Blue Hens Rewind: Ranking Omar Cuff's 7 Touchdowns Against William & Mary
Andy Lohman
9/26/2020
In a city rich with colonial history, Williamsburg, Va., was home to a different kind of historic moment on Aug. 30, 2007. Not only did Delaware and William & Mary compete in the first-ever Colonial Athletic Association football game, running back Omar Cuff scored seven touchdowns, rewriting the record books in a 49-31 win for the Blue Hens.
After dealing with injury trouble the previous year, Cuff was healthy and ready to make an impact during his senior season. As the Blue Hens marched to the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game, Cuff set a I-AA record for touchdowns in a season. His seven touchdowns and 42 points against the Tribe still stand as FCS records to this day.
Today, we rank all seven touchdowns from Cuff’s electrifying performance, from Good to Gravity-Defying:
7. Delaware 21, William & Mary 3
As the game approached halftime, Cuff completed his hat trick, scoring a third rushing touchdown by following his tight ends through the pile at the goal line. With over 30 minutes of game time remaining, Cuff was already approaching 100 yards on the ground.
6. Delaware 7, William & Mary 3
After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Cuff punched in this one-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, a period where Delaware scored 21 points. A beautiful example of power football, the Blue Hens used great blocks from the offensive line, tight end and fullback to create a hole for Delaware’s first points of the game.
5. Delaware 28, William & Mary 10
For the third time in the game, the Blue Hens ran their goal line play with a pulling left guard and great blocks from tight ends for a touchdown, this time with Cuff diving into the end zone for a three-yard score.
4. Delaware 49, William & Mary 24
Cuff capped off his seven-touchdown performance with this 10-yard run to the outside, turning the corner and lowering his shoulder to deliver a hit to a would-be Tribe tackler along the sideline as he dove into the end zone.
3. Delaware 35, William & Mary 10
After scoring just once in the third quarter, Cuff found the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter, bursting through an arm tackle at the line of scrimmage as the Tribe blitzed, then using a cut and high knees to leave a defender sprawled on the turf. The 21-yard touchdown was an explosive display of speed, and gave the Blue Hens a dominant lead.
2. Delaware 14, William & Mary 3
Cuff doubled Delaware’s point total with this 38-yard early in the second quarter. The running back from Landover, Md. cut sharply through a hole at the line of scrimmage, then used a vicious head fake to leave a Tribe defender grasping at air at the 25-yardline as he sped into the end zone.
1. Delaware 42, William & Mary 17
Not just a running threat, quarterback Joe Flacco found Cuff through the air on a screen play that was successful all night for the Blue Hens. Cuff reeled in the ball at the 20, then turned up field, bouncing off a tackler and running with his torso parallel to the ground for 10 yards all the way into the end zone. On a night where Cuff totaled 244 rushing yards and 52 receiving yards, this incredible showing of balance and athleticism was the cherry on top. In the words of the broadcaster: “He is above science! He has transcended the rules of gravity that apply to mere humans.”
