Post-Game - UMass 21, Delaware 10

Disgusting game by the Hens today.   Not too much extra to add here because the game pretty much spoke for itself:

• Pros & Cons - TV game is always a bonus... but the downside is the awful announcing by the CSN crew.  I would take the effort sync the radio feed with the TV, but it is much harder than it sounds and I also started watching late so
• Delaware starts the game at their own 33, but right off the bat Donnelly is called for intentional grounding, which really backs the Hens up, and a few weak run plays later, Delaware is forced to punt.
• RIght off the bat, Pagel hits a receiver with a huge pass and it's 1st-&-goal for the Minutemen.  A big 3rd down play by Hernandez punched it home and UMass takes the early 7-0 lead with 12:00 remaining in the quarter.
• First, with Pagel in the game, that passing system is a lot more dangerous than if Hill was in charge.  Second, everyone who knows about the UMass offense knew that Hernandez would get the ball on 3rd down.
• Delaware gets the ball back and the Hens start marching back down the field.  A bad injury to Colin Naugle puts a damper on the drive (had a defender roll up on his legs) as the Hens follow the delay with a short run and a dropped pass, resulting in another punt.
• It is obvious how much better the UMass offensive line is compared to the William & Mary line last week.  Hernandez is getting lanes and space, including a 40-yard run to get the Minutemen back into the Delaware red zone.  A holding penalty on first down left looked like it may stunt UMass' offense, but a great screen pass on 3rd down got them inside the Hens' 10 for a 1st-&-goal.  UMass is also eating up tons of clock as we are approaching 5:00 remaining in the quarter.  3rd-&-goal from the Hens' 7 and UMass tries to roll out to the right, and it looks like the Hens have it covered, until Pagel cuts back inside and somehow finds an open man in the end zone for another touchdown.  Minutemen lead 14-0 with 4:53 remaining in the 1st quarter.
• Total Yards at this point: UMass 139, Delaware 40.
• The color guy on CSN hits the nail on the head, describing the Hens as sleep-walking, and the following that comment, the 3rd-&-11 pass play is sent to a wide open UMass safety, as Donnelly turns the ball over to the Minutemen.
• Pagel throws another gorgeous long pass to put UMass back in Delaware territory right away.  Another first down pass gets the Minutemen back inside the Hens 10, followed by a reverse for another UMass touchdown.  21-0, UMass with 1:21 remaining in the FIRST quarter.
• Just when it looks like it cannot get any worse, Delaware fumbles the ball and somehow the Hens recover it.  A big personal foul call against a UMass player (who was ejected for striking a player) sets Delaware at their own 39, and a few plays in, the first quarter finally comes to an end.
• End of the 1st Quarter - UMass 21, Delaware 0
• Delaware come out and converts a 3rd down play with a screen to Pierce and the Hens are back in UMass territory.  Pierce follows up the reception with a 12-yard run for another Hens' first down.  Delaware seems to be going with basics here as they keep pitching the ball to the running backs.  Hayes comes up short on 3rd down, so 4th-&-1 from the UMass 22 results in a Pierce run up the gut for the yard.  The following play sees Nihja White wide open on a play-action fake, but an underthrown pass is broken up by pass interference on UMass, and Delaware has 1st-&-goal on the UMass 5.  Pierce taken down for a small loss, followed by an obvious Blue Hens holding penalty puts Delaware back at the UMass 17 on 2nd down.  Pierce gains a few yards and on 3rd down, Nick Boyle (replacing Naugle, who is out for the game) makes a wide open catch for a Delaware touchdown! The Hens ate a ton of time off the clock as they cut into the lead with 9:28 remaining in the 2nd.  UMass ahead 21-7.
• The good news is that it is nice to see the stadium full on TV.  The student section looks only two-thirds full though.  The bad news is that the one blue stripe on the UMass helmets makes little sense on a uniform that does not have that color anywhere else.  Very distracting to the colorblind guy.
• Broadnax is getting the main carries now for UMass as it appears that Hernandez hurt himself just before the last Minutemen touchdown.  He is seen on the bench with his helmet off, but is not missed as UMass continues to work the passing game, but they are stopped right around midfield and forced to punt for the first time today with 6:37 left in the half.
• The Hens start back up from their own 17-yard line, but cannot do anything with it and punt yet again.  UMass gets the ball back in great field position, but is stopped at the Delaware 49 as they punt back once again.  A few first downs combined with a roughing the passer call has the hens at the UMass 42-yard line with just over 3 minutes left in the half.  The Hens appear to have monentum back here as Pierce gains about 9 yards on a 3rd-&-1, setting up the Hens at the Minutemen 24.  Nihja White comes up big again for just the right amount of yardage for a Hens first down (White and Donnelly are starting to click here).  But two pass plays from the 10-yard line are incomplete, and Baner comes on to nail a 27-yarder with 1:00 left on the clock here in the first half.  UMass still leads, 21-10.
• UMass is working quickly to try and get into scoring position, still without Hernandez in the lineup, but have to punt back to the Hens who start back up from their own 15, but instead of trying to cut into the lead, Donnelly takes a knee and the Hens take what momentum is left into the locker room.
• End of the 1st Half - UMass 21, Delaware 10
• Keeler is interviewed at the half.  He says the wind was a factor, which is what helped UMass get out to their lead and get the Hens back in it.  He wanted his team to pick up the tempo, but they just are not a quick strike team.  UMass' Coach Morris is interviewed just before the start of the 3rd, with his big statement being that Hernandez is out, but they are hoping his condition improves so he can get back in.  They also show wind numbers and it seems to have died down here to start the half.
• UMass is called for a penalty on the kickoff and a false start on the first play, as they start out with a 1st-&-12 from their own 2.  A big run by Broadnax is negated by off-setting penalties, but a few missed tackles by the Hens secondary bail out the Minutemen as they move the ball out to their own 33.  The defense is able to grab a big sack and force UMass to punt back to the Delaware.
• The Hens take over from their own 28-yard line.  White on the reverse, followed by a few short bursts from Pierce picks up the 1st down for the Hens. But another stalled drive results in a Delaware punt with 9:03 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
• UMass comes out pounding the ball with Broadnax as he gains two quick first downs for the Minutemen.  The first pass play of the drive popped out of the UMass receiver's hands into those of a Delaware defender, who then dropped it.  This took some of the momentum out of the UMass drive and the Minutemen punt back to the Hens, downing the ball inside the Hens 1-yard line.  It looked like the player was in the end zone while he touched it, but it does not get overturned.
• Backed up in their own end zone, Delaware hands of to Pierce, as expected, who gets them enough for a first down.  On 3rd-&-10 from their own 11, Donnelly fakes the handoff and hit Nihja White for a 51-yard bomb to get Delaware to the UMass 37.  However, Donnelly negates his good play by fumbling the ball as he is being taken down and the Minutemen recover at their own 45.
• UMass 4th-&-inches and they line up in the shotgun to pass, which looked completed, but the receiver did not maintain possession going to the ground and it was ruled incomplete.  The Hens take over just shy of midfield, but cannot move the ball as they punt it back to UMass with 31.7 seconds left in the quarter.  A kick-catch interference call goes against the Hens and UMass starts the drive from their own 36-yard line.
• The first play is a big pass to Talley from Pagel, but it is negated by a holding call against the Minutemen as the 3rd quarter comes to an end.
• End of the 3rd Quarter - UMass 21, Delaware 10
• UMass struggles to move the ball, but gets a great spot on a pass play on 3rd-&-18 for the first down just shy of midfield.  A big tackle for loss by Tim Breaker gives UMass a 3rd-&-14, but the pass play is short, ending the drive at the Hens 47 where they elect to punt back to the Hens.  For the second time today, the Hens get pinned down against their own goal line, starting from their own 2-yard line with 11:29 remaining in the 4th.
• Delaware does get a first down to get out from their own end zone, but a big sack for UMass on a 3rd-&-long forces the Hens to punt from their own end zone, giving the Minutemen great field position.
• Just when Delaware is desperate for a stop, Hernandez re-enters the game for UMass.  Luckily the Hens hold firm and on a 4th-&-7 play, UMass turns it over on downs instead of trying to punt or go for a field goal.
• Delaware re-gains possession with 8:02 remaining in the quarter.  The Hens gain a first down, but Donnelly panicked as he was getting hit and with 7:34 remaining, UMass intercepts the ball and takes over at their own 40.  Delaware still trails by 11.
• Trevor Sasek is being shown with his helmet on as UMass starts up their drive.  The Minutemen can only kill of just under a minute as they punt back to Delaware with 6:42 remaining.
• Sasek comes in to the game and his first pass is almost picked off.  A 3rd-&-9 pass falls short for the QB and Delaware has to punt it back with 5:53 left on the clock.
• UMass takes over at their own 39-yard line.  The Minutemen cannot pick up a first down and Delaware calls timeout to stop the clock with 4:49 left, just before UMass punts.
• Sasek back for a second drive starting as his own 35.  His first big play comes right away as a long pass is completed to Bobby Russo to get the Hens over midfield.  The Hens eventually face a 3rd-&-7 play where Sasek gets sacked and Delaware realized the need to go for it on 4th down, but another sack by UMass turns the ball back over and looks like it may have closed out the game with 3:34 remaining. They would eventually punt the ball back with 2:46 remaining, and a touchback puts the Hens at their own 20, still down by 11.
• Sasek still in the game, and Delaware with no timeout remaining, as the cold QB attempts to get the Hens back in the game.  Way to many short passes by a team that needs two scores.  On 4th-&-6, Sasek completes the pass to Russo for a first down with 1:10 remaining.  The Hens are operating painfully slow here.  Another first down pass, this one to White.  However, the Hens cannot even reach the end zone and it ends in a loss.
• FINAL SCORE - UMass 21, Delaware 10

