Delaware vs. JMU live game blog

The Hens offense couldn't seem to get going and struggled with a JMU defense that sacked Devlin eight times. JMU earned its first Colonial Athletic Association win of the season.

Hens lose to Dukes 20-8.
The game ended after a safety that gave Delaware two more points.

Devlin trying to engineer a comeback.
Devlin connects with Thaxton for 4 yards, bringing the ball to the Hens' 32 yard line. Again Devlin found Thaxton on a 11-yard completion. Devlin next teamed up with Duncan, who caught for another 22 yards. With the ball now in Dukes territory, Devlin passed to Crosby, landing a spot on the 24-yard line from which to throw to Duncan. Another Crosby completion brought the ball to the 9-yard line before a Delaware timeout with 3:17 left in the game. The Hens then lost ten yards after Devlin was sacked an eighth time. Nelson broke up Devlin's pass intended for White. The Hens' progress is stymied again.

JMU bides time.
Sullivan rushed for three yards before an false start penalty moved the Dukes back five yards. JMU kept using Sullivan to move the ball on the drive until Goff's 29-yard punt.

Hens try to rally with 9:57 remaining.
Devlin came up short of completion on a pass to Mackey and was soon after sacked for loss of 8 yards. An exciting pass from Devlin, after a scramble, was ruled incomplete.

Thorpe shows off receivers, JMU makes it a two-score game for the Hens.
Thorpe passed to Caussin for 16 yards to Delaware's 48-yard line then carried another four. Thorpe then found Bosco Williams for another 12 yards followed by a Sullivan completion that earned four yards. Again, Thorpe found receiver McCarter to advance again. Sullivan and Thorpe each carried, bringing the Dukes teasingly close to the end zone before Sullivan scored another Dukes touchdown. Wright kicked for an extra point to lead 20-6.

Dukes end quarter moving forward.
After a Delaware timeout, Yancey carries for four yards to the 21 yard line. Thorpe connected with Turner for another 11 yards before carrying to gain another three yards.

Hens struggle to respond.
Devlin's pass to Mackey was knocked down by Bryant. The Hens frustration continued as Devlin overshot White before a pass to Butler was limited to three yards gained.

JMU extends lead to 13-6.
Yancey rushed for two yards. Thorpe completed 53-yard pass to McCarter. Thorpe carried four yards to the Delaware 7 then failed to connect with Caussin. Dukes increased lead, scoring a touchdown off a pass to Newman.

Delaware gives up ball on downs.
Devlin was sacked for the fifth time. Devlin finds Duncan for 17 yards, then struggled with dropped passes.

Walters saves touchdown, forces fumble.
Striefsky kicks off 62 yards. Thorpe rushed two yards to the JMU 40 yard line. Sullivan ran for loss of one yard. Thorpe completed a pass 51-yard pass to McCarter to the Delaware 5 who then fumbled at the ten. Charles Graves capitalized on the mistake and carried back up to the 43.

Hens answer with second field goal.
Wright kicked off 53 yards for the Dukes. Jackson ran for no gain to the Delaware 42 yard line. Devlin completed pass to Thaxton for 21 yards. Jackson then gained ten yards for the Hens before Devlin rushed another 12 yards. Jackson earned another five yards, bringing the ball to the ten yard line. Devlin completed a pass to Jackson to lose four yards before Thaxton dropped a pass from Devlin. Striefsky kicked another field goal to narrow JMU's margin to one point.

Striefsky kick off to start third quarter. Dukes grab the lead.
Thorpe passed to Caussin for 27 yards before Sullivan's 2-yard carry to advance the Dukes to Delaware 46-yard line. Thorpe then failed to connect with McCarter but found Noble for 31 yards. Yancey rushed three yards and Thorpe ran 12 yards to put JMU ahead. Dixon Wright secures extra point making the game 7-3 with 12:54.

End of second quarter, 3-0 Delaware.
The first half was a defensive struggle. The skies cleared up and rain stopped during the quarter.

Hens move forward, slowly but steadily.
Duncan catches pass for 16 yards before Crosby drops Devlin's next ball. Devlin tried to hit Mackey but the pass was broken up by Pat Williams. Devlin finally finds Butler for 4 yards. Drive ends with Wagner's punt.

JMU mirrors Delaware's frustration.
Sullivan rushed eight yards before Thorpe runs for loss of three. Delaware uses timeout with 1:23 left on the clock. Yancey carried for no gain and Delaware calls third timeout of the half at 1:16 to go. Goff punted 41 yards to end drive.

Dukes frustrate Hens offense.
Dukes make fourth sack of the day, taking Hens back 7 yards. Devlin tried to find Duncan but the pass was incomplete. Devlin is brought down rushing for one yard. Wagner punts for 50 yards.

