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Hens defeat Hofstra 20-19 12:02 p.m., Oct. 18, 2004--The University of Delaware used a stifling defense and key kick returns by Sidney Haugabrook and Rashaad Woodard to edge Hofstra University 20-19 in an Atlantic 10 Football Conference game played Saturday afternoon in breezy J.M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. The Fightin’ Blue Hens, who entered the game ranked third in NCAA Division I-AA, won their fifth straight game to improve to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the Atlantic 10. The Hens are tied for first in the Atlantic 10’s South Division with James Madison University and the College of William and Mary is close behind at 3-0 in the conference. UD will meet William and Mary at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 23, at Delaware Stadium. That kicks off an important three-game stretch, as the Hens will travel to the U.S. Naval Academy on Saturday, Oct. 30, and to James Madison on Saturday, Nov. 6. Against Hofstra, UD trailed 19-7 late in the third quarter after Hofstra’s Chris Onorato hit a 3-yard field goal. However, as he has done so often in his career, Haugabrook ignited a comeback with a 60-yard kick return that gave the Hens the ball on the Hofstra 33-yard line. With the drive in danger of stalling on a third-down play in which the Hens needed to gain 18 yards for a first down, UD quarterback Sonny Riccio found wide receiver David Boler for a 28-yard gain to end the third quarter. Four plays later, UD running back Niquan Lee scored from one yard out to cut the lead to 19-14. UD drove the next time it had the ball but was stopped on the Hofstra seven-yard line when Riccio was intercepted by Prentice James. The Hen defense held and, when Haugabrook was interfered with on the punt, gave UD the ball on the Hofstra 37-yard line with 8:59 to play. An 11-yard completion from Riccio to Justin Long on a third-down play gave UD a first and goal at the seven, and three plays later Riccio hit Joe Bleymaier in the end zone to give the Hens their first lead of the game at the 6:09 mark. UD failed on the two-point conversion attempt, but the defense shut down the Hofstra offense the rest of the way to preserve the victory. The first UD touchdown of the day, also scored by Lee, was set up by Woodard’s 69-yard kick return to the Hofstra 14-yard line. On the day, Woodard had four returns for 128 yards. Riccio finished with 18 completions in 34 attempts for 166 yards. Long and running back Lonnie Starks caught five passes each, and Boler caught three passes, including the 100th of his UD career. Lee had 20 carries for 56 yards and Starks had seven carries for 19 yards. Linebacker Mondoe Davis led the UD defense with a team-high 12 tackles and an interception. Kyle Campbell also picked off a pass. "Our defense definitely kept us in the ballgame today," UD Head Coach K.C. Keeler said. "We have a lot of heart, and the bottom line is that we got the job done. “Hofstra made some mistakes, but we earned this win. We played hard, and when you play hard every snap, good things usually happen,” Keeler said. “We expect every game to be like this the rest of the year. We are equal in talent to almost everybody, but our kids have the belief that they will get the job done in the end.” To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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