So that sucked. Awful game by the Hens after such a great performance the week before.  When they went down 21, I still thought they could come back.  However, I did not expect the offense to be completely shut down for an entire half like that.  Lots of changes need to be made going forward.

Reviewing my Predictions

My Over/Under for UD vs. UMass

• Total Points: 37.5 points - 31 points, I was close but it just felt like a loss.
• UMass Passing Yards: 189.5 yards - 245 yards in the air.  So much for a run-first offense.
• Delaware Rushing Yards: 174.5 yards - 71 yards.  This is what happens when you go down early and start trying to force yourself back into the game.

Bold Prediction:  Nihja White scores two or more touchdowns.
(Just a hunch.  I have zero idea about
this game besides a general score, so
I'm willing to reach out far here.)
This was a wild guess anyway.  Sad part is that
this would have been a loss for any player, not just
Nihja.  Rough day on for the offense.

Projected Score: Delaware 24, UMass 14
(Another strong defensive effort by
the Hens against a running team with
QB issues.  Delaware by 10 in a low
scoring affair.)
Fail on every account.  The defense was good in the
2nd half, but 21 points in the first quarter negates that.

Game Articles

• Delaware Online -UMass handles Hens 21-10
• BlueHens.com - No. 9 Delaware Can't Climb Out of First Quarter Hole...
• BlueHens.com - Video Recap of the Game

Keywords: University of Delaware Blue Hens, UD, University of Massachusettes Minutemen, UMass, Football, Colonial Athletic Association, CAA, NCAA