Delawaree Football: Season in reveiw

After winning the NCAA Division I-AA championship in 2003 and reaching the playoff quarterfinals in 2004, a very young University of Delaware football team took the field in 2005 with hopes of winning a third consecutive Atlantic 10 Conference championship.

Head Coach K.C. Keeler’s Fightin’ Blue Hens got off to a strong start, although not one for the faint of heart, with a 34-33 overtime victory over Patriot League power Lehigh University on Tubby Raymond Field in Delaware Stadium.

Before a full house and a large complement of student supporters, the Hens fell behind 27-13 before rallying in the final minutes to tie the game and send it into overtime. UD won when senior quarterback Sonny Riccio, scrambling to make the most of a broken play, found running back Omar Cuff for a 16-yard touchdown and freshman kicker Zach Hobby made the extra point.

The Mountain Hawks also found the end zone but the extra point try failed, leaving a happy throng of UD supporters to celebrate.

Cuff, a revelation midway through the 2004 season when he was switched from defensive back to running back, had 23 carries for 101 yards and scored five touchdowns. Cuff continued to be the story in a 42-21 victory over West Chester University, when he carried 18 times for 116 yards and scored two touchdowns, and in a 35-23 victory over the College of the Holy Cross, when he carried 26 times for 177 yards and scored three touchdowns.

However, injuries and inexperience began taking a toll and the Hens dropped three consecutive Atlantic 10 games, falling 35-31 at Towson University, 10-6 against Hofstra University in a driving rainstorm at Delaware Stadium and 20-10 at the University of Richmond. The Richmond game was moved to Virginia because of damage to the Delaware Stadium turf as a result of heavy downpours that soaked the region.

Against Towson, the Hens trailed early but came back to take a 31-28 lead with just over one minute to play on a rushing touchdown by Riccio. However, Towson came back quickly with a touchdown of its own to earn its first conference victory since joining the Atlantic 10. Cuff had 26 carries for 127 yards.

The Hofstra game was a soggy and unhappy Homecoming for UD, as Cuff was held to just 35 yards. The back was held in check again by Richmond, gaining just 59 yards as the Hens dropped their third straight conference game.

UD rebounded with an impressive 34-28 home victory over defending national champion James Madison University, as Cuff rushed for 236 yards and scored four touchdowns.

However, they then stumbled 25-15 at the University of Maine and upon returning to Newark were crushed 35-7 by the University of Massachusetts. UD running back Danny Jones, filling in for an injured Cuff, ran for 108 yards against Maine.

Cuff managed 95 yards against Massachusetts but not much went right for the Hens, with Riccio throwing three interceptions including one for a touchdown to make it 21-0 late in the second quarter.

Seemingly headed to a rare losing season, the Hens then bounced back with consecutive road wins at the College of William & Mary and Villanova University to close the regular season at 6-5 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic 10.

UD defeated William & Mary 22-21 as Cuff ran 28 times to 101 yards and caught five passes for 29 yards. Riccio finished with 17 completions in 29 attempts for 179 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner on a strike to wide receive Aaron Love with just over four minutes left to play.

In the season finale, the Hens crushed archrival Villanova 38-13 as Riccio ran for 90 yards and four touchdowns, tying the school record for rushing touchdowns in a game set by Bill Vergantino in the early 1990s. Cuff ran for 125 yards, giving him 1,205 for the season, which is eighth best all-time on the single season rushing list.

UD entered the 2005 season after a difficult ending to 2004, when they went 9-4 but fell 44-38 to the host College of William & Mary in the playoff quarterfinals after jumping out to a three-touchdown lead. The Hens defeated Lafayette College, the Patriot League champion, 28-14 in the first round of the tournament.

In 2004, UD went 7-1 in the Atlantic 10, losing only to James Madison University, the eventual national champion.