to put Delaware ahead 13-7 into the half.
The Blue Hens had a chance to add to the lead in the early minutes of the third quarter, however Baner's 25-yard attempt went wide right.
The Monarchs' followed by connecting on a field goal as Jarod Brown's attempt from 20-yards out was good and improved his mark to 6-of-6 for the year in field goals.
Baner had another crack at the uprights, as Delaware capitalizing a an ODU fumble at their own 20 in the closing seconds of the third quarter. With the drive continuing into the fourth quarter, Baner this time connected on a 20-yard attempt extending Delaware's lead to 16-10 entering the final quarter of play.
On the next drive, Old Dominion wasn't able to find its way past its own 23 and brought the punt team to the field. Plisco, who averaged 48.6 yards per punt in the game, ran the ball instead and continued the ODU drive. Back-to-back passes to Reid Evans , one 12-yards and another 28-yards, helped flip the field setting up freshman Antonio Vaughan for nine-yard reception, his second of the season.
Delaware punched right back though with a 60-kickoff return and followed with a Rob Jones 32-yard reception in the end zone. The Blue Hens made the two-point conversion and went ahead 24-17 with less than 10 minutes left in the game.
Old Dominion was four and out on its next drive and despite being able to move the chains twice on their next drive, the Monarchs were unable to get into Blue Hen territory.
Baner added a 43-yard field goal for Delaware in the closing minute for the final 27-17 margin.
The Old Dominion Football Monarchs return to action in their first home CAA Football contest when they host UMass on Saturday, October 1st at 7:00 p.m. The game with the Minutemen will be aired on Cox Ch. 11 (Hampton Roads), Cox Northern Virginia, and Cox Roanoke. Check your local listings.
MONARCH MOMENTS:
FUMBLE TO POINTS:
Chris Lovitt's fumble recovery was his first and only the Monarchs' second fumble recovery has led to a touchdown. Marquis Johnson had a fumble recovery that led to a score in ODU's loss at Fordham in 2009 recovering the ball in the end zone following a punt by the Rams.
BLOCK THAT KICK:
They just keep coming. Old Dominion has now registered 16 blocks over the last three years.
BACK IN BLACK:
Check out Big Blue's video about next week's game.
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No. 7 Delaware Overcomes Early Struggles, Posts 27-17 CAA Victory over League Newcomer Old Dominion
9/25/11 - UD Sports Info Dept.
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware overcame some early miscues to post a 27-17 victory over league newcomer Old Dominion at Delaware Stadium Saturday as Tim Donnelly’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Rob Jones early in the final stanza put the No. 7 Blue Hens up for good.
Old Dominion (3-1, 0-1 CAA), a first-year member of the CAA in only its third season of intercollegiate football, lost for the first time this season while the Blue Hens (3-1, 1-0 CAA) won their third straight game.
Donnelly, the national leader with an 80 percent pass completion mark, continued his hot play as he completed 26 of 39 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning toss to Jones with 9:29 left to play to help the Hens overcome a 17-16 deficit.
“I was impressed with the poise our guys showed today,” said Keeler, whose squad gave up a touchdown off a bad punt snap and had a field goal blocked in the first quarter to go down early. “They never showed an ounce of panic when it would have been easy to get frustrated. Old Dominion is a very good football team and I give Coach (Bobby) Wilder and his team a lot of credit. Our defense was lights out today and it was nice to turn Timmy (Donnelly) loose and see him have a great day. This was a great win over a conference opponent and I think we watched our team grow up a bit this week.”
Athlete photoDonnelly (bottom right), who threw for 221 yards on 14 of 15 passing in a 45-0 win over Delaware State last week, hooked up with Jones on the first play from scrimmage after Travis Hawkins (top right) had returned a kickoff 60 yards to ODU 32-yard line.
Donnelly found Jones across the middle and junior receiver just barely got into the end zone for the score. Donnelly then connected with Nihja White (middle left) on the two-point conversion to give Delaware some breathing room at 24-17.
“Half of that touchdown goes to our return team and the other half goes to Rob and our offensive line,” said the humble Donnelly of the eventual game-winning scoring toss to Jones (bottom left). “We really got our confidence back after that. It was a big change of momentum.”
