Delaware Wins Rivalry Game Against Villanova 38-13; Finishes Season With Winning Record

The University of Delaware Football Team concluded their 2005 season this past Saturday, beating Atlantic 10 conference rival Villanova 38-13. The game was played at Villanova Stadium in Pennsylvania. The Blue Hens finished the season 6-5 overall and 3-5 in the A-10. This was the 17th time in 18 years that UD finished the season above .500. The Villanova Wildcats fell to 4-7 overall and 2-6 in the A-10.

Senior quarterback and captain Sonny Riccio (pictured left) led the Blue Hens to victory in his final collegiate game. Riccio rushed for a career high 90 yards and 4 touchdowns in the game while sophomore running back Omar Cuff tacked on 125 yards and 1 touchdown. Riccio finished his career with a 15-9 record as a starter at Delaware. After the game Riccio said: "Things really worked out great today. We did a great job running the option. We wanted to take the ball on the opening drive and go up 7-0 right away, and that’s what we did." Cuff finished the season with 1,205 yards, putting him 8th on the all time list for yards in a season at Delaware. Freshman kicker Zach Hobby kicked a 34 yard field goal in the game, his season long. The field goal was Hobby's seventh of the season, tying a school record for field goals by a freshman in one season. Stephen Purkey and Matt Marcorelle each forced fumbles for the Blue Hen defense and Tom Parks and Marquez Davis had the recoveries. Nicos Chavis came up with an interception as well. In addition John Mulhern became the 13th player in UD history to record over 300 career tackles. Mulhern ended his career with 306.

Head Coach KC Keeler put it well in his post game press conference:

“This is always a rivalry game so it’s very rewarding getting a win at their place today. We really wanted to finish the season off in the right way and we won two big games on the road. We were really charged up to play today, and our kids really came through. This is a great way to finish the season and it gives us a nice springboard to next year."

It was nice to see the Blue Hens win their last two games of the season to end up on a highnote and with a respectable record. Although many UD football fans, including myself, were upset with the team's performance this year, I think the team has a strong core for the years to come. 2005 was a rebuilding season for the Blue Hens. With many key players like Omar Cuff returning next year, 2006 should see some better results from the football team.

It is possible that this will be my last post on this blog. If that is the case, I would just like to say that I have had a great time constructing this blog and keeping it updated. Thank you to those who visited the site and posted comments. Take care. GO BLUE HENS!!!!!

Delaware Outlasts William & Mary 22-21

The University of Delaware Blue Hens improved to 5-5 overall and 2-5 in the Atlantic 10 conference with a 22-21 victory over No. 24 William & Mary this past saturday. The loss was the third straight for the Tribe who fell to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the A-10. Omar Cuff surpassed the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season with his sixth 100+ yard game.

The Tribe got on the scoreboard first when QB Jacob Phillips scored on a 1 yard touchdown run with 4:16 remaining in the first quarter. The game remained 7-0 until until late in the second quarter. With 3:41 left to go in the half, Cuff evened the score on a 1 yard touchdown run into the endzone. W&M responded quickly driving 69 yards down the field in six plays and scoring on another 1 yard run by Phillips with just 1:33 left to play in the half. Delaware could have easily lost momentum, but on the ensuing kickoff Rashaad Woodard returned the football 45 yards. The big specials teams play by Woodard ignited the Delaware offense. With just 59 seconds left on the clock, QB Sonny Riccio's pass was deflected in the end zone and ended up in the hands of WR Armand Cauthen for 21 yard touchdown completion. The score tied the game 14-14. W&M fought right back and found themselves on the 10 yard line with just seconds left in the half, however K Greg Keuhn missed a short field goal to keep the game tied.

