- Feisty Teams - Apparently, the Towson bench came about two-thirds of the way across the field towards the Delaware bench and tried to start something up, with the coaches and officials breaking it up before it gets out of hand.
- Quick Start - Michael Johnson gets things started off right with a huge return to the Towson 47-yard line. A 14-yard run gained the Hens a first down right off the bat, but then Donnelly gets sacked and turns the ball over to the Tigers around midfield. A few plays later, Terrance West runs 46 yards for a Tigers touchdown and Towson goes up 7-0 with 12:10 left in the first quarter.
- Another Mistake - Delaware's next drive sees them moving the ball much better than they have the past few weeks. They are able to get the ball down around midfield, only to have Donnelly throw an interception (apparently tipped around before pulled down) to Kenton Powell and the Tigers take possession at their own 49.
- Extending the Lead - Towson has little trouble moving into Delaware territory, but the Hens hold the passing game from putting them down two touchdowns, and instead see D.J. Soven connect on a 28-yard field goal at the 4:12 mark of the first quarter. 10-0, Tigers.
- Big Return for Big Points - The kickoff sees Michael Johnson exploit the weakness in the Tigers special teams game yet again and get down to the Towson 11-yard line. Tim Donnelly eventually flips into the endzone to get the Hens on the board and the XP cuts the lead down to 10-7 with 2:41 remaining in the quarter.
- Turning Defense into Offense - Towson cannot respond to the quick score from the Hens as they fumble the ball at the UD 39-yard line and Jessel Curry recovers the ball. Delaware gets the help of a few penalty calls and a good run from Pierce to get them a first down within field goal range as the quarter comes to an end.
- End of the 1st Quarter - Towson 10, Delaware 7
- Driving It In - Just a few plays later, Andrew Pierce runs home a 23-yard touchdown to get the Hens their first lead of the day. 14-10, Blue Hens, just 43 seconds into the second quarter.
- Back on Track - Towson finally gets it back under control and has a strong 73-yard drive, ending with a 7-yard touchdown by West. The extra point goes off the uprights and the score is 16-14 Towson, with 9:44 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
- Return of the Hawk - Another big kickoff return, but this one by Travis Hawkins. Towson intentionally kicked away from Johnson, only to have Hawkins, who was knocked out cold last week, run back an 86-yard return for a touchdown! The Hens decide to go for two and make it as Donnelly completes a pass to Nihja White as Delaware regains the lead. 22-16, Blue Hens with 9:30 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
- Pierce Scores Again! - A few penalties, including a personal foul against Coach Ambrose of Towson, starts the Tigers at their own 10. The Tigers cannot recover from this and eventually punt the ball back to the Hens, who start at their own 46-yard line. Delaware, however, is having their way with the Tigers, as they move with ease here, finishing off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run by Andrew Pierce. 29-16, Blue Hens, with 2:05 left in the half.
- Quick Drive - Towson is able to recover and move efficiently down the field, finishing off the drive with an 8-yard TD run by West. Soven hits this extra point as Delaware's lead is cut down to 6 with 26 seconds remaining. Delaware would attempt a few plays before taking a knee and going into the half with the lead.
- End of the 1st Half - Delaware 29, Towson 23
- Punt to Punt - Towson's first drive goes nowhere and they have to punt back to the Hens, but Delaware cannot do anything either as they punt away to the Tigers for the first time tonight.
- Towson on Top - Terrance West has a huge run that gets the Tigers to the Delaware 35 as Towson is on the move here early in the 3rd quarter. A few more big plays set the Tigers up in the red zone and the result was an 8-yard score on the ground by West with 7:44 remaining in the 3rd Quarter. Towson regains the lead, 30-29.
- Pierce Gets his 3rd! - The kickoff is short, so we may not hear from the return game again tonight. Luckily, the Delaware run game is having their way with the Tigers defensive line, including converting on 4th down and getting the ball to the Towson 20. A 3rd down run has the Hens with 4th-&-short again, and Delaware converts with ease as they get it down to the 5-yard line, where Andrew Pierce is able to find the end zone for the 3rd time today, with 2:05 still to go in the quarter. The two point conversion to go up 7 fails on a pass play, but the Hens regain the lead, 35-30.