Delaware then put the final touches on the win as sophomore kicker Sean Baner booted his school-record tying fourth field goal of the game with 42 seconds left from 43 yard out to push the margin to 27-17. Baner, who tied the UD record of four field goals in a game set by Jon Striefsky vs. Navy in 2009, earlier had converted kicks from 20, 39, and 40 yards. His six field goal attempts was the most ever in a game by a UD player, breaking the mark of five by Brad Shushman vs. New Hampshire in 2003.
Athlete photo“We put him out there at the end of the game to win it and that’s what he did,” said Keeler of the first-year regular placekicker who had earlier missed two attempts, including a 25-yarder. “His play was very important to us today and so were some of the big returns we got. Our special teams hurt us at times today, but we also had some real positives too.”
The Monarchs, who were held under 40 points for the first time this season and to 24 points under their scoring average, had taken the lead when senior quarterback Thomas DeMarco hit Antonio Vaughan on a nine-yard scoring strike with 9:50 left in the game to complete an 81-yard drive that was highlighted by a 15-yard run by punter Jonathan Plisco off a fake on fourth down play at their own 23-yard line. Plisco, an All-American, also averaged 48.6 yards on seven punts on the day.
Delaware, however, came right back with Hawkins’ 60-yard kickoff return, Donnelly’s scoring toss to Jones, and Baner’s record-tying field goal to put the game away.
Old Dominion took the early lead when Chris Lovitt recovered a bad snap on a punt by Delaware and returned the fumble 18 yards for a 7-0 lead. But Delaware came back, using two Baner field goals, including a 40-yarder that was set up by a Marcus Burley interception, and a seven-yard scoring strike from Donnelly to White 42 seconds before halftime to take a 13-7 into the break. The Hens needed just 1:43 to march 64 yards on 11 plays and scored when White brought down a pass from Donnelly in the left side of the end zone.
Athlete photoODU’s Jarod Brown and Delaware’s Baner traded field goals before Vaughan’s touchdown catch gave the Monarch back the lead at 17-16 with 9:50 left. Brown’s 20-yarder, which helped him remain a perfect 6 for 6 this season, capped a 76-yard drive that burned up 14 plays. Baner’s 20-yard field goal was set up when junior linebacker Paul Worrilow, who collected a game-high 13 tackles, recovered an ODU fumble on the Monarch 21-yard line after UD’s Leon Jackson knocked the ball loose from ODU’s Colby Goodwyn.
DeMarco hit on 23 of 46 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown for Old Dominion while Delaware’s White posted his second straight 100-yard receiving effort with seven reception for 117 yards.
Blue Hen Scratchings....True freshman Patrick Callaway got his second straight start at middle linebacker and posted a career-high 10 tackles...All-American sophomore running back Andrew Pierce was hampered by a knee injury and carried just 14 times for a career-low 21 yards...he is expected to be back at full strength next Saturday at Maine...White has now caught a pass in 26 straight games...Jones also returned four punts for a career-high 117 yards, including a career-long return of 60 yards...Jones’ 117 yards was the second highest single game total in UD history...UD opponents have converted just 7 of their last 40 third down attempts (17.5 percent) over the last three games...Hens will look to start 2-0 in league play for the second straight year and for the sixth time in 10 seasons under Keeler...Delaware punter Rauley Zaragoza almost matched Plisco in the punting department, averaging 43.6 yards on five punts, including a 60-yarder and three that landed inside the 20-yard line.
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Route 1 Rivalry not much of one. UD rolls to 45-0 blowout win over DSU
Published: Sunday, September 18, 2011
Story by Jon Buzby - Newark Post
NEWARK — The game might be called the Route 1 Rivalry on paper, but on Tubby Raymond field Saturday night, the contest between the University of Delaware and Delaware State University wasn’t much of a game.
The Blue Hens scored impressively on their first three drives, marching 80 yards on five plays, 96 on 14, and 58 on eight.
