|
 |
|
|
| Villanova edges Hens in wild football finale |
| |
10:55 a.m., Nov. 25, 2002--Senior quarterback Brett Gordon threw for a career-high 460 yards and three touchdowns, including a seven-yard scoring pass to Brian White with 15 seconds left to play, to lift No. 13 Villanova University to a 38-34 Atlantic 10 Conference football victory over the University of Delaware on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 23, at Delaware Stadium.
 Gordon, who completed 39 of 62 passes and went over 300 yards for the fifth time this season and the 11th time in his career, engineered an 11-play, 74-yard drive that resulted in the game-winner and kept the team's NCAA Division I-AA playoffs hopes alive.
The Wildcats, expecting to be considered for a tournament at-large berth due to its strength of schedule, improved to 9-3 overall (6-3 Atlantic 10) and defeated the Blue Hens for the fifth time in the last six meetings. In three career games against Delaware, Gordon has thrown for 1,195 yards and eight touchdowns.
Delaware, which trailed throughout the game until senior running back Keith Burnell scored on an 11-yard touchdown run with 13:55 remaining for a 34-31 lead, ended the first season under head coach K.C. Keeler at 6-6 (4-5 Atlantic 10).
The two rival schools, located just 45 minutes apart, played for the 37th time with Villanova now owning a slight 18-17-1 advantage. Of the last 18 meetings, 14 have been decided by 10 points or less with eight coming by five points or less.
The Blue Hens got a big effort from sophomore quarterback Mike Connor, who was seeing his first action of the season after starter Andy Hall was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff earlier in the week. Connor, who played in four games as a true freshman in 2001 but was expecting to redshirt this fall until Hall's injury, connected on 10 of 15 passes for 216 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 52 yards and two more scores.
For Villanova, Martin Gibson rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns while White caught 11 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns and Cameron Cross caught 11 passes for 121 yards and another score.
Delaware appeared to have the game in hand when defensive tackle Chris Mooney recovered a fumble by Gordon at the Villanova 19-yard line with 3:22 left to play. But the Blue Hens could not manage a first down and Scott Collins missed on a 42-yard field goal.
The Wildcats got the ball back and rolled 74 yards down the field for the winning score. Gordon missed on his first two pass attempts before reeling off seven completions, the last to White for the game-winner.
Villanova took a 21-14 lead into halftime as Gibson scored on two touchdown runs and Gordon hit White on a 27-yard scoring pass. Connor kept the Hens in the game with scoring runs of 30 and 15 yards.
The Wildcats upped the lead to 28-14 on a 12-yard scoring pass from Gordon to Cross three minutes into the second half, but the Hens rallied to cut the lead to 28-26 as Connor hit David Boler (3 catches for 114 yards) on a 68-yard scoring play, forced a safety when Gordon was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, and Collins connected on a 36-yard field goal with 8:15 left in the third quarter.
Adam James connected on a 31-yard field goal with 3:53 left in the third quarter to build the Villanova lead to 31-26, but the Hens came back to gain their only lead of the game when Burnell (19 carries for 107 yards) capped a 73-yard drive with an 11-yard scamper one minute into the final stanza and Connor hit Brian Ingram for the two-point conversion.
The teams combined for 965 total yards and 19 penalties for 198 yards. Villanova had 538 yards of total offense while the Blue Hens picked up 427 yards, including 211 yards on the ground against the top-ranked defense in the Atlantic 10.
Ricardo Walker led the Blue Hens with 15 tackles while Sidney Haugabrook added 10 stops and knocked away three passes.
|
|
