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9:26 p.m., Dec. 8, 2007--The University of Delaware football team defeated host Southern Illinois University 20-17 in a NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision semifinal game played Saturday afternoon at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.

The Fightin' Blue Hens advance to the national championship game, to be played Friday, Dec. 14, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn. They will face two-time defending champion Appalachian State University, which advanced with a convincing 55-35 victory over the University of Richmond. Early in the season, Appalachian State shocked the football world with a 34-32 victory over the University of Michigan. Kickoff will be at 8 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

The Office of Alumni Relations is planning a pregame celebration in Chattanooga on Dec. 14, at a location within walking distance of Finley Stadium. When finalized, event details will be available at [www.udel.edu/alumni/events/alumevent.html#big_game].

As was the case in the quarterfinals, UD fell behind 10-0 to open the game against Southern Illinois. The Salukis got a 42-yard field goal by Kyle Dougherty, and a 1-yard touchdown run by John Randle as their offense dominated the first quarter and their defense throttled the Hens.

UD got its offense untracked in the second quarter, with senior quarterback Joe Flacco finding Robbie Agnone for a 8-yard touchdown to cut the margin to 10-7. The drive featured key catches by Aaron Love and Josh Baker, and pounding runs by senior back Omar Cuff.

Both teams mounted drives late in the second quarter but neither came away with points, leaving the score 10-7 at the half.

In the third quarter, Delaware struck first, capping a 87-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Kervin Michaud to make the score 14-10 Hens.

Early in the fourth quarter, UD extended the lead to 17-10 on a 47-yard field goal by Jon Striefsky. Those points followed a botched play on one field goal try and a miss on another by Southern Illinois. However, the Salukis responded to the UD score immediately, with Craig Turner running back a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to tie the game 17-17.

Flacco led the Hens back into field goal range on their next drive, with Striefsky hitting a 24-yarder for a 20-17 lead. That field goal proved to be the game winner.

However, there were some tense moments as Southern Illinois drove deep into Delaware territory before the Hen defense came up with a big stop on fourth down. The subsequent UD drive bogged down and Southern Illinois got the ball back one last time with just over two minutes to play. But the Salukis turned the ball over, with Delaware's Anthony Walters getting the interception. The Hens then ran out the clock for the win.

Flacco finished with 21 completions on 38 attempts for 243 yards and Cuff ran 21 times for 102 yards. Agnone had four catches for 72 yards, with a long of 44, and Cuff caught four balls for 67 yards, with a long of 42.

The Hens are now 11-3. They advanced to the national semifinals with a 44-7 victory over Delaware State University in the opening round and a 39-27 victory over top-ranked and previously unbeaten Northern Iowa University last week.

Southern Illinois advanced with a 30-11 victory over Eastern Illinois University in the opening round of the playoffs and a 34-27 victory over the University of Massachusetts, the Colonial Athletic Association co-champion, in the quarterfinals.

Article by Neil Thomas
Photos by Paul Newton of The Southern Illinoisan