Conversely, the Hornets went three-and-out on their first two drives, threw an interception on the second play of its third, and then fumbled a ball that the Hens returned for a 32-yard touchdown on its fourth.
The Blue Hens got 13 first downs before the Hornets picked up their first.
It was 28-0 before the UD students finished filing into their seats.
Delaware then recovered another DSU fumble. On the very next play, a perfectly thrown 59-yard completion from Tim Donnelly, who finished completing 13 of 14 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, to Nihja White set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Andrew Pierce to put the Blue Hens up 35-0 before the lights inside Delaware Stadium really even needed to be turned on.
It was lights out for the Hornets by halftime, which was the only point in the game when the Hornets weren’t completely dominated. And something tells me if the teams shared a locker room, the Hornets would have been accidentally locked out.
The second half started right where the first left off, with the Blue Hens marching right down the field on their first possession and scoring to make it 42-0.
The Blue Hen second- and third-stringers began filing in as the fans began filing out, and the smallest crowd -- the Hornets sold a whopping 750 tickets -- to watch a regular-season game since 2000 got even sparser.
One of those fans was former coach Tubby Raymond, who never really cared about playing the Hornets. Nor did another fan most likely in attendance, former athletic director Edgar Johnson.
Maybe those two UD athletic department icons knew something we didn’t about this so-called rivalry.
Delaware is now 3-0 over the other FCS school in The First State, winning games 44-7, 27-17, and now 45-0.
Some college football teams call themselves “old rivals.”
Some Blue Hen fans might call this rivalry “already old.”
Notes: Tonight’s attendance was 18,011, which was UD’s lowest regular-season attendance since 2000 (Northeastern - 17,811)… Donnelly was the recipient of the first Nate Beasley award, given to the game’s most outstanding player and named in honor of the late former Blue Hen All-American running back who started his career at Delaware State. ... Andrew Pierce became the first Blue Hen to reach 2,000 rushing yards as a sophomore and just 15th overall.
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HORNETS NO MATCH FOR HENS IN FIRST STATE BATTLE
Courtesy: DSU Athletic Media Relations
09/17/2011
Nick Elko completed 17 of 25 passes for 115 yards in DSU's 45-0 loss to No. 7 Delaware
The University of Delaware scored touchdowns on each of its first five possessions and never looked back in a dominating 45-0 win over Delaware State in the third meeting between the state's two Division I teams.
The Hens, ranked seventh in the two major Top 25 Football Championship Subdivision polls, won their second straight game to improve to 2-1 on the season, while the Hornets fell to 2-1.
Delaware outgained DSU 512-112 to improve to 3-0 in the series between the teams. The Hens have outscored the Hornets 116-24 in the three meetings.
"We were outplayed by a solid football team," said Delaware State first-year head coach Kermit Blount. ""It didn't help that we hurt ourselves with turnovers and execution breakdowns. You can't make the kind of mistakes we made and compete against a strong team like Delaware."
The Hens took control of the game right from the start.
After holding the Hornets to three plays without a first down on the game's first possession, Delaware marched 80 yards for the opening score. The Hens capped off the five-play drive with a 43- yard touchdown pass from Tim Donnelly to tight end Colin Naugle. Sean Banner's extra point kick gave Delaware a 7-0 lead with 11:58 left in the first quarter.
The Hornets were held to another three-and-out on their next possession.
Delaware responded with a 14-play, 96-yard drive touchdown drive to open up a 14-0 lead. Andrew Pierce scored the first of his three touchdowns on a three-yard run to cap off the more than seven-minute drive with 3:29 left in the first quarter. Pierce had six carries for 38 yards in the drive, which also featured two third-down conversions.
Delaware State's next three possessions ended in turnovers, resulting in the 21 points for the Hens.
Eight plays after Ricky Tunstall intercepted a Nick Elko pass at the Delaware 42, the Hens added their third touchdown of the game. Donnelly hooked up with Nihja White on an 11-yard scoring pass to give UD a 21-0 lead with 13:56 left in the second quarter.
The Hornets recorded their first first-down of the game on their next possession, but the drive was doomed by another miscue early in the second quarter. Three plays after a 15-yard first down pass from Elko to Darius Jackson, Delaware's Jake Guisti scooped up a Jaashawn Jones fumble and returned it 32-yards for a touchdown to give the Hens a 28-0 lead with 11:06 left in the quarter.
Delaware State moved the ball into Blue Hen territory for the first time on its next possession, but another turnover ended the march. One play after UD's Paul Worrilow scooped up a Josh Bailey fumble, Donnelly connected with White on a 40-yard pass to the DSU one-yard line. Pierce plunged in the endzone on the next play to give the Hens a 35-0 lead with a 7:58 remaining in the first half.
Delaware closed out the scoring with 10 points in the third quarter, highlighted by Pierce's third touchdown of the game on a seven-yard run.
Donnelly, who was presented with the Nate Beasley Award as the game's Most Outstanding Player, completed 13-of-14 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. White had 122 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.
Pierce rushed for 106 yards on 15 carries, although UD's Walter Davis came off the bench to lead all players with 108 yards rushing.
Elko completed 17-of-25 passes for 115 yards for the Hornets. Travis Tarpley led DSU with four catches, although he collected just 16 yards. Freshman receiver Milton Williams, playing in his first game, had a team-high 44 receiving yards on three catches.
Delaware State was held to -3 yards rushing in the game.
"We never could get into a rhythm offensive," said Elko. "Delaware's defense disrupted a lot of things we wanted to do. We have to put this behind us and regroup for our next game."
Defensive back Joe Boyd led the Hornets with eight tackles, including five solo stops. Linebacker Alex Perry had seven tackles (5 unassisted ) and a forced fumble for DSU.
STINGERS
The Hornets played without junior receiver Justin Wilson, the 2011 MEAC Preseason Offensive Player-of- the-Year, who sat out due to an ankle injury ... Delaware State was shut out for the first time since a 49-0 loss to Southern Illinois in 2004, a string of 74 games ... The Hornets begin Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play next Saturday (Sep. 24) at South Carolina State.
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#7 Delaware Jumps Out Quickly, Cruises to 45-0 Victory Over Delaware State in First State Cup Football Rivalry
September 17, 2011
UD SPORTS INFO DEPT
NEWARK, Del. -- This rivalry game was over early Saturday night as the No. 7 ranked University of Delaware football squad clicked on every cylinder, jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead and never looking back on the way to posting a 45-0 victory over in-state foe Delaware State in the second edition of the First State Cup Route 1 Rivalry at Delaware Stadium.
Junior quarterback Tim Donnelly (top right), making his first career start, was nearly flawless, completing 13 of 14 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, running backs Andrew Pierce and Walter Davis each went over the 100-yard mark, and Nihja White caught seven passes for 122 yards to lead an offense that piled up 512 yards of total offense.
Davis (108 yards) surpassed the mark for the first time in his career, gaining all of his yards in the second half. It marked the first time since 2005 that the Hens have had two players pass the 100-yard rushing mark.
Donnelly, who completed his first seven passes, was selected as the Nate Beasley Most Valuable Player for the game by a vote of media members. The award was started this year to honor the late Blue Hen All-American running back who began his college career at Delaware State.
His .928 passing percentage for the game was the second best in school history, trailing only an 11 for 11 performance by Bill Vergantino vs. Towson in 1992, and his 272.6 passing rating was the sixth best single-game mark in UD history.
Athlete photoThe two schools, the state’s only NCAA Division I institutions and located 45 miles apart, never met on the football field until a 44-7 NCAA playoff win by the Blue Hens in 2007. The teams met again in 2009 with Delaware claiming a hard-fought 27-17 victory. The teams are scheduled to face each other every year for the foreseeable future.
“I was so happy with the way we prepared this week and with the kind of game we played tonight,” said Delaware10th-year head coach K.C. Keeler. “We came out and played clean from the outset and so many kids did great things. Tim (Donnelly) was off the charts and defensively we played a lot cleaner. We know the competition is going to get a lot stiffer going forward, but at the same time our guys did everything we asked them to do this past week and prepared the way we needed them to. Now the challenge is to come out and do it again this week.”
