University of Delaware Athletics

Late Score Leads Football to Exciting Comeback 29-22 Win Over Penn
9/21/2024 8:53:00 PM | Football
HENS HIGHLIGHTS
- Ryan O'Connor completed 25 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns.
- Phil Lutz finished with seven catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
- Jake Thaw set career-highs with nine catches for 72 yards and caught his first touchdown reception.
- Jo'Nathan Silver led the ground game with 56 yards rushing and a touchdown.
- Gavin Moul led the defense with a career-high 14 tackles and one TFL.
- KT Seay finished with seven tackles and had his second interception of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Penn opened the scoring with a touchdown on its first drive, but Dillon Trainer blocked the PAT attempt to keep it a 6-0 game.
- After a field goal made it 9-0 in the second quarter, O'Connor connected with Lutz on a 4th-and-8 play for a 41-yard touchdown.
- Penn added a score just before halftime to make it a 16-6 game at the break.
- O'Connor and Lutz again connected on the first drive of the third quarter, this time for a 39-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 16-12.
- A Nate Reed 35-yard field goal made it a one-point game after three quarters.
- Just five plays into the fourth quarter, O'Connor hit Thaw for an eight-yard touchdown to give UD its first lead of the game at 21-16.
- The Quakers scored midway through the frame to retake the lead, but Delaware stuffed the 2-point conversion.
- With just 1:44 left, Silver found the end zone from 13 yards out and O'Connor found Thaw for the 2-point conversion to give UD a 29-22 advantage.
- Penn drove into the red zone, but Ty Davis intercepted a pass to seal the victory.
GAME NOTES
- Lutz has now caught touchdown passes in three-consecutive games.
- Saturday was the 20th career victory for head coach Ryan Carty as he comes the fastest UD head coach to reach 20 wins (29 games) since K.C. Keeler reached the mark in his 27th game.
UP NEXT
The Blue Hens will be back at Delaware Stadium next weekend for a nonconference matchup against Sacred Heart. Kickoff on Saturday, September 28 is set for 3:30 p.m. The game is part of Delaware's Parents & Family Weekend.
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Team Stats

PEN 6, DEL 0
PEN - Richardson,Jared 18 yd pass from Sayin,Aidan () 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:56

PEN 9, DEL 0
PEN - Smith,Sam 30 yd field goal 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:44

PEN 9, DEL 6
DEL - Lutz,Phil 41 yd pass from O'Connor,Ryan () 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 03:01

PEN 16, DEL 6
PEN - Owens,Bisi 9 yd pass from Sayin,Aidan (Smith,Sam kick) 6 plays, 91 yards, TOP 01:49

PEN 16, DEL 12
DEL - Lutz,Phil 39 yd pass from O'Connor,Ryan () 5 plays, 50 yards, TOP 01:50

PEN 16, DEL 15
DEL - Reed,Nate 35 yd field goal 9 plays, 44 yards, TOP 02:52

PEN 16, DEL 21
DEL - Thaw,Jake 8 yd pass from O'Connor,Ryan () 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 03:35

PEN 22, DEL 21
PEN - Sayin,Aidan 1 yd run (), 8 plays, 38 yards, TOP 04:31

PEN 22, DEL 29
DEL - Silver,Jo'Nathan 13 yd run (Thaw,Jake pass), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:18