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

Blue Hen football team defeats West Chester

UD quarterback Sonny Riccio.

10:35 a.m., Sept. 20, 2004--The University of Delaware defense forced three turnovers and junior quarterback Sonny Riccio threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Fightin’ Blue Hens defeated West Chester University 24-6 on Saturday night at Delaware Stadium.

Riccio, a first-year transfer from the University of Missouri, had his best game in three starts as he hit on 20 of 31 passes for a career-high 217 yards and threw touchdown passes to tight end Justin LaForgia and wide receiver Justin Long. He also ran for a one-yard score.

A sellout crowd of 22,036 attended the game, marking the first time in Delaware Stadium history that three straight home games have drawn 22,000 or more fans.

The victory was the 600th all-time for UD, which became just the eighth NCAA Division I-AA program to reach that mark. The Hens are now 2-1 on the season.

West Chester (2-2) played tough defensively but could not overcome three turnovers and just 222 total yards of offense. Quarterback Bob Findora hit on 16 of 29 passes for 153 yards but was intercepted twice. Brent Steinmetz, who transferred to West Chester from UD last spring, carried for 43 yards to lead the Rams.

UD moved the ball for 431 total yards, including 214 on the ground and 217 through the air. Lonnie Starks ran for 81 yards, Niquan Lee for 68 yards and senior Sean Bleiler for 52 yards. Long caught six passes for 81 yards and notched his 100th career reception.

The UD defense was led by linebacker Mondoe Davis with four tackles, one interception, two pass breakups and one forced fumble.

The game was scoreless until midway through the second quarter when the Hens drove 75 yards on 10 plays and scored when Riccio hit a diving LaForgia in the end zone for a 7-0 lead. UD took a 10-0 advantage into halftime when senior kicker Brad Shushman nailed a career-long 48-yard field goal with 3:30 left before intermission.

The Hens went up 17-0 with 9:40 left in the third quarter when Riccio dove in from one yard out to cap an 80-yard drive. West Chester scored its lone touchdown midway through the fourth quarter when Findora scored on a one-yard leap to cap a 74-yard drive. Riccio completed the night's scoring when he hit Long on a four-yard scoring toss with 4:59 left.

“We were frustrated in the first half but in the second half we had some semblance of an offense," UD Head Coach K.C. Keeler said. "Sonny did a good job of playing within the offense, more so than in the first two games of the season. He made a jump today and showed us some good things. And as long as we play defense like we did today, we have a chance to win in this league (Atlantic 10 Football Conference).”

UD is 1-0 in conference play, having defeated Towson University 21-17. The Hens will return to Atlantic 10 action Saturday, Sept. 25, when they travel to the University of Massachusetts. The Minutemen are 2-1 coming off a 24-14 loss to the University of Richmond on Saturday.

That game will be followed by Homecoming, when the Hens meet the University of Maine at noon, Saturday, Oct. 2, at Delaware Stadium. Maine shocked Mississippi State University of the powerhouse Southeastern Conference, defeating the Bulldogs 9-7 on Saturday.

  E-mail this article

To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here.