The Hens (2-1) will begin defense of their 2010 Colonial Athletic Association co-title next Saturday when they host first-year league member Old Dominion at 12 noon at Delaware Stadium.
The Delaware defense was just as dominating Saturday night as the Blue Hens held the Hornets (2-1) to just four first downs and 112 total yards while forcing three turnovers, including a 32-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Jake Giusti (above left) that extended the lead to 28-0 in the second quarter. The Hornets,who were off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2007 under rookie head coach Kermit Blount, produced -3 yard rushing for the night and were 0 for 10 on third downs. Andrew Harrison added a fumble recovery, Ricky Tunstall intercepted a pass, and Paul Worrilow, the lone Delaware native in the UD starting lineup, recorded a team-high nine tackles.
Athlete photoPierce carried 15 times for 106 yards and scored three touchdowns, including a seven-yard scamper with 11:25 left in the third quarter that pushed him over 100 yards for the game and over 2,000 for his career.
A freshman All-American in 2010 when he was named the CAA Rookie of the Year after rushing for 1,655 yards, Pierce has now surpassed the 100-yard mark in five straight games since last season and has reached the century mark 10 times in 18 career games. He is the first Blue Hen runner to pass the 2,000-yard mark as a sophomore.
“We had a great week of practice, it was very physical,” said White (at right), who returned to the lineup after missing the West Chester game with a hand injury. “This was a great win for us. Tim brings great leadership and he knows how to mange the game. He studies film all the time and we have a lot of trust in him.”
In addition to his 11-yard touchdown reception, White set up Pierce’s one-yard scoring dive midway through the second quarter with a nifty career-long 59-yard grab off a perfect pass from Donnelly to the Delaware State one-yard line.
Delaware got things going early as Donnelly hit tight end Colin Naugle all alone over the middle for a 43-yard scoring toss on the Hens’ first possession and Pierce capped a season-long 96-yard march on the second drive of the game with a three-yard dive for a 14-0 lead first-quarter lead. The drive consumed just over seven minutes as the Hens controlled the ball for nearly 12 minutes in the opening stanza.
White hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Donnelly just over a minute into the second stanza and Giusti followed with his fumble return for a score just three minutes later. A one-yard burst by Pierce with 7:58 left in the second quarter gave the Hens a 35-0 cushion at the break.
Unlike last week when the Hens let a 21-0 first quarter lead against West Chester vanish before holding off the Rams for a 28-17 victory, Delaware did not let up this time. Pierce’s seven-yard scoring run with 11:25 left in the third quarter pushed the lead to 42-0 and Sean Baner’s career-long 47-yard field goal with 4:44 left capped the scoring.
The Blue Hens, who led the nation in scoring defense a year ago when they advanced all the way to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title game, posted their third shutout in the last three seasons and produced their most one-sided victory since a 48-0 win over league foe Towson last Nov. 6.
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Former Blue Hens Standouts Highlight 2011 University of Delaware
Athletics Hall of Fame
September 15, 2011 - UD AD Dept
NEWARK, Del. -- Standout coaches and athletes representing every decade
since the 1950’s highlight the 2011 class of the University of
Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame announced Thursday.
The eight-person Class of 2011 includes long-time wrestling head coach
and football assistant Paul Billy, three-time NCAA Tournament qualifying
golfer Mike Bourne, two-sport field hockey and lacrosse all-conference
performer Melissa Hefner, pioneering high-scoring women’s basketball
player Annie Igo, high-scoring basketball guard and conference champion
track sprinter Mark Murray, and dominating softball pitcher Kristi
O’Connell. All-American football running back Nate Beasley and
1950’s baseball and basketball standout Jim Smith will be inducted
posthumously.
The 15th induction class will be honored in a private ceremony and
reception at the Bob Carpenter Center Auditorium next Friday, Sept. 23,
and will be introduced on the field at halftime of the Delaware vs. Old
Dominion football game at Delaware Stadium the following afternoon,
Sept. 24.
The eight inductees in this year’s class, which features five men and
three women representing 11 different Blue Hen sports programs, will
bring the UD Athletics Hall of Fame membership to 127 former UD greats.
