University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
Lafayette (High School Band Day)
Blue Hens' First Victory Worth the Wait as Delaware Downs Lafayette 19-9
9/12/2015 11:12:00 PM | Football
• Boxscore
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware had to wait out an hour-long weather delay, but it was worth it Saturday night as the Blue Hens kept Lafayette out of the end zone all night and collected their first win of the season with a 19-9 non-league football victory at Delaware Stadium.
Delaware (1-1) forced three turnovers and held the Leopards (0-2) to just 270 total yards while the 
offense, playing its first game without leading rusher Wes Hills, piled up 257 yards on the ground en route to the win.
The game was delayed for 70 minutes just before the start of the second half due to lightning in the area. Most of the game was played in the rain, including several heavy downpours.
The Hens bounced back from a 20-14 opening day loss to Jacksonville (Fla.) and now head into their Colonial Athletic Association opener at No. 6 ranked Villanova next Saturday. Villanova (1-1) defeated #16 Fordham 14-7 on Saturday.
Dave BrockSophomore Kareem Williams, pressed into duty after Hills broke his foot in last week's game, carried 14 times for 93 yards and was one of three UD runners with over 59 yards on the ground. Redshirt freshman quarterback Joe Walker (above left) who started his first career game, ran for 68 yards and scored a touchdown while redshirt freshman Thomas Jefferson picked up 59 more yards.
On defense, Delaware picked off Lafayette quarterback Blake Searfoss once and recovered two fumbles while allowing just 270 yards, including only 55 on the ground. Searfoss hit on 13 of 24 passes for 171 yards. The Blue Hens had three sacks and four other tackles for loss on the evening.
Delaware also got a big lift on special teams as redshirt freshman kicker Frank Raggo (at right) connected on a school-record tying four field goals, including a 45-yarder just before halftime that gave the Hens a 13-3 lead, and a 22-yarder with 28 seconds left in the game that sealed the victory.
The four field goals was the most ever by a UD freshman and the most since Sean Baner had four against Bucknell in 2012.
After Lafayette jumped out to a 3-0 first quarter lead on a 40-yard field goal by Jacob Bissell, the Hens reeled off 13 straight points on field goals of 19 and 45 yards by Raggo and a one-yard dive by Walker.
Walker's touchdown was set up when senior defensive Vince Hollerman recovered a fumble by Lafayette backup quarterback Drew Reed at the Lafayette two-yard line with 6:36 left in the half.
The Leopards cut the UD margin to 13-9 in the third quarter on field goals of 40 and 47 yards by Bissell, but the Hens got those back on two more three-pointers from Raggo, including a 20-yarder with 6:27 left that capped an 85-yard drive and the 22-yarder in the final minute.
Sophomore defensive lineman Bilal Nichols recorded a career-high eight tackles and forced a fumble that safety Simba Gwashavanhu recovered with 4:55 left to set up Raggo's final field goal. Sophomore linebacker Charles Bell also added eight stops and intercepted a pass for the Blue Hens, who have now allowed just one offensive touchdown in two games this season.
"We are going to have to win a lot of close games if we want to be successful this season," said Brock. "We continue to struggle on offense and we are not who we want to be yet. It's been hit and miss. We are going to have to find ways to battle and rise up."
VideoHEN SCRATCHINGS
• Junior RB Jalen Randolph rushed for 37 yards and went over 1,000 yards for his career
• Delaware has now won eight straight games over Patriot League opponents
• The Hens, who were playing Lafayette for the first time since a 2004 NCAA playoff win, have now downed the Leopards 12 straight time since 1960
• Delaware avoided its first 0-2 start since 2001 and its first 0-2 start at home since 1967
• Williams, who was expected to redshirt before the injury to Hills, rushed for just 139 total yards all of last season
• DeSean Brown led Lafayette with 78 yards rushing
• Lafayette LB Brandon Bryant collected a game-high 18 tackles
