After loss at William & Mary, uphill climb for Delaware in tough CAA

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The bad omens came before the touchdowns for Delaware on Saturday at Zable Stadium.

The Blue Hens were able to alter what appeared to be their destiny and put themselves in position to win their stiffest 2022 football test.

Delaware wasn’t as overmatched as it seemed it might initially be against the Tribe. But William & Mary was a handful and mistakes ended up contributing to the Hens’ first loss, a 27-21 defeat in which three fourth-quarter possessions couldn’t get Delaware the points it needed.

Five takeaways from Saturday’s game between FCS Top 25 teams.

Halfway there

The loss sends the No. 6-ranked Blue Hens (5-1 overall, 3-1 CAA) into their open-date week with plenty of self-scout observations and adjustments to make to set them up for the treacherous path that looms after their next game, an Oct. 22 nonconference date with Morgan State on Homecoming Day.

Then come Elon on the road, Monmouth and Richmond at home and Villanova away, each as potentially challenging as Saturday’s bout and games in which the Hens may have to be better than they were here.

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The Blue Hens were two different teams in each half Saturday, gaining just 75 yards in the first half, when it appeared they could get blown out, and 256 in the second half, when they put themselves in position to win.

And as good as Delaware’s defense has been, it allowed 423 yards Saturday, well above its 309.4 per game, while going against a more physical foe.

Ground up

William & Mary entered the game as the Colonial Athletic Association’s No. 1 rushing team averaging 241 yards per game. The Tribe got 266 against the Blue Hens, including Bronson Yoder’s 114 on 20 carries and Donavyn Lester’s 77 on 17 runs.

Tough, persistent play up front keyed the Tribe’s success, which was particularly evident on the 12-play, 91-yard drive for the touchdown that made it 17-7 just before halftime. The first 11 plays were an incomplete pass and 10 runs, six of which were for 7 yards or longer.

COLONIAL RULE:Delaware football games at Wm. & Mary fraught with danger

William & Mary then used some clever deception, pitching to running back Malachi Ihoh on what appeared to be another running play before he threw 13 yards for the touchdown to tight end Lachlan Pitts.

Mistakes matter

Delaware’s lone first-half touchdown, Kyron Cumby’s 38-yard run, was set up by Drew Nickles’ interception. That was the Tribe’s only turnover and came after Delaware’s first four series had been three-and-out and gained two total yards.

Both of Delaware’s giveaways were decisively detrimental. Zane Lewis’ fumbled punt return gave William & Mary possession at the UD 23 early in the third quarter and, five plays later, Darius Wilson scored from the 1 as the Tribe took command 24-7.

But Delaware pulled within 24-21 on Nolan Henderson’s short touchdown passes to Jourdan Townsend and Chandler Harvin and had momentum as it marched downfield again on its next series.

However, on third-and-6 at the William & Mary 9 with Henderson in the shotgun, the snap was short and William & Mary recovered the loose ball. Five plays earlier, Marcus Yarns had zipped 33 yards for a touchdown only to have an offensive face-mask penalty erase it.

Two-point conversion drama

Delaware coach Ryan Carty had an angry and animated discussion with officials after Delaware lined up to go for two following the touchdown that made it 24-16.

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They set up in the swinging gate formation, with linemen and a receiver on the left side of the field while the center, quarterback and two other skill players stayed in the middle of the field.

Whistles blew and Delaware eventually was given a delay of game penalty, pushing it back five yards. The Hens then sent kicker Garrett Bennion out and he missed his PAT try.

“The issue was the referees didn’t ask me what hash I wanted the ball on,” Carty said, “and they just put the ball down and they were not paying attention to me. I was trying to say ‘Get the ball on a different hash for our two-point play.’ ”

Delaware did get a 2-point conversion on its next TD.

Stat sheet standouts

Wide receiver Jourdan Townsend once again demonstrated his reliability, catching eight passes for 91 yards with a touchdown.

FCS tackle leader Johnny Buchanan had another busy day with 19 takedowns, four shy of his school-record-tying total from the Navy game.

Artis Hemmingway had 2 ½ of Delaware’s six tackles for lost yardage.

Justis Henley blocked two field goals for the Blue Hens, Ethan Chang’s 39-yarder in the first period and his 49-yarder in the fourth, though William & Mary coach Mike London said Henley should have been called for offsides on the latter.

In the team stats, one revealing category was third-down conversions, in which Delaware was 1-for-11 and William & Mary 6-for-16.

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Difficulty stopping Tribe run game area Delaware will have to improve