Below are biographies of the Class of 2011:
NATE BEASLEY
A hard-charging running back, Beasley starred for some of the top Blue
Hen teams in school history in the early 1970’s under Tubby Raymond. A
native of Dover, Del., he transferred from Delaware State and made an
instant impact at UD, leading Blue Hen offenses that literally ran over
opponents. His punishing running helped him rank No. 2 all-time at
Delaware with 2,697 career yards and his 73.9 yards per game, 13
100-yard rushing games, and 20 touchdowns all ranked among the best
marks in school annals.
He led Delaware to a three-year mark of 28-9 in 1973-75 that included
an NCAA national runner-up finish in 1974 when the team went 12-2, two
Lambert Cup Trophies, and an ECAC Team of the Year Award. Beasley was a
two-time All-East selection, earned third team All-American honors in
1974 when he rushed for a school-record 1,397 yards, and was selected by
the Oakland Raiders in the 1976 National Football League Draft. A 1976
Delaware graduate, he was inducted into the Delaware Afro-American Hall
of Fame in 2009.
Beasley went on to coach 13-15 year olds in the Capitol Trail Football
League in New Caste County for five years, sending many on to successful
college careers, and later was instrumental in establishing a girls
basketball recreation league in Wilmington. For 10 years, he was a
member of IAABO Board 11 of basketball officials and officiated high
school and recreation league basketball games in Delaware and Maryland.
He had worked as a program manager at Independent Living Center before
stepping down for health reasons. He passed away in March, 2010 at the
age of 56. His wife, Romaine, will accept the award for him.
Athlete photoPAUL BILLY
One of the most successful and multi-faceted coaches in Delaware
athletics history, Billy led the Blue Hen wrestling squad for 28 years,
assisted with the nationally-ranked UD football program for 23 seasons,
and also served as men’s lacrosse head coach in 1964. A 1957 graduate
of Muhlenberg (Pa.) College, the “Bear” joined Delaware as head
wrestling coach in 1963 and posted a 28-year dual mark of 206-180-7 in
1963-91, a record that included 15 winning seasons. He also coached 10
conference champions and 17 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, including 1986
All-American and UD Athletics Hall of Fame member Dave DeWalt.
In 23 football seasons, he served as freshman head coach, chief scout,
and defensive line assistant and helped lead teams that captured four
national championships (1963, 1971, 1972, 1979) and a
dvanced to
post-season play 12 times. He held the rank of Associate Professor in
the College of Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation at UD and
was part-time coordinator for the UD Lifetime Sports Program before
retiring in 2000.
Billy resides in Newark, Del. with his wife, Sandra. They have three
daughters and three grandchildren.
Athlete photoMIKE BOURNE
One of the most accomplished golfers in Delaware history, Bourne was a
four-year standout for head coach Scotty Duncan in 1974-78 and is the
only UD golfer to compete in three NCAA Tournaments. A native of
Wilmington, Del., he led the Hens to some of the greatest seasons in
school history, including East Coast Conference team titles in 1976 and
1977, an Eastern Intercollegiate Golf Association championship in 1977,
a team berth in the 1977 NCAA Tournament, and a four-year dual record of
69-13.
Bourne served as captain in 1978 when the team went 23-2 and placed
second at the ECC Tournament. He was named team MVP as a senior in 1978
when he won medalist honors in 14 matches and led the team with a 76.42
stroke average. He won ECC medalist honors in 1976, was runner-up in
1978, and placed third in 1977. A 1979 Delaware graduate with a degree
in business, Bourne established a school record for lowest stroke
average in a season (76.19 in 1975-76) and his career average of 77.14
ranked No. 2 all-time upon his graduation.
He resides in Newark, Del. with his wife, Patti, and daughter
Gabrielle. After running a family business, Bourne taught golf in
2001-07 and helped found the Golf Academy of Delaware. He currently
works as general manager of the internet distribution division of
Eastern Marine.
