University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
Wake Forest
Blue Hens Can't Stop Wake Forest, Fall to FBS Demon Deacons 38-21
9/17/2016 6:23:00 PM | Football
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest rolled up 481 yards of total offense while Delaware could muster just 94 yards of its own as the Demon Deacons wore down the Blue Hens for a 38-21 football victory Saturday night at BB&T Field.
The Deacs, who improved to 3-0 on the season including 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, rushed for 302 yards on the ground on 59 carries, an average of 5.1 yards per rush. Matt Colburn led the way with 118 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback John Wolford added 70 yards and a score of his own.
Meanwhile the Blue Hens, who dropped to 2-1, were held to less than 100 total yards for the sixth time in school history. Jalen Randolph ran for 36 yards and Thomas Jefferson added 30 as both players found the endzone, but quarterback Blake Rankin was just 6 of 20 for 38 yards, although he did connect with Diante Cherry for a 13-yard scoring strike.
The Blue Hens played without starting quarterback Joe Walker, who missed the game with a lower 
leg injury, and running back Wes Hills, who sat out with an elbow injury.
Delaware opened the game by going three and out, while Wake Forest immediately scored on a six-play, 53-yard drive, taking the early lead on quarterback Kendall Hinton's 10-yard run with 10:44 left in the first quarter.
The Deacs extended the lead to 10-0 late in the quarter before UD cornerback Tenny Adewusi made his first career interception, giving the Blue Hens the ball on the Wake 10 yardline.
Delaware would take advantage of the turnover, as Cherry made a leaping catch of a Rankin toss in the right corner of the endzone with just two seconds on the first quarter clock to make it a 10-7 game.
Wake answered with a 71-yard drive on eight plays, capped with a 15-yard touchdown run by Tyler Bell, to immediately go back up double digits at 17-7. But the Blue Hen defense came up big again, as Ray Jones recovered a fumble at the Deacs' 19-yardline to again give the offense a short field.
Once again Delaware took advantage as Jefferson ran for 11 yards and two plays later scored from 10 yards out to pull the Blue Hens within 17-14 at the 6:17 mark of the second quarter.
However Wake again took little time in answering, as the Deacs drove 75 yards on 14 plays and went up 24-14 with 44 seconds left in the half on a one-yard run by Colburn.
Wake then received the second half opening kickoff and proceeded to march 75 yards on 10 plays, extending the lead to 17 when Wolford connected with Alex Bachman on a four-yard touchdown strike.
After the Blue Hens went three and out on their next possession, the Deacs used an eight-play, 70-yard drive to reach the endzone again, this time on a seven-yard rush from Wolford, to go up 38-14 with 4:45 to play in the period.
Delaware closed the scoring early in the fourth quarter by marching 80 yards on 11 plays, aided by a pair of Wake penalties, and scored when Randolph recovered a Jefferson fumble in the endzone with 8:03 to play.
John Nassib (above), Troy Reeder, Cam Kitchen, Charles Bell and Jones each recorded a team-high seven tackles for the Blue Hens, with Kitchen posting the team's lone sack of the night.
Wolford finished 13 of 24 for 155 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Tabari Hines and Bachman each caught three passes for the Deacs.
Delaware is idle next Saturday before opening Colonial Athletic Association play on Oct. 1 with a 1:30 p.m. game at James Madison.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)
