UD Home | UDaily | UDaily-Alumni | UDaily-Parents

UDaily is produced by the Office of Public Relations
The Academy Building
105 East Main St.
Newark, DE 19716-2701
(302) 831-2791

Cuff, Jones top 100 in victory over WCU

UD’s Omar Cuff ran for more than 100 yards and scored two touchdowns in the victory over West Chester.

12:33 p.m., Sept. 19, 2005--Two University of Delaware running backs, sophomore sensation Omar Cuff and freshman Danny Jones, ran for more than 100 yards each as the Fightin’ Blue Hens handled West Chester University 42-21 on Saturday night on Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium.

Cuff, who is among the leading scorers in NCAA Division I-AA, had 18 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and Jones had 21 carries for 121 yards.

“To have two runners go over 100 yards, that’s a great thing for us,” UD Head Coach K.C. Keeler said. “Danny and Omar give us an outstanding one-two combination, and we need that for a long season ahead. We are happy to get the win tonight, but we have a long way to go and we have to get a lot better to have a chance in our league [Atlantic 10].”

Overall, UD piled up 452 total yards, including 267 on the ground. The figures were impressive, particularly because the offensive line was without starters Rob Bergman and Mike Byrne. Bergman injured his knee in practice and will be out at least three weeks, while Byrne was held out with a hamstring injury.

With the victory, the No. 6 Hens improved to 2-0. They will remain at home for a game against the College of the Holy Cross at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24. Holy Cross is 2-1 following a 31-21 loss to Harvard University on Saturday. The Crusaders have a 56-21 victory over Sacred Heart and a 48-6 victory over Georgetown.

The victory over West Chester, which saw the Hens jump out to a 35-7 lead by the end of the third quarter, came on a number of big plays. Cuff had a long run of 36 yards and Jones of 29 yards, while defensive back Rashaad Woodard returned an interception 78 yards, punt returner Aaron Love had a run of 49 yards, kick returner Kervin Michaud took one back 42 yards and wide receiver Armand Cauthen caught a 51-yard pass from quarterback Sonny Riccio.

On the night, Riccio completed 12 of 24 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown, and junior backup quarterback Ryan Carty completed one of two passes for nine yards. Riccio passed the 3,000-yard mark for his career at UD.

Defensively, defensive back Roger Brown led the Blue Hens with 11 tackles while linebackers John Mulhern and Erik Johnson each added nine stops. The Hens recorded four sacks, including two by All-American defensive tackle Tom Parks.

  E-mail this article

To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here.