Column: Blue Hens Come Up Big In Big Moments in Win Over SBU

On a cold and blustery day at Delaware Stadium, a day that was naturally going to be dominated by the run game, Delaware football came up with big plays in big moments Saturday afternoon to beat Stony Brook 17-10.

The momentum swung in favor of the Blue Hens on the third play from scrimmage. Senior defensive lineman Cam Kitchen burst through the line and immediately got his hands on Stony Brook's quarterback, Tyquell Fields. As Fields' pass floated off-target, sophomore linebacker Johnny Buchanan, who had dropped into zone coverage, stepped forward to scoop an interception and sprint untouched to the end zone.

Less than two minutes into the game, Delaware had a 7-0 lead.

"I looked and saw big 99 right there hitting the quarterback. It kind of altered the direction of the ball and put it in my area, so I was able to make a play on it," Buchanan said. "I told Cam I owe him for that one. He got me that pick."

The biggest play of the game, however, came in the fourth quarter and put the Blue Hens on top for good. The play after an unnecessary roughness penalty put Delaware on the doorstep of the Stony Brook red zone, redshirt freshman running back Will Knight patiently cut to his left, then back to his right, leaving two Seawolves in the dust as he sprinted 21 yards to the end zone to put Delaware up 17-10, a score that would hold until the final whistle.

The Blue Hens would produce two more takeaways, one on defense and one on special teams, that made sure Stony Brook stayed off the scoreboard in the second half.

After the Seawolves put together a 14-play, 79-yard drive that spanned the majority of the third quarter, redshirt freshman safety Noah Plack secured his first collegiate interception after Fields' pass bounced off multiple players in the end zone. Then, with just under five minutes left in the game, special teams player extraordinaire Andrew Pawlowski recovered a muffed punt at midfield that returned possession to the Blue Hens, allowing them to kill off a significant amount of time to nearly close out the game.

"We were big in big moments, and that's something that we haven't been as of late," head coach Danny Rocco said. "We were big in big moments."

Stray Observations

The Blue Hens had a productive day running the ball, led by 108 yards from Knight, his fourth 100+-yard game of the year. The Smyrna, Del., native also found the end zone for the fourth consecutive week. Redshirt junior DeJoun Lee once again served as a great complement to Knight, gaining 61 yards on 13 carries, including three rushes of 10 or more yards. Both players eclipsed 100 all-purpose yards.
On the flip side, the Blue Hens defense did a stellar job of bending, but not breaking to contain the Stony Brook offense. The Seawolves gained 296 yards on the ground, but scored just one touchdown. Stony Brook threw for a miniscule 45 yards, 29 of which came on a failed, desperation drive at the end of the game. The Seawolves average over 200 passing yards per game.
The Blue Hens faced some adversity Saturday afternoon, with both starting quarterback Nolan Henderson and starting center Mario Farinella going down with injuries on the same play in the first quarter. Redshirt sophomore lineman Mickey Henry, who injured his own hand in practice during the week, took over duties at center, snapping the ball with his non-dominant hand. Henry and Pat Kehoe were still able to guide Delaware to two crucial scoring drives.
In the last home game of their careers, the senior class won in front of their family and friends who were there to honor them in a pregame ceremony. Kitchen, who had a standout day with eight tackles and a pass breakup, spoke on what the moment meant for him: "It means everything. To win my last game ever here at this stadium, it means the world to me. I had to stay out there for a couple extra minutes and just look around, touch the Blue Hen in the middle of the field one more time. It meant the world to me."

Column: Blue Hens Come Up Big In Big Moments in Win Over SBU

Players Mentioned

Johnny Buchanan

Mario Farinella

Nolan Henderson

Mickey Henry

Pat Kehoe

Cam Kitchen

Will Knight

Dejoun Lee

Andrew Pawlowski

Noah Plack

University of Delaware Athletics