W&M broke the tie on their first possession of the third quarter by driving 78 yards down the field and scoring on a 2 yard touchdown pass from Phillips to Matt Otey. Delaware was forced to punt on their following position and P Stuart Kenworthy's punt was blocked and recovered by a W&M player on Delaware's 11 yard line. The Blue Hen's defense held strong and forced W&M to attempt a 35 yard field goal. Keuhn missed his second try of the game keeping the score 21-14 in favor of the Tribe. On their next possession, W&M again threatened to score but came up empty as Keuhn missed his third kick of the game, this one was 46 yards attempt. The Delaware defense came up big when John Mulhern (pictured left) and Matt Marcorelle sacked Philips in the end zone for a safety to decrease the Tribe lead to 21-16. On W&M's next posession Mulhern intercepted a pass by Phillips. After the game Mulhern said “Coach Keeler kept saying the the whole year that we don’t make enough plays to get a win, but today we did.” After the interception, the UD offense drove 62 yards down the field. The drive ended when Riccio connected with Aaron Love for a six yard touchdown, putting Delaware on top 22-21 with 4:17 left to play in the game. Coach KC Keeler had his team go for the two-point conversion but they were not successful. W&M had enough time to get down the field and score however, the game was sealed for the Blue Hens when Kyle Campbell intercepted a pass with less than 1 minutes to play.

Cuff finished the game with 28 rushes for 101 yards and 5 receptions for 49 yards. Riccio completed 17 of 29 passes for 179 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Campbell led the Blue Hen defense with 10 tackles while Fred Andrew added 8.

This was a much needed win and hopefully the Blue Hens can end the season on a high note by beating Villanova next week to win two straight. That is right folks, the 2005 college football season will end for Delaware next Saturday, when the Blue Hens travel to Villanova to play their rivals the Wildcats. Check out the entire GAME PREVIEW. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00pm and the game will be televised on CN8.

Players To Watch:
Omar Cuff - 28 carries 101 yards; 5 receptions 49 yards; 1 touchdown
Sonny Riccio - 17 completions on 29 attempts 179 yards; 2 TD; 0 INT
Aaron Love - 3 receptions 28 yards; 1 touchdown
Armand Cauthen - 1 recption 21 yards; 1 touchdown
Kyle Campbell - 10 tackles; interception
John Mulhern - 7 tackles; 1.5 sacks for -8 yards; interception
Tom Parks - 4 tackles; 2 sacks for -11 yards

Schedule:
November 19 at Villanova 1:00pm

Delaware Loses to UMASS 35-7

This past Saturday the UD Blue Hens lost their last home game of the season to the 8th ranked University of Massachusetts Minutemen 35-7. The loss spoiled Senior Day at Tubby Raymond Field where the 13 seniors on the team were honored. UMASS was able to take advantage of 5 Delaware turnovers, which included 4 interceptions. UMASS won for the sixth time in their last seven games and improved their record to 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the Atlantic 10. Delaware, which suffered its worst loss in coach KC Keeler's tenure, dropped to 4-5 overall and and 1-5 in the Atlantic 10.

UMASS scored early and often in this very lopsided game. On their first offensive drive of the game, the Minutemen moved the ball 81 yards down field and scored on a short run by QB Liam Coen. UMASS scored again with less than a minute left in the first half to bring the score to 13-0. When Delaware got the ball back with just seconds left before halftime they chose to be risky and try to score before time ran out. This proved to be costly. With 20 seconds remaining Sonny Riccio's pass was intercepted by a UMASS cornerback and returned 45 yards for a touchdown. This put the Minutemen on top 21-0 going into the half.

Delaware did not fair much better in the second half. UMASS increased their lead to 28-0 early in the third quarter when Coen connected with wide receiver Rasheed Rancher for an 84 yard touchdown. Delaware finally got on the board late in the third quarter when Riccio threw a 20 yard touchdown pass to freshman WR Armand Cauthen. The touchdown was the first of Cauthen's collegiate career. Unfortunately Delaware would not score again in the game. UMASS on the other hand, scored again in the fourth quarter to make the final score 35-7.

Delaware lost the game because of costly turnovers. Starting QB Sonny Riccio was intercepted 3 times and backup QB Ryan Carty was intercepted once. This is just unacceptable. A team can not throw 4 interceptions and expect to win a football game. This game was embarrasing for Blue Hen fans. I am actually glad that I was not able to attend the game, even though it was the last one of the season. I would rather remember my Delaware Football Saturday's on a more upbeat note.