Athlete photoMELISSA HEFNER
One of the top two-sport standouts in Delaware women’s athletics
history, Hefner was a four-year starter in both field hockey and
lacrosse in 1993-97 and earned team Most Valuable Player honors and
all-conference laurels for both squads. A native of Sellersville, Pa.,
she was a two-time All-America East conference and All-Mid-Atlantic
Region forward in field hockey, leading the team to four straight
winning seasons under coach Carol Miller. She also was a member of the
US Women’s Lacrosse squad.
She scored 43 goals to rank No. 5 all-time at Delaware and set a school
record by scoring a goal in 11 straight games at one point. In lacrosse,
Hefner was a standout midfielder who scored 59 career goals for coach
Denise Wescott, including 30 as a senior in 1997 when she led the team
to the America East team title. A 1997 honors graduate of Delaware, she
served as captain in 1997 when she also was selected as both the America
East Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She earned
all-conference and All-American honors twice in lacrosse.
After a graduation, she served as a graduate assistant coach in soccer
and lacrosse at Maris College. She began her professional career in
pharmaceutical sales, marketing, and medical education and currently is
employed with BioPharm Communications in New Hope, Pa. She resides in
Lambertville, N.J. with her husband, Glenn Kapuscienski.
Athlete photoANNIE IGO
A pioneer of the successful women’s basketball program at Delaware,
Igo was a high-scoring standout on the first three varsity teams in
1971-74 under UD Athletics Hall of Fame head coach Mary Ann Hitchens. A
speedy guard with outstanding skills, she led Blue Hen teams to three
straight winning seasons and consecutive berths in the EAIAW Regionals.
She led the team in scoring each of her three seasons, pouring in 13.0
points per game as a sophomore in 1971-72, 13.3 ppg as a junior in
1972-73, and 18.6 ppg as a senior in 1973-74.
Upon graduation she held school records for points in a game (29 vs.
Ursinus), season (260), and career (602), and highest scoring average in
a season (18.6 ppg) and a career (15.0). She also served as a team
co-captain as a senior when she scored 20 or more points eight times in
just 15 games. Since graduation, she has been active in USTA tennis, h
as
won multiple gold medals at the Senior Olympics, and was elected to the
Delaware Legends Basketball Hall of Fame.
One of 14 children, she majored in physical education at Delaware in
1970-74 and eventually earned her degree from Wilmington (Del.)
University in 1994. She works in the import/export distribution field
and has traveled throughout the world. She and her husband, Wayne Rizzo,
reside in Newark with their children, Monica and Nicholas.
Athlete photoMARK MURRAY
Murray led the resurgence of Delaware basketball under Hall of Fame
coach Steve Steinwedel, leading the Hens to their first NCAA Tournament
in 1992 while putting up big numbers as an all-around player in 1988-92.
A native of Asbury Park, N.J. and a 1992 UD graduate, Murray was a
four-year starting swingman who led the team in scoring twice and was
the No. 2 scorer on the 1991-92 squad that went 27-4, was unbeaten in
North Atlantic Conference play, and became UD’s first NCAA Tournament
qualifying squad.
He was the first player in school history to record over 1,000 points,
500 rebounds, and 250 assists in a career and graduated as Delaware’s
No. 2 all-time scorer with 1,559 points. He earned first team All-NAC
honors twice and was a NAC All-Rookie selection. A standout sprinter in
track, he won two conference 100 meter titles, was part of three
conference 400 meters relay champion teams, and set school records in
the 400 meter relay (41.23) and 800 meter relay (1:27.44). His
career-best time of 10.4 in the 100 meter dash ranks No. 2 all-time at
Delaware. He was selected to the Colonial Athletic Association’s
Legends Team in 2009.
An educator for the last 18 years, including 10 years as a teacher,
Murray currently serves as Assistant Principal at Lake Elkhorn Middle
School in Columbia, Md. He previously taught physical education, served
as an alternative education coordinator, served as a head coach for both
boys and girls basketball, and coached track & field. He taught a state
champion high-jumper at Hammond High School. He earned his master’s
degree from McDaniel College in 2002. He and his wife, Kristin, reside
in Columbia, Md. with their four children, Brianna, Micaela, Aliya, and
Gabriel.
