University of Delaware Athletics

Photo by: Mikey Reeves
Second-Half Surge Leads Football to 44-21 Win Over Maine
10/12/2024 3:42:00 PM | Football
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware football team outscored the University of Maine 31-7 in the second half on its way to a 44-21 victory on Saturday afternoon at Delaware Stadium. With the win, the Blue Hens improve to 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in CAA play, while the Black Bears fall to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in conference action.
HENS HIGHLIGHTS
- Zach Marker finished 20-of-31 passing for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
- Phil Lutz caught five passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. It was his third 100-yard game of the season.
- Jake Thaw also caught five passes and added a pair of scores.
- Quincy Watson led the rushing attack with 66 yards on 12 carries and his fourth touchdown of the season.
- The Blue Hens finished with 458 yards of total offense, including 179 yards on the ground.
- The defense forced four turnovers on the day, including three interceptions, and held Maine to 229 yards of total offense and 51 in the second half.
- Gavin Moul led the Hens with six tackles and Ty Davis returned an interception for a touchdown to help seal the win in the fourth quarter.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- On the opening possession, Marker passed short to Lutz who beat his defender and raced for a 56-yard touchdown to give UD the quick lead.
- Late in the first quarter, Maine evened the score on a one-yard touchdown run.
- On Maine's next drive, Nick Karika stripped the running back of the ball, and Nic Ware recovered deep in Maine territory. Five plays later, Marker found Thaw for a six-yard score to give the Hens a 13-7 lead.
- Maine connected on a 19-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-13 lead at halftime.
- The Blue Hens marched down the field on 11 plays on their first drive of the second half and a Nate Reed 23-yard field goal retook the lead.
- Jo'Nathan Silver capped off an 80-yard drive with a 40-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to extend UD's lead to 23-14.
- Maine scored early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 23-21, but the Blue Hens answered right back with another long drive that ended with Marker finding Thaw for a four-yard touchdown.
- Davis picked off a pass and ran it back 34 yards untouched for the score to make it a 37-21 game.
- KT Seay came away with his third interception of the season on Maine's next play to set up a Watson three-yard score in the final minute to provide the final 44-21 score.
GAME NOTES
- Lutz' touchdown catch on the opening drive was his eighth of the season and set a Delaware record as he became the first Blue Hen to have a touchdown reception in six-consecutive games.
- Marker has now thrown three touchdown passes in each of the past three games.
- Davis' pick-six was his second interception return for a touchdown in his career, and the first for the Blue Hens this season. It was their second defensive touchdown in 2024.
UP NEXT
The Blue Hens will head back out on the road for a CAA matchup at Richmond next weekend. Kickoff on Saturday, October 19 is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on FloFootball.
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