University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
#rv Towson (Homecoming)
Delaware Suffers First CAA Football Loss as Towson Rallies in Fourth Quarter to Defeat Blue Hens, 24-17
10/18/2014 4:08:00 PM | Football
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware football team led for most of the afternoon, but Towson battled back with two touchdowns in the final minutes to defeat the Blue Hens, 24-17, Saturday in front of a Homecoming crowd of 17,718 at sunny Delaware Stadium.
The Blue Hens (4-3, 2-1 CAA), who suffered their first conference loss of the season after entering the game tied for the Colonial Athletic Association lead with Villanova and New Hampshire, held a 14-7 advantage at halftime and were leading 17-10 with just under six minutes remaining before Towson rallied for two unanswered touchdowns to pick up the victory and snap a three-game losing streak.
Towson's Darius Victor, who ran for 113 yards on the day, scored the game-winner on a 17-yard 
scoring run with 49 seconds left to play. Spencer Wilkins, who had a game-high seven receptions for 97 yards, had tied the game at 17-17 when he hauled in a 39-yard scoring toss from Connor Frazier with 5:23 remaining.
Delaware, which had not lost a fumble in its last eight games since last season, coughed up the ball twice and also threw two interceptions to suffer its first four-turnover performance since the 2013 season-opening win vs. Jacksonville.
The Blue Hens allowed just 329 total yards but could not overcome the four turnovers and 76 penalty yards, including 45 yards in the final quarter. Towson converted just 3 of 12 third downs for the game but did not commit a turnover.
Delaware senior Michael Johnson caught six passes for 53 yards - extending his pass-catching streak
to 30 straight games - and now has 2,001 receiving yards for his career, becoming the eighth UD player to reach that milestone.Blue Hen redshirt freshman defensive tackle Blaine Woodson (above right #73) had two quarterback sacks and upped his season total to seven to set a new single season record for a Blue Hen freshman. Sophomore punter Eric Enderson (at left) averaged 55.5 yards on four punts, including a season-long 65-yarder, and freshman linebacker Donte Raymond led the Blue Hens with 10 tackles.
The Blue Hens looked sharp on their first drive of the day as they moved 75 yards on 14 plays and took the lead on a one-yard Hurley run with 9:53 left in the first quarter. The score marked the sixth straight game and the 11th time in the last 12 outings that Delaware scored in the first quarter.
Towson came right back on its first possession of the game and tied it at 7-7 on a one-yard scoring pass from Frazier to Andre Dessenberg with 3:51 left in the first quarter. The Hens then took a 14-7 lead into halftime as Hurley scored on another one-yard burst with 10:36 left in the half.
The Tigers, who defeated Delaware at Delaware Stadium for the second straight time but downed the Hens for just the second time in the last eight meetings overall, pulled to within 14-10 on a Sam Hurwitz 27-yard field goal with 5:20 left in the third quarter.
The Hens gained some breathing room when Garrett Greenway converted a career-long 38-yard field goal with 8:23 left to play to cap a 14-play, 76-yard drive and give UD a 17-10 lead. But the lead would not hold up as Towson rallied with its two touchdowns in the final 5:23 to clinch the win.
Delaware will look to bounce back next Saturday when the Blue Hens travel to William & Mary to take on the Tribe at 12:30 p.m.
