University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
Elon
Strong Defensive Effort Gives Blue Hens 14-10 Victory at Elon in Season Finale
11/21/2015 4:11:00 PM | Football
• Boxscore (pdf)
ELON, N.C. -- Kareem Williams and Thomas Jefferson each scored on touchdown runs and the steady Blue Hen defense held Elon scoreless in the second half as the University of Delaware football team ended its 2015 season on a high note with a 14-10 victory over the Phoenix Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Stadium.
Delaware, which picked up its first road victory of the season, ends the year with a 4-7 overall record and a 3-5 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. Elon also finished the year at 4-7 overall and 3-5 
in league play after going 0-8 during its initial season in the league a year ago.
The Blue Hen defense, which anchored the team the entire season, forced three turnovers and held the Phoenix to just 290 total yards.
After the Hens took the lead with 6:08 left in the third quarter, Delaware allowed Elon just 93 yards over its final seven possession. Forty-seven yards of those came on the final drive of the game which ended when Blue Hen freshman Ray Jones knocked down a fourth down pass at the UD 10-yard line.
The Phoenix jumped ahead with 7:17 remaining in the first quarter when Connor Christiansen found Tereak McCray for a 24-yard touchdown pass, but Delaware answered back at the 9:38 mark of the second quarter when Williams burst through the line and rumbled 53 yards for a score.
The Blue Hen defense allowed just 290 yards on the afternoon, and in addition to the two interceptions, forced a fumble that was recovered by Charles Bell in the opening quarter. Delaware also posted two sacks and five tackles for a loss during the victory.
Bell posted six tackles on the day and finished with a team-leading 97 for the season while senior captain David Tinsley (above center) posted a team-high seven stops, including two for loss and a 
sack, and Jackson added six stops.
"This feels good," said Tinsley, one of just seven UD seniors who played their final games as Blue Hens. "We knew we would have a lot of one-on-one opportunities up front today and someone had to win. This is a great win for our entire team. It validates all the hard work we've put in and the trust we have in each other and this program. It paid off today."
Williams finished with 101 yards on 18 carries on the ground for Delaware, recording his second consecutive 100-yard game and his fourth of the season.
Jefferson (at left) added 55 rushing yards, wide receiver Diante Cherry caught four passes for 40 yards, and quarterback Joe Walker finished 9 of 17 for 77 yards on the day.
Elon gained just 49 yards rushing on 22 attempts, while Christiansen was 20 of 34 for 243 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
HEN SCRATCHINGS
• Delaware junior All-American Eric Enderson enjoyed an outstanding day as he averaged 40.7 yards on nine punts and pinned Elon inside its own 10-yard line three times in the fourth quarter. "He was as valuable as anyone on this team today,' said Brock.
• Delaware snapped a three-game losing streak overall and won for the first time all season on the road, avoiding its first winless road campaign since 1950
• The Blue Hens are now 2-0 vs. Elon after downing the Phoenix 34-24 last year in Newark, Del.
• Delaware is one of only four FCS programs that have won at least four games every season since 1990, joining Montana, Northern Iowa, and Eastern Kentucky
• Jefferson finished his freshman season with 890 yards, the second highest single-season total ever by a UD rookie
• Jefferson and Williams (795) both finished the year with over 700 yards rushing, the first time Delaware has had two players surpass that mark since the 2003 national championship season
• Senior offensive tackle Ben Curtis started his 40th straight game for the Blue Hens and senior long snapper Joe Fortunato played in his team-leading 46th career game
• The three turnovers forced and two interceptions by the Delaware defense both equalled season-highs
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)