Sophmore running back Omar Cuff, who has been having a great year so far despite the team's mediocre performance, rushed 16 times for 95 yards, bringing his season rushing total to 979 yards. If Cuff plays well next week, he will break the 1000 yard rushing mark for the season, which is a big accomplishment. Currently, Cuff leads the nation in scoring and is second in the Atlantic 10 in rushing yards.

Next week the Blue Hens travel to Williamsburg, Virginia to take on 24th ranked William & Mary in Atlantic 10 conference action. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm.

NOTE: This week in the Players to Watch section I have listed all of the seniors on the football team and some of their stats from the season so far.

Players to Watch:
Sonny Riccio (QB) - 1,853 total yards; 14 total touchdowns
Roger Brown (DB) - 23 tackles; 1 forced fumble (only played in 3 games due to injury)
Brian Ingram (WR) - 22 receptions 212 yards; 1 touchdown
Joe Bleymaier (WR) - 15 receptions 170 yards; 3 touchdowns
Justin LaForgia (TE) - 20 receptions 205 yards; 1 touchdown
John Mulhern (LB) - 80 tackles; 2 sacks for -19 yards
Tom Parks (DL) - 27 tackles; 3 sacks for -27 yards
Brett Wharton (LS) - 3 tackles
Rob Bergman (OL) - 6 games played; 6 starts
Brian Sims (OL) - 9 games played; 9 starts
Mike Weber (P) - 37.3 yards/punt; Long = 50 yards

Schedule:
November 12 at William & Mary 1:00pm
November 19 at Villanova 1:00pm

Tamba Hali Earns National Defensive Player of the Week Honors as Penn State Beats Wisconsin 35-14

Tamba Hali is a senior defensive end for the Penn State Nittany Lions who are now ranked 6th nationally in Division I college football. The Nittany Lions (9-1) are having an incredible season and have a good chance to play in a major bowl game. Tamba is a friend of mine from home in Teaneck, New Jersey where he was a high school standout and even though he does not play for Delaware, I like to watch his games and I wanted to celebrate his accomplishments on my blog.

This past Saturday, Penn State played 14th ranked Wisconsin in a game that most probably decided who the Big Ten Conference champions will be. Penn State proved that they are the real deal this season. Tamba played the best game of his collegiate career in his last game at Beaver Stadium, recording a total of 9 tackles including 7 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks. His 4 sacks combined for negative 27 yards and tied the Penn State record for sacks in a game and his 7 tackles for loss broke the school record for TFL. Tamba's great performance earned him the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week Award. In addition to that honor, Tamba is also one of four candidates up for the Cingular/ABC All-America Player of the Week.

So far this season, Tamba has 11 sacks (for -79 yards) which leads the Big Ten and is fifth best in NCAA Division I. He also has a Big Ten leading 16 tackles for loss and has 54 total tackles. Tamba is an All-American candidate as well as a candidate for the Hendricks Award which is awarded to the best defensive end in college football.

I am very proud of Tamba and I hope to be watching him on Sundays next year playing in the NFL. Penn State has a week off this week and then visits Michigan State on November 19th in their last regular season game. I am sure they will also be playing in a bowl game.

Last Home Game of the Season!

On Saturday Delaware will play its last home game of the season against the 8th ranked University of Massachusetts. UMASS comes into the game 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the Atlantic 10. It will be a tough battle for the Blue Hens who are 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the A-10. The game will be televised on CN8 for those of you who can not go, but I encourage everyone to try and make it to the game, especially you seniors. The way it looks now, even if Delaware does make the playoffs, they will not have another home game this season. This is most probably the last opportunity for most of us to attend a UD football game as undergrads. So go out, tailgate hard, cheer loud and enjoy yourselves.

