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Cuff scores five TDs as Hens edge Lehigh

Omar Cuff set a UD record with five touchdowns in the overtime victory over Lehigh.

11:32 a.m., Sept. 12, 2005--Mounting a furious fourth-quarter rally, the University of Delaware football team edged Lehigh University 34-33 in overtime on Saturday night before 22,537 enthusiastic fans at Tubby Raymond Field in Delaware Stadium.

The Fightin’ Blue Hens trailed 27-13 with just 9:34 left to play in regulation before storming back. UD secured the win when Lehigh missed its extra point try after scoring a touchdown in overtime.

UD sophomore running back Omar Cuff set a school record with five touchdowns, including a three-yard run with 20 seconds left to send the game into overtime and a 16-yard catch and run in overtime. Cuff finished with 23 carries for 101 yards and four catches for 53 yards.

The Hens will return to Delaware Stadium to face West Chester University at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17. The Golden Rams are led by head coach Bill Zwaan, a former Hen quarterback, and are 2-1 after a 30-20 victory over Indiana University of Pennsylvania in which junior tailback Osagie Osunde ran for 182 yards.

In the victory over Lehigh, UD got off to a sluggish start, falling behind 10-0 early and trailing 10-6 at the half. Lehigh continued to dominate into the fourth quarter, building a seemingly insurmountable 27-13 lead.

However, that is when UD Head Coach K.C. Keeler’s team came to life. The offense, which had been sputtering badly through much of the game, suddenly caught fire, and senior quarterback Sonny Riccio led two scoring drives, both capped by Cuff touchdowns, to tie the game and send it into overtime.

The Hens had the first possession in overtime, and Cuff scored when Riccio scrambled and found him on a broken play. Freshman kicker Zach Hobby drilled the extra point and the Hens led for the first time, 34-27.

Lehigh came back to score on a one-yard plunge by Eric Rath, but the extra point went wide, setting off a celebration among the UD fans.

Both UD and Lehigh have been among the nation’s top NCAA Division I-AA programs over the last few years, with the Hens capturing the 2003 national championship and advancing to the 2004 quarterfinals, and perennial Patriot League power Lehigh advancing to the playoffs and falling by just one point to eventual champion James Madison University last season.

UD entered the game ranked No. 10 and Lehigh No. 14 in the Sports Network poll.

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