University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
#13/15 Villanova (Battle of the Blue)
Blue Hens Fall to No. 13 Villanova 41-10 to Close Out Season in Battle of the Blue
11/19/2016 7:02:00 PM | Football
tenure after taking over for Dave Brock in mid-October.Villanova (8-3, 6-2 CAA), most likely secured an NCAA Tournament berth, defeated Delaware for the fifth straight year and for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons in one of the most heated rivalries at the NCAA FCS.
The teams met for the 50th time since 1895 with the Wildcats taking home the Battle of the Blue Trophy.
Delaware senior running back Jalen Randolph led the Blue Hens in his final career game as he rushed 16 times for 76 yards.
He was one of 11 Blue Hen players who made their final appearances in a Blue Hen uniform.
Delaware sophomore quarterback Joe Walker (above/Photo by Macy Oteri) hit on 7 of 14 passes for 111 yards and tossed a seven-yard scoring pass to sophomore tight end Owen Tyler late in the second half for Tyler's first career touchdown. The Blue Hens also got scoring from sophomore Frank Raggo who booted a 35-yard field goal early in the second quarter, his 8th in 11 tries this season.
Villanova sophomore quarterback Zach Bednarczyk was on the mark all day as he led an offense that piled up 474 yards as he hit on 13 of 17 passes for 195 yards and a career-high four touchdowns while also running for 78 yards. Matt Gudzak, the son of a former Delaware player Pete Gudzak, added a career-high 121 yards and scored two touchdowns while tight end Ryan Bell caught two touchdown passes.
“Today was a very disappointing outcome,” said Dottin-Carter. “Those men in our locker room gave everything and battled all day long. Villanova is a great football team. We came in prepared for a battle and we got a battle. There are no shortage of great teams in the CAA.”
The Wildcats scored on their first possession to take a 7-0 lead and never relinquished the advantage. Villanova marched 97 yards on 14 plays during that first drive, which was capped by a four-yard scoring pass from Bednarczyk to Bell with 3:54 left in the opening stanza. They followed with an 80-yard drive that resulted in a 34-yard scoring pass to Changa Hodge just two minutes into the second stanza.
Raggo's field goal put the Hens on the board, but Villanova came back with a three-yard scoring toss from Bednarczyk to Bell and a 54-yard Bednarczyk pass down the middle to a wide open Gudzak for a score. Delaware scored what proved to be its final points with just 10 seconds left in the opening half when Walker's seven-yard scoring toss to Tyler cut the margin to 27-10.
But Villanova dominated the second half as well to leave Delaware Stadium with the victory, its sixth straight on Delaware's home turf. Javon White scored on a one-yard burst with 2:13 left in the third quarter to make it 34-10 and Gudzak capped the scoring with a one-yard dive with 8:14 left in the game.
“We didn't play the way we are capable of playing,” said Dottin-Carter. “We missed on some opportunities early and didn't do a great job of getting stops. You have to force turnovers and we didn't do that today. We are a talented enough team to play with anyone in the country, we just have to find ways to get better. My heart goes out to your seniors. We wanted to get this done for them.”
HEN SCRATCHINGS
• Delaware honored its 11 seniors in a pregame ceremony on the field, saying goodbye to Randolph, offensive linemen Connor Bozick and Will Lewis, wide receiver Ricky Emerson, defensive backs Ryan Torzsa, Simba Gwashavanhu, and Mark Doe, linebacker Tommy Wilmoth, punter Will Stephenson, quarterback Blake Rankin, and running back Eric Patton
• Villanova 32-year head coach Andy Talley, who will retire after this season, was presented with a gift and was named an Honorary Blue Hen in a pregame ceremony that also included former Delaware head coach and College Football Hall of Famer Tubby Raymond
• Delaware played for the fourth time this season without running back Wes Hills. Hills, nursing a lower body injury, still finished as the team's leading rusher with 728 yards and an 8.3 yard per carry average this season. Backup Thomas Jefferson also left the game with an injury
• Delaware, which entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally in the FCS with fewest turnovers, committed just four for 40 yards
• Villanova converted 9 of 11 third down attempts and controlled the ball for 35:13 minutes
• Walker's 60-yard pass play to Jamie Jarmon was the longest pass play of the season for Delaware
• Delaware linebacker Charles Bell finished with a game-high 13 tackles and forced a fumble
• Delaware completed another home season without being shutout, extending its mark to 221 straight game scoring a point at home since 1983
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
