Complete Effort Pushes Blue Hens Past Hampton, 35-3

Saturday, September 24

Newark, Del.

6:00 PM

University of Delaware

4-0 , 2-0

Hampton

3-1 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Hampton

Delaware

Photo by: Mikey Reeves

9/24/2022 9:30:00 PM | Football

Box Score Postgame Press Conference Photo Gallery

NEWARK, Del. – In a dominant effort on both sides of the ball, the No. 8 University of Delaware football team took care of business against CAA-newcomer Hampton, 35-3, in front of 16,035 fans at Delaware Stadium. With the victory, the Blue Hens improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the CAA.

Nolan Henderson set career highs for the second-consecutive game, completing 30 passes for five touchdowns. He finished with 296 passing yards and connected with 12 different receivers, marking the third-straight game that Henderson has completed passes to 10 or more receivers.

Thyrick Pitts led the receiving corps with seven catches for 61 yards and three touchdowns. The Blue Hens also finished with 140 rushing yards and had four players run for at least 20 yards.

Liam Trainer and Johnny Buchanan led the Blue Hens with six tackles apiece, while Amonte' Strothers and Steven Rose Jr. each had an interception. The UD defense held its third opponent in four games under 10 points and allowed Hampton to record just eight first downs in the game while going 0-for-12 on third down conversions.

On Delaware's first drive of the game, Henderson completed five passes for 57 yards as he drove Delaware 71 yards on 10 plays. A 15-yard touchdown pass to Pitts capped the drive and gave Delaware a 7-0 lead just 5:23 into the game.

Meanwhile, the defense looked its stellar self from the beginning as the Blue Hens did not allow a first down the entire first quarter and allowed just 18 total yards in the first 15 minutes.

With less than two minutes left in the opening frame, Strothers intercepted a pass down the left sideline to set up the offense at the 34-yard line. Five plays later, Henderson found Pitts again in the end zone for an eight-yard score that doubled the UD advantage to 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The score remained the same at halftime as neither team could put points on the board in the second quarter. Delaware's defense continued to dominate as the Pirates only managed one first down and 48 total yards in the opening 30 minutes.

The Blue Hens received the second-half kickoff and drove 70 yards down the field in four plays to score its first touchdown of the second half. Henderson found a wide-open Jourdan Townsend for a 36-yard touchdown.

After Hampton missed a 42-yard field goal on the next drive, Delaware responded with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Henderson to Pitts to make it 28-0 in favor of the Blue Hens.

A turnover gave the Pirates a short field, but the Delaware defense was again up to the task, coming up with a goal-line stand that forced a 20-yard field goal for Hampton's lone score of the game.

Henderson completed the scoring with a short, three-yard pass to Marcus Yarns who dove inside the pylon to make it 35-3 midway through the fourth quarter.

Notes
Henderson has now had four or more touchdown passes in consecutive games, becoming the first Delaware quarterback to accomplish that feat … Pitts' three touchdown receptions were the most in a game by a Blue Hen since Michael Johnson had three against Wagner in 2013 … Pitts' first touchdown catch in the first quarter gave him 25 receiving yards on the day and put him over the 2,000-yard mark for his career, making him the ninth player in program history to surpass the milestone ... The Blue Hens have now scored at least 35 points in three-consecutive games for the first time since the 2007 season.

With that touchdown catch @t_pitts1 becomes the ninth player in Delaware history to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards. pic.twitter.com/6i6veP0mU8
— Delaware Football (@Delaware_FB) September 24, 2022

Up Next
The Blue Hens will remain home on Saturday, October 1 when the team welcomes longtime CAA rival Towson to Delaware Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The game is part of Delaware's Parents and Family Weekend and the game is officially sold out.

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.