- Tigers Ball - Towson looked to cross midfield as the 3rd quarter came to an end, but a holding call has them back around their own 30 instead.
- End of the 3rd Quarter - Delaware 35, Towson 30
- Wasted Turnover - Towson comes out with a big throw to to put them in Delaware territory right away, only to have a 5-yard loss put them back in a hole. They are able to recover and get down deep into the Hens zone, but a huge interception by Atunrase off of Enders puts a stop to the Tigers drive at the Delaware 21-yard line. Unfortunately, the Hens cannot make anything of the drive, and they have to punt it back to Towson. 8:06 remaining in the quarter, with Delaware still holding a 5-point lead.
- Failed Drives - Tigers start this drive from their own 33-yard line. The potentially big drive never happens and Towson has to punt back to Delaware, giving the Hens the ball on their own 47-yard line with just over 6 minutes remaining. Delaware gets down inside the Tigers 35, but on a long 4th-&-1, Pierce is tackled in the back field and Towson takes over at their own 33-yard line with 3:55 remaining in the 4th. The ensuing drive sees Towson with a big 4th-&-5 at their 38 yard line. Instead of punting with all three timeouts remaining, they attempt a pass play with Enders who gets picked off by Paul Worrilow, who is taken down at the Towson 36 with 2:32 to go.
- Crucial Play - Delaware is able to gain one first down and take even more time off the clock. The Tigers are able to hold Delaware to a 4th-&-8 with 57 seconds left as Delaware calls a timeout to stop the clock and set up Sean Baner for a 38-yard field goal attempt. However, instead of going up 8, the kick is blocked and Towson recovers it and runs it back to their own 39 yard line with 52 seconds remaining in the quarter.
- Last Ditch Effort - Towson gets the ball just beyond midfield, but the snap is fumbled and Enders has to fall on top of it, and spike it with 13 seconds remaining at the 50. The next play is an incomplete pass on a big hit by Quincy Barr. The final play sees Enders roll out and attempt the hail mary, but it gets tipped out of bounds and the Hens come away with the victory, as Hawkins knocked it away!
- FINAL SCORE - Delaware 35, Towson 30
Big day by Andrew Pierce, finally getting back to form after two poor weeks. Even better job by the defense to hold the Tigers in check and help the Hens hold on to the big victory. The only real downside is that there is a week off between this game an Homecoming vs. Richmond. At least it gives the fans two weeks to enjoy the victory before the final two matchups of the season.
Reviewing my Predictions
My Over/Under for UD vs. TU
Total Points:54.5 points- 65 total points in a much higher scoring game than anyone thought.- Towson Rushing Yards: 224.5 yards - 229 yards on the ground with 155 by West.
Delaware Passing Yards: 174.5 yards- Donnelly did not do too much today and 56 yards in the air is the proof. What he did do was orchestrate the offense well and help the ground game with the early score.
Bold Prediction: Andrew Pierce runs for over 100 yards.
(He has been shut down way too often
this season. It's time for a big run day.)
Great day by the Blue Hens' RB as he
gained 158 yards on the ground, including
three touchdown as he finally had another
explosive game for the Hens!
Projected Score: Towson 31, Delaware 24
(Not falling for it this week as the Hens
So glad I was wrong. I was close with Towson's
score in this one, but the Hens return TD might
just be the difference here as UD comes away
with the 35-30 victory and stays alive... barely.
Game Articles
- Delaware Online - Delaware hands Towson 1st CAA loss
- BlueHens.com - Blue Hens Bounce Back In Big Way...
- BlueHens.com - Football at Towson Recap (See Below)
Keywords: University of Delaware Blue
Hens, UD, Towson University Tigers, TU, Football, Colonial
Athletic Association, CAA, NCAA
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