close
close
News Update

The Delaware Blue Hens defeated the Maine Black Bears 44-21 in CAA football

Jasper
The Delaware Blue Hens defeated the Maine Black Bears 44-21 in CAA football

play

Maine lived up to its reputation, but Delaware finally proved its supposed superiority today at Delaware Stadium.

The long-time rival Black Bears put the Blue Hens to the test and kept the football game exciting well into the fourth quarter.

But Delaware took charge when it mattered most, scoring a satisfying 44-21 win in front of 15,564 spectators on a warm and sunny fall afternoon.

Zach Marker’s 4-yard TD pass to Jake Thaw with 6:48 left allowed the Hens to take a 30-21 lead and breathe a little easier. When Ty Davis intercepted a Maine pass and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown, the verdict was all but sealed.

“Something we preach, just stay calm,” Davis said. “We know we are good enough to make plays. Just complete all of our eleven tasks and we will get the job done. Every single person on our team is doing their job, we will close teams, which is what we did in the second half.”

Maine, which led 14-13 at halftime, had just 51 yards rushing in the second half.

KT Seay’s interception spoiled Maine’s next series and Quincy Watson’s 3-yard run tied the score with :57 remaining. Delaware was dominated by four takeaways but had no sales of its own.

“If you continue to not fumble and keep the ball in your hands, not throw interceptions, you’re going to put yourself in a position to really be successful,” Delaware coach Ryan Carty said. “I think we have enough firepower on both sides of the ball that when we gain possession as a team we will be hard to stop and hard to beat.”

It was the 38th and likely final meeting between the Blue Hens (6-0 overall, 3-0 CAA) and the Black Bears (3-3, 1-2), with Delaware heading to Conference USA in the Football Bowl next year Subdivision ascends. As in many previous encounters, Maine made sure Delaware knew it had to earn everything it got.

Delaware had a 458-229 yardage margin. Marker was 20 of 31 passing for 279 yards and three touchdowns. Phil Lutz had 5 catches for 133 yards and became the first Blue Hen in history with a TD catch in six straight games.

Blue Hens regain the lead

The lead went back to the Blue Hens, who ultimately retained it. Nate Reed’s 23-yard field goal with 6:37 left in the third quarter gave Delaware a 16-14 lead. It capped an 11-play, 74-yard series, Delaware’s first series of the second half.

The Blue Hens would have preferred to score six points in this series, but they did so in the next. Jo’Nathan Silver’s 40-yard TD jaunt with 1:26 left in the third period and Reed’s PAT made it a 23-14 lead .

RIVALRY FINAL: Maine and Delaware played these football classics

Maine responded with Tavion Banks’ 1-yard TD run with 12:00 left to cut the UD lead to 23-21, but never scored again. Elkton High grad Trevin Ewing’s 60-yard kick return put the Black Bears in position.

It’s Maine’s turn at halftime

Maine closed the first half with a score and took a 14-13 lead into halftime. As time expired, Marcus Yarns was stopped on fourth down on a run up the middle. Delaware failed to score after first-and-goal at the Maine 4.

The Black Bears took a 14-13 lead with 3:11 left after Carter Peevy sent a 19-yard TD pass to Montigo Moss, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss.

“It’s not fun to end the half with that,” center Brock Gingrich said. “If you look to the sideline, all the guys are looking at the O-line. It’s not the best feeling, but I think it brought more juice in the second half.”

Takeaway buoy Blue Hens

Losses of the ball usually decide the outcome, and the Blue Hens benefited from two turnovers in the second third.

After Nic Ware recovered a Maine fumble caused by Nick Karika, Delaware gained possession at the Black Bears’ 15th line. On third-and-goal from the 6th line, Marker passed six yards to Jake Thaw for the touchdown. The extra point was blocked, giving Delaware a 13-7 lead with 11:40 left in the second period.

Maine’s ensuing series was thwarted by Mysonne Pollard’s interception, which gave Delaware possession on its 4th down.

Record-breaking touchdown for Phil Lutz

The day at Delaware Stadium began with a Delaware touchdown and a new school record. Phil Lutz scored a TD on the first series of the game on a short pass from Zach Marker for 56 yards. Nate Reed’s PAT kick made it 7-0.

Lutz, a second-year Blue Hen transfer from Division III Tufts, is the first Delaware player to catch a TD pass in six straight games. Maine then tied the game 7-7 in its second series. Jaharie Martin scored on a 2-yard run, capping an eight-play, 60-yard drive that included a pass interference call on the play before the touchdown.

The marker starts with the QB

Delaware declared quarterback Ryan O’Connor “questionable” before the football game against Maine, and pregame warmups revealed who would play that position for the Blue Hens. Marker, who played most of Delaware’s win over Sacred Heart two weeks ago and the entire game against Monmouth last week, provided initial preparation for the game while O’Connor did not.

O’Connor started Delaware’s first three games. But what Delaware calls an upper-body injury has kept him from playing the past three weeks. Nick Minicucci started against Sacred Heart at Delaware Stadium on September 28, but was sidelined in the first game with a shoulder injury. In stepped Marker, who started three games for Delaware in 2023 but underwent reconstructive knee surgery last fall.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com And Our DE Game Day newsletter.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *