University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
3-0 , 1-0
Rhode Island
2-1 , 1-1
Blue Hens Take Down Rhode Island in Top-25 Showdown
9/17/2022 5:50:00 PM | Football
KINGSTON, R.I. – In a matchup of two top-25 programs, the No. 9/10 University of Delaware football team used 610 total yards of offense to open CAA play with a decisive 42-21 victory over No. 17/14 Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon at URI's Meade Stadium. With the win, the Blue Hens improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Nolan Henderson set career highs with 29 completions for 379 yards and four touchdowns. He spread the ball around with 11 different receivers, including finding Jourdan Townsend for a pair of scores. Townsend led all receivers with a career day with seven catches for 109 yards. Brett Buckman also caught six passes for 76 yards. Kyron Cumby led the running game with 77 yards on eight carries and one touchdown.
As a team, the Blue Hens had 231 rushing yards and 379 yards through the air to account for the most total yards in a single game since August 29, 2013 against Jacksonville (611).
The Delaware offense was nearly unstoppable from the beginning. On the second possession of the game, Henderson completed an 86-yard drive as he found Braden Brose over the middle for a 21-yard touchdown to give the Blue Hens a 7-0 lead with 6:34 on the clock.
On the next drive, pinned down at the 1-yard line, the Blue Hens five-straight runs to get out of danger. On the first play of the second quarter, Henderson picked up a loose ball off a snap and scrambled to his right. He heaved up a ball that Townsend caught in traffic and broke free for a 65-yard score.
After Kedrick Whitehead intercepted a pass in the end zone to keep the Rams off the board, Delaware drove 80 yards on nine plays, highlighted by a 16-yard pass to Buckman and a 37-yard reception on a diving catch by Chandler Harvin. Anthony Paoletti capped the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run out of a wildcat formation to make it a 21-0 game.
Following a three-and-out by the UD defense, Quincy Watson got the next Blue Hen possession started with a 24-yard run. After a 16-yard completion to Townsend got the ball into the red zone, Henderson found Thyrick Pitts for the eight-yard touchdown to make it 28-0 with less than two minutes to play in the half.
Rhode Island got on the board with a 65-yard touchdown run to make it a 28-7 game, but Henderson again led the Blue Hens right down the field. Three-straight completions to Pitts accounted for 47 yards before Cumby scampered up the middle for 24 yards. With just 16 seconds left before halftime, Henderson found Townsend again in the end zone to make it a 35-7 score at the break
The second half was a defensive stalemate for much of the time as neither team could muster much on offense. URI scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 35-14, but Cumby answered with a nine-yard scoring run around the left end in the fourth quarter to finish off a 10-play, 98-yard drive and extend the lead to 42-14.
The Rams scored a late touchdown, but Buckman recovered the onside kick and Delaware took a knee to finish the game.
Notes
Henderson's 315 passing yards in the first half were the most in a half since Matt Nagy in 1998 … The 35 points in the first half were the most by a Delaware team in any half since 2013 … The 379 total passing yards are the seventh-most in program history and the most in a game since Pat Devlin in 2009.
Up Next
Delaware will return to Newark next weekend for the first of two-consecutive home conference games. The Blue Hens will host CAA-newcomer Hampton on September 24 before welcoming Towson to Delaware Stadium on October 1. Single-game tickets, as well as partial plans and individual game parking, for all five of Delaware's remaining home games are currently on sale.
Individual Game Tickets | Partial Plans I Football Ticket Information
For the latest on the Delaware football program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @DelawareFB and Instagram @DelawareFootball, and like "Delaware Football" on Facebook. Follow Ryan Carty on Twitter @RyanCarty10.
Team Stats
DEL 7, URI 0
DEL - Brose,Braden 21 yd pass from Henderson,Nolan (Bennion,Garrett kick) 7 plays, 86 yards, TOP 02:29
DEL 14, URI 0
DEL - Townsend,Jourdan 65 yd pass from Henderson,Nolan (Bennion,Garrett kick) 8 plays, 99 yards, TOP 03:41
DEL 21, URI 0
DEL - Paoletti,Anthony 9 yd run (Bennion,Garrett kick), 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 05:04
DEL 28, URI 0
DEL - Pitts,Thyrick 8 yd pass from Henderson,Nolan (Bennion,Garrett kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:53
DEL 28, URI 7
URI - Sloat,Gabe 65 yd run (Leonard,Harrison kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:35
DEL 35, URI 7
DEL - Townsend,Jourdan 4 yd pass from Henderson,Nolan (Bennion,Garrett kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:03
DEL 35, URI 14
URI - Summers,Kahtero 19 yd pass from Hill,Kasim (Leonard,Harrison kick) 4 plays, 33 yards, TOP 01:47
DEL 42, URI 14
DEL - Cumby,Kyron 9 yd run (Bennion,Garrett kick), 10 plays, 98 yards, TOP 04:27
DEL 42, URI 21
URI - Summers,Kahtero 20 yd pass from Hill,Kasim (Leonard,Harrison kick) 5 plays, 52 yards, TOP 00:43