Many of you have already commented that you do not plan on going to the last home game against UMASS. As bad as this may sound, I really do not blame you. Delaware football has been a disappointment this year as the team is rebuilding with a lot of young players. Many of you are just tired of seeing UD lose. I am too. However, I still would have liked to be able to go this game, the last of my college career. Unfortunately I have to work early on Saturday and will not be able to make it. Let me know if the rest of you plan on going or not.

Delaware Football Defeated by Maine 25-15

This past week the Blue Hens headed to the University of Maine to take on the Black Bears in Atlantic 10 football conference action. Delaware entered the game coming off a huge win last week against defending national champs James Madison University. Maine like Delaware has been struggling this season and were looking for their first conference win of the season. In my eyes this was the game that was going to decide the rest of the season for the Hens. With a record of 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the league this game was make it or break it.

Unfortunately, Delaware was not able to put it together and come away with the victory. Maine got off to a strong start, going up 13-0 early in the second quarter. Delaware looked to be making a comeback after a 55 yard drive that lasted over 10 minutes ended with a touchdown run by Omar Cuff right before halftime. Freshman kicker Zach Hobby nailed two field goals in the second half to tie the game 13-13. Hobby has hit 6 of 7 field goals this season. With about 7:00 minutes remaining in the game, Delaware had the ball in the red zone looking to take the lead. However, on a run up the middle, Danny Jones (who was injured on the play) fumbled the ball and it was recovered by a Maine player. Maine then drove 88 yards and scored when QB Ron Whitcomb found Kevin McMahan in the end zone, puttin Maine on top 19-13 (missed the extra point). With just over 3:00 minutes remaining in the game, Delaware began their next drive on their own 42 yard line. On the first play of the drive, QB Sonny Riccio was sacked and fumbled the ball which was recovered by a Maine player and run to the 1 yard line. Maine scored again but missed a two point conversion to bring the score to 25-13. Delaware put together another good drive late in the game and found themselves on the Maine 1 yard line. But on 4th and goal Omar Cuff (who missed most of the second half with turf toe) was stopped short of the goaline by Maine defenders. The ball was turned over to Maine who actually snapped the ball out of the endzone for a safety, making the score 25-15. It was too little too late though for the Blue Hens who dropped to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the A-10 conference. Injuries and costly mistakes by Delaware were the difference in the game.

The Maine defense was lead by senior linebacker Jermaine Walker who had 17 tackles including 11 which were unassisted. Jermaine is from Teaneck, New Jersey and is a friend of mine from high school, so props to him on representing Teaneck well.

For Delaware, Riccio finished the game 15-of-23 for 158 yards, Danny Jones rushed 19 times for 108 yards, and Omar Cuff who saw limited action because of injury rushed 18 times for 33 yards and the Blue Hens only touchdown. Aaron Love was the leading receiver for Delaware, catching 8 passes for 78 yards. Defensively, KeiAndre Hepbrun lead the team with 9 tackles and half a sack, John Mulhern had 8 tackles, and Stephen Purkey had 7 tackles including a sack.

Next week, Delaware will host UMASS at 1:00pm in the last home game of the season. Make sure you make it to the game and check back for my next update.

Players to Watch:
Danny Jones - 19 carries 108 yards
Zach Hobby - 2 Field Goals (25, 29)
KeiAndre Hepburn - 9 tackles for -7 yards; 1/2 sack
Stephen Purkey - 7 tackles for -4 yards; 1 sack

Schedule:
November 5 vs UMASS 1:00pm
November 12 at William & Mary 1:00pm
November 19 at Villanova 1:00pm

Get Discounts at the Perkins Book Store!

Some of you may already know this but I just found out. Apparently, every Friday before weekends when the football team has an away game, Delaware logo merchandise (hoodies, t-shirts, hats, etc) is 30% off at the University Bookstore at Perkins. In addition, every Monday following a football team victory, students can receive the same 30% off discount on logo merchandise. And if that wasn't enough, every Tuesday, if you wear a Delaware hoodie to the Bookstore you will receive 20% off the purchase of any hoodie in the store. This is a great deal and they have a lot of cool stuff in there. Get some gear to wear for possibly the last home game of some of our undergraduate careers.

Check out the story on UDaily.