University of Delaware Athletics
Saturday, November 6
Newark, Del.
1 p.m.
University of Delaware
5-4 , 3-3
24
vs
3
No. 20/23 William & Mary
6-3 , 4-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
William & Mary
3
0
0
0
3
Delaware
7
7
3
7
24
Photo by: Mark Campbell
Delaware Rides Strong Effort to 24-3 Victory over No. 20/23 William & Mary
11/6/2021 5:05:00 PM | Football
NEWARK, DEL. – The University of Delaware football team put together another dominating effort on the defensive end, holding No. 20/23 William & Mary to just one field goal as the Blue Hens came away with a 24-3 victory in a CAA matchup on Saturday afternoon at Delaware Stadium. With the win, Delaware improves to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
"[I'm] really proud of our coaches, really proud of our team with how they responded and how they fought and how we prepared this week," said Head Coach Danny Rocco. "The defense was dynamite, they were just outstanding … The offense did some really good things. I think Zach [Gwynn] had his best game of the season."
William & Mary (6-3, 4-2 CAA) took a 3-0 lead with a 24-yard field goal on the opening possession. The Blue Hens were forced to punt on their first drive, but Jake Reed punched the ball out on the return, forcing a fumble that Noah Plack recovered at the 12-yard line. Two plays later, Dejoun Lee got around the left end and into the end zone to give UD a 7-3 lead.
The defense came up big again as an 11-yard sack by Dae'Lun Darien and a big fourth-down tackle from Plack gave Delaware the ball back on William & Mary's 34-yard line. On the fourth play of the second quarter, Zach Gwynn dropped a pass into the arms of James Collins for a 25-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 14-3.
After the first drive of the game, the Delaware defense allowed just 37 total yards the rest of the half as the Blue Hens went into the locker room with a 14-3 advantage.
Delaware received the kickoff to start the second half. A 31-yard completion from Gwynn to Collins put the Blue Hens across midfield and set up a 48-yard field goal by Ryan Coe that pushed the lead to 17-3.
Late in the third quarter, the Tribe crossed into Delaware territory for just the third time. On a first-down play, Amonte' Strothers broke into the backfield and batted a pass into the air that came down in the arms of Johnny Buchanan who returned it 24 yards to the William & Mary 36-yard line. Four plays later, Gwynn hit Jourdan Townsend just inside the pylon for an eight-yard touchdown pass. Coe's extra point made it a 24-3 game.
The defense continued its stellar effort, forcing three turnovers on downs in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Buchanan and Liam Trainer led the defense with 12 tackles apiece. The 12 tackles were a career high for Trainer, who also added 2.0 TFL and a pass breakup. Plack chipped in with nine tackles, including multiple key stops on special teams. As a whole, the defense held William & Mary to 228 total yards and just 105 rushing yards. The Tribe had come into the game averaging a CAA-leading 216.9 yards per game on the ground.
Gwynn was an efficient 17-of-21 passing for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Collins led the receivers with career highs of six catches for 73 yards, while Austin Haverstrom also had a career day with four catches for 34 yards. Dejoun Lee finished with a team-high 46 yards on the ground and the one score.
The Blue Hens will head on the road on Saturday, November 13 for a CAA matchup at Richmond. Kickoff against the Spiders is set for 2 p.m. Delaware will return home for the regular-season finale on November 20 when the Blue Hens host Villanova. Tickets for that game can be purchased HERE.
For the latest on the Delaware football program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @DelawareFB and Instagram @DelawareFootball, and like "Delaware Football" on Facebook.
Gallery: (11-6-2021) Football vs. William & Mary
"[I'm] really proud of our coaches, really proud of our team with how they responded and how they fought and how we prepared this week," said Head Coach Danny Rocco. "The defense was dynamite, they were just outstanding … The offense did some really good things. I think Zach [Gwynn] had his best game of the season."
William & Mary (6-3, 4-2 CAA) took a 3-0 lead with a 24-yard field goal on the opening possession. The Blue Hens were forced to punt on their first drive, but Jake Reed punched the ball out on the return, forcing a fumble that Noah Plack recovered at the 12-yard line. Two plays later, Dejoun Lee got around the left end and into the end zone to give UD a 7-3 lead.
The defense came up big again as an 11-yard sack by Dae'Lun Darien and a big fourth-down tackle from Plack gave Delaware the ball back on William & Mary's 34-yard line. On the fourth play of the second quarter, Zach Gwynn dropped a pass into the arms of James Collins for a 25-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 14-3.
After the first drive of the game, the Delaware defense allowed just 37 total yards the rest of the half as the Blue Hens went into the locker room with a 14-3 advantage.
Delaware received the kickoff to start the second half. A 31-yard completion from Gwynn to Collins put the Blue Hens across midfield and set up a 48-yard field goal by Ryan Coe that pushed the lead to 17-3.
Late in the third quarter, the Tribe crossed into Delaware territory for just the third time. On a first-down play, Amonte' Strothers broke into the backfield and batted a pass into the air that came down in the arms of Johnny Buchanan who returned it 24 yards to the William & Mary 36-yard line. Four plays later, Gwynn hit Jourdan Townsend just inside the pylon for an eight-yard touchdown pass. Coe's extra point made it a 24-3 game.
The defense continued its stellar effort, forcing three turnovers on downs in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Buchanan and Liam Trainer led the defense with 12 tackles apiece. The 12 tackles were a career high for Trainer, who also added 2.0 TFL and a pass breakup. Plack chipped in with nine tackles, including multiple key stops on special teams. As a whole, the defense held William & Mary to 228 total yards and just 105 rushing yards. The Tribe had come into the game averaging a CAA-leading 216.9 yards per game on the ground.
Gwynn was an efficient 17-of-21 passing for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Collins led the receivers with career highs of six catches for 73 yards, while Austin Haverstrom also had a career day with four catches for 34 yards. Dejoun Lee finished with a team-high 46 yards on the ground and the one score.
The Blue Hens will head on the road on Saturday, November 13 for a CAA matchup at Richmond. Kickoff against the Spiders is set for 2 p.m. Delaware will return home for the regular-season finale on November 20 when the Blue Hens host Villanova. Tickets for that game can be purchased HERE.
For the latest on the Delaware football program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @DelawareFB and Instagram @DelawareFootball, and like "Delaware Football" on Facebook.
Team Stats
W&M
DEL
Total Yards
228
201
Pass Yards
123
157
Rushing Yards
105
44
Penalty Yards
25
65
1st Downs
14
12
3rd Downs
7
1
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
31:19
27:49
1st Quarter
W&M 3, DEL 0
W&M - Chang, Ethan 24 yd field goal 12 plays, 68 yards, TOP 6:30
W&M 3, DEL 7
DEL - Lee, Dejoun 12 yd run (Coe, Ryan kick), 2 plays, 12 yards, TOP 0:39
2nd Quarter
W&M 3, DEL 14
DEL - Collins, James 25 yd pass from Gwynn, Zach (Coe, Ryan kick) 6 plays, 34 yards, TOP 3:04
3rd Quarter
W&M 3, DEL 17
DEL - Coe, Ryan 48 yd field goal 6 plays, 39 yards, TOP 3:15
4th Quarter
W&M 3, DEL 24
DEL - Townsend, Jour 8 yd pass from Gwynn, Zach (Coe, Ryan kick) 4 plays, 36 yards, TOP 2:08
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
17
TD
2
YDS
157
INT
0
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ FootballQB
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WR
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RB
/ Football
DB
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DB
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WR
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LB
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