NEWARK, DE -- The University of Delaware came up short in an Atlantic 10 Football Conference aerial battle Saturday afternoon as Towson sophomore quarterback Sean Schaefer threw for 435 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 49-35 upset victory over the No. 25 ranked Blue Hens at wind swept Delaware Stadium.

Despite the gusty winds, Schaefer and Delaware’s Joe Flacco had few problems moving through the defenses. The teams combined for 84 points and 1,018 total yards, including 776 yards through the air.

Towson (6-2, 3-2 A-10), which scored touchdown on its first four possession of the second half and on 7 of its first 10 for the game, remained in contention for post-season action as the Tigers exploded for a season-high 627 total yards, the third highest total ever against Delaware and the second highest amount against UD in the 54-year history of Delaware Stadium.

Schaefer, who has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in all 18 career games, completed 27 of 37 passes for 435 yards and matched his career-high with the five touchdown passes, including three to wide receiver Eric Yancey. Towson, a third-year member of the league, downed the Hens for the second straight season as they posted their highest point total since a 50-19 win over Lock Haven in 2003.

The 435 yards was the fourth highest total ever against a Delaware defense. Yancey caught nine passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns while Demetrius Harrison had six catches for 128 yards and two scores. Nick Williams added 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

“We threw everything at them,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler. “It’s difficult to match a team that is playing that well offensively. We just couldn’t generate a pass rush against a team with a tremendous quarterback and great skill players. We couldn’t afford to let them throw the ball around but we did. We made some mistakes we hadn’t made the last two weeks and that was frustrating. You just can’t ask your offense to score every time they get the ball but that’s what we had to do.”

Delaware (4-4, 2-3 A-10), which had a two-game win streak snapped, lost for the second time in five home games this season despite a big offensive effort themselves. The Hens piled up 454 total yards of offense, the second highest total this season, as Flacco hit on 32 of a school record 51 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns - all career highs. His passing yardage was the 10th highest mark in school history. Aaron Love (at right) caught 12 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown and Ben Patrick caught seven balls for 74 yards and a score.

“No doubt this is our biggest road win in conference play since joining the league and it keeps our playoff hopes alive,” said Towson head coach Gordy Combs, whose team downed Delaware for the second straight year. “Sean is unbelievable, our offensive line does a good job, and we have great receivers. I don’t care about all the yards we got today, the bottom line is we got the win.”

The shootout started early and never stopped. The teams played to a 21-21 halftime tie as the Hens rallied back from a 14-0 deficit to score 21 second quarter points. Schaefer threw scoring tosses of 22 yards to Harrison and 34 yards to Yancey in the first 16 minutes to give Towson the lead before the Hens got on the board on Jared Bradley’s 38-yard touchdown run with 12:50 left in the half. Bradley was playing place of All-American running back Omar Cuff, who missed his third game in the last four weeks due to an ankle injury.

The Tigers came right back to go up 21-7 on an 18-yard scoring run by Williams, but the Hens scored twice in the final two minutes of the half to tie the game at 21-21 going into intermission. Flacco hit a leaping Robbie Agnone in the end zone for a 13-yard scoring pass with 1:32 left and Love tied the score when he took a 12-yard pass from Flacco, bobbled the ball, but held on going into the end zone.

Towson took control in the third quarter as the Tigers got Schaefer scoring passes of seven yards to Yancey and 48 yards to Harrison to take the lead for good and go into the final stanza up 35-21. Delaware stayed close as Flacco sandwiched scoring throws of 23 yards to Agnone and eight yards to Ben Patrick around yet another Schaefer to Yancey scoring pass.

Patrick’s touchdown catch cut the lead to 42-35 with 7:28 remaining, but the Tigers clinched the win when running back Rasheed McClaude scored from 12 yards out to cap a 73-yard drive with 2:35 remaining.

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