Athlete photoKRISTI O'CONNELL
One of the most dominating pitchers in Delaware softball history,
O’Connell enjoyed a record-setting career in the circle for the
Hens in 1997-2000 for coach B.J. Ferguson. A native of Elmsford, N.Y.,
she set virtually every pitching record in a career that saw her earn
All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors twice and all-conference laurels three
times. She led the team to four conference tournament appearances,
including a runner-up finish in 1998, was a two-time conference
All-Tournament selection, and was honored as the UD Outstanding Female
Athlete of the Year in 2000.
Among the school records she established were career marks for games
pitched (118), innings pitched (669), wins (58-33), shutouts (27),
complete games (78), strikeouts (555), and saves (8). A 2000 honors
graduate of Delaware, she fired a school-record six no-hitters,
including back-to-back blankings in 1998, and her career-high 14
strikeouts vs. Boston University in 1999 tied a school mark. Her career
1.39 earned run average ranked No. 2 all-time at Delaware.
After graduation, she worked as a labor and delivery nurse and later
became a travel nurse, working throughout the country, including Hawaii,
California, and the East Coast, and in London, England. She and her
husband, Alan Prior, have two daughters and reside in Northern
California.
Athlete photoJIM SMITH
One of Delaware’s top multi-sport athletes during the decade of the
1950’s, Smith starred in both baseball and basketball for the Blue
Hens between 1954-58. A native of Wilmington, Del., Smith was a
three-year standout as a guard in basketball, earning All-Middle
Atlantic Conference honors twice in 1956 and 1957 and finishing second
in the league in scoring both seasons. He became just the second player
in school history t
o reach the 1,000-point mark for his career (1,053).
An intense competitor, he set a school record in 1955-56 when he
averaged 20.6 points per game and his 43-point effort vs. Swarthmore
that year stands as the third highest single game output in school
history. On the diamond, Smith was a three-year regular as an infielder
and earned All-District honors as a junior in 1957 when he batted .354
with 15 RBI and an NCAA-record seven triples. He also batted .323 with
16 RBI as a senior. The 1958 Delaware graduate was drafted by the
Philadelphia Phillies and played briefly in the minor leagues. He later
played 18 years in the Wilmington semi-pro league and batted .344 for
his career. He was inducted into the Delaware Baseball Hall of Fame in
2002 and into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 2008.
Smith spent 35 years as a teacher in the Red Clay School District and
coached football and girls basketball, serving as head coach of the
girls basketball team at Dickinson High School that won the 1978 state
title. He passed away in 1999 at the age of 64. He and his wife, Nancy,
have four children. His son, Kevin Smith, will accept the award for him.
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2011 University of Delaware Football Individual Honors
Player/Coach Honors
Andrew Pierce Walter Payton Award Pre-Season Watch List
Consensus Draft Services Pre-Season 2nd team All-American
Phil Steele College Football Preview 3rd team Pre-Season All-American
Phil Steele College Football Preview 1st team Pre-Season All-CAA
The Sports Network Pre-Season 2nd team All-American
Gino Gradkowski Consensus Draft Services Pre-Season 1st team All-American
Phil Steele College Football Preview 1st team Pre-Season All-American
Phil Steele College Football Preview 1st team Pre-Season All-CAA
The Sports Network Pre-Season 2nd team All-American
Rob McDowell Consensus Draft Services Pre-Season 1st team All-American
Phil Steele College Football Preview 2nd team Pre-Season All-CAA
Shea Allard Consensus Draft Services Pre-Season 1st team All-American
Phil Steele College Football Preview 4th team Pre-Season All-American
Phil Steele College Football Preview 1st team Pre-Season All-CAA
Colin Naugle Consensus Draft Services Pre-Season Honorable Mention All-American
Michael Atunrase Consensus Draft Services Pre-Season Honorable Mention All-American
Phil Steele College Football Preview 1st team Pre-Season All-CAA
Paul Worrilow Phil Steele College Football Preview 2nd team Pre-Season All-CAA
Marcus Burley Phil Steele College Football Preview 2nd team Pre-Season All-CAA
Nihja White Phil Steele College Football Preview 2nd team Pre-Season All-CAA