6:08 p.m., Dec. 1, 2007--The University of Delaware defeated the No. 1-ranked and previously unbeaten University of Northern Iowa 39-27 Saturday in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in the second round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The Fightin' Blue Hens advance to the national semifinals, where they will face Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill. The game will be played at 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8, and will be televised on ESPN. The winner will earn a trip to the championship game to be played Dec. 14 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
In the victory over Northern Iowa, UD senior quarterback Joe Flacco completed 25 of 45 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for one touchdown, the final score of the game. Senior running back Omar Cuff had 28 carries for 102 yards and a score and also had seven catches. Wide receiver Mark Duncan had eight catches for 112 yards and a score.
As the game opened in the UNI-Dome, Northern Iowa stopped the Hens then scored on its first drive, with Corey Lewis finding the end zone on a weaving 25-yard run. They extended the lead to 10-0 before the Hens got things rolling and cut the lead to 10-6 early in the second quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Duncan. The extra point attempt was blocked.
The Hens continued to roll in the second quarter, taking a 12-10 lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Robbie Agnone and extending the lead to 19-10 when linebacker Eric Johnson ran back a fumble 55 yards for a score with just over three minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Northern Iowa then mounted a drive that showed promise but the UD defense stiffened and allowed just a field goal to make the score 19-13 at the half.
Northern Iowa picked up where it left off to open the second half, taking the kickoff and marching into the Delaware end zone on a touchdown by Lewis to regain the lead 20-19. The Hens answered with a drive that resulted in a 47-yard field goal by Jon Striesfky to go up 22-20.
Northern Iowa struck back with just over five minutes left to play, when Austin Howard caught a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eric Sanders. That cut the UD lead to 32-27.
However, the Hens mounted another long drive, this one capped by a one-yard touchdown plunge by Flacco, for the win.
Delaware advanced to face Northern Iowa following a lopsided 44-7 victory over Delaware State University in the opening round of the playoffs while Northern Iowa reached the second round with a 38-35 victory over the University of New Hampshire, which defeated the Hens 35-30 earlier this year in a Colonial Athletic Association game.
For more information on UD athletics, see [www.udel.edu/sportsinfo].
Photos by Randy Darst, University of Northern Iowa