No. 7/6 James Madison Tops Blue Hens 22-10

Saturday, October 23

Newark, Del.

3 p.m.

University of Delaware

3-4 , 2-3

No. 7/6 James Madison

6-1 , 4-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

James Madison

Delaware

Photo by: Mark Campbell

10/23/2021 7:04:00 PM | Football

Box Score Box Score Photo Gallery

NEWARK, DEL. – The Delaware football team held a lead at halftime but could not hold on in the second half, dropping a 22-10 Homecoming matchup to No. 7/6 James Madison in front of 15,783 fans at Delaware Stadium on Saturday afternoon. With the setback, the Blue Hens slip to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in CAA play.

"We played better in the first half and we certainly felt like this was going to be a game we were going to have a chance to win," said Head Coach Danny Rocco. "Going into the locker room at half it was a good feeling. I thought our guys were really confident. I think we had a real sense of belief and confidence that we were going to go out there and finish this game and find a way to win. I was really proud of the defense I think holistically the defense played well."

The Delaware defense was the story early as JMU started four of its first five possessions across midfield. The Blue Hens allowed just 65 total yards in those four drives, holding the Dukes to three field goals.

After Johnny Buchanan and Tommy Walsh combined for a big fourth down start on JMU's first possession, Ryan Coe gave the Blue Hens a 3-0 lead with a 51-yard field goal.

Down 6-3 nearing the end of the first quarter, the Blue Hen offense embarked on a 10-play, 76-yard drive that took up more than six minutes and featured a third-down conversion and a fourth-down quarterback sneak. Zach Gwynn capped the drive by finding James Collins for a 26-yard touchdown pass to give Delaware a 10-6 lead with 11:03 left in the second quarter.

JMU kicked 47-yard field goals on either side of halftime to retake the lead at 12-10.

Late in the third quarter, a strip sack gave the Dukes the ball on Delaware's 45-yard line. Three plays later, a 36-yard run by the quarterback extended the lead to 19-10. A 42-yard field goal with 7:04 left in the contest completed the scoring.

Kedrick Whitehead and Buchanan both set career highs with 15 and 13 tackles, respectively. Buchanan also had 2.5 TFL to lead the team, while Whitehead added three pass breakups. Amonte' Strothers recorded his second interception of the season.

The Blue Hens will continue their three-game homestand next weekend when they step out of conference play for a matchup against Dixie State. Kickoff at Delaware Stadium is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 30. Tickets for that contest, and all three of Delaware's remaining home games can be purchased HERE.

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