Hens penalty
Sullivan carried for loss of one. Thorpe connects with Turner for 5 yards. Bratton stops Turner's second five-yard carry of the drive before a Delaware timeout. JMU drive ended in Delaware penalty for holding.

Wagner kicks eighth longest punt in school history.
Devlin sacked for loss of eight. Delaware penalty for false start loses five yards for the Hens. Devlin carried five yards before Wagner's 73-yard punt puts the ball back at the two-yard line.

Bratton intercepts Thorpe.
Dukes complete first pass of game. Caussin received for 28 yards. Yancey rushed another two yards to the 50-yard line before Thorpe carried into Hens ground.

Devlin interception, his first this season.
Striefsky kicks off for the Hens. JMU began drive with a late-hit penalty. Reynolds rushed six yards for the Dukes and Sullivan carried again for a loss of two, stopped by Bratton and Gilbeaux. Dukes called time out with 10:57 remaining. Turnover on downs. Duncan catches pass for 6 yards to the Hens' 35-yard line. Jackson gains another six yards for Delaware on two plays. Devlin's pass intended for Duncan is intercepted by Jon Williams.

Hens get on the scoreboard.
Devlin completed pass to Butler who then rushed for a total 18 yards on two plays. JMU's McGee broke up the play. A pass to Thaxton for six yards set up Striefsky's season-long 34-yard field goal to extend his school record.

Quarter ends scoreless.
Butler rushed for one yard, followed by Crosby reception for another eight yards. Jackson rushed four yards to earn a first-down for the Hens on the 35-yard line. Butler gained another three yards before the Dukes sacked Devlin. Devlin responded hitting Thaxton on a 26-yard pass.

Delaware takeover at the 22-yard line.
Jakarie Jackson runs for 12 yards, sparking a chain of carries for the Dukes. Thorpe and Yancey gained yards for JMU before Delaware returned 20 yards.

Hens fake field goal.
After two completions to Nihja White, Ed Wagner took off on a run on the field goal attempt and was stopped well short.

Hens forced to punt again.
On the punt by Ed Wagner, the Hens got a break as it deflected off a JMU player and was recovered by Anthony Walters. They now have first set of downs starting in JMU territory.


Dukes for touchback.
JMU responded to Delaware's three and out with one of their own. Both teams struggled with their passing game on their first drives.

Hens forced to punt.
Devlin and company couldn't get started, a tipped pass botched snap and sack saw them go three and out.

Dukes or Hens kick off
The players take the field in front of a lacking crowd. The usually bustling student section is mostly empty. The Hens prepare to battle the same elements that kept their fans away.
JMU wins the toss and defers to Delaware. The Hens defend North end.

Starting line-ups:

Delaware offense:
TE Trevor Mooney
WR Mark Mackey
WR Mark Duncan
WR Tommy Crosby
LT Shea Allard
LG Corey Nicholson
C Rob McDowell
RG Gino Gradowski
QB Pat Devlin
RB Jerry Butler

Delaware defense:
LE Chris Morales
LT Siddiq Haynes
RT Brandon Guilbeaux
RE John Higginson
OLB Paul Worrilow
MLB Benard Makumbi
OLB Andrew Harrison
CB Anthony Walters
SS Anthony Bratton
FS Charles Graves
CB Tyrone Grant

James Madison offense:
TE Mike Caussin
WR Rockreed McCarter
WR Marcus Turner
LT Theo Sherman
LG Roane Babinton
C Donny Smith
RG Dorian Brooks
RT Brandon Monroe
QB Justin Thorpe
FB Donnell Brown
TB Jamal Sullivan

James Madison defense:
DE Arthur Moats
DT Ronnell Brown
DT Sam Daniels
DE D.J. Bryant
LB Chase Williams
LB Pat Williams
WS Jon Williams
CB Scotty McGee
SS Vidal Nelson
FS Jakarie Jackson
CB Jamaris Sanders

Twenty-five minutes until kick-off
It's 62 degrees and raining for the Delaware Homecoming game. Weather.com predicts it won't get any prettier for the Hens. Delaware will look to extend its winning streak with a fourth victory this afternoon. The Hens need to run with the momentum they've picked up in the last few weeks. The Dukes are playing with a chip on their shoulder, looking to take their first conference win away from the game.

Howard to play in All-Star Game

On Wednesday, the National Field Hockey Association announced its selections to the 2009 Division I Senior All-Star team. Not surprisingly, Casey Howard was of six CAA athletes chosen to play on Nov. 21.

Adding Howard to the list had to be an easy choice. She's one of the best players Delaware has ever seen. Howard is climbing up the UD career goals list--she has 46, with three regular-season games remaining. Last weekend she became one of four Hens players ever to reach 100 points.

The best part about this is that Howard seems to be picking up momentum with every benchmark she passes. With two CAA player of the week selections, school records and a national offensive player of the week pick among her accolades, she's practically having them thrown at her.

Tomorrow's game should be exciting if the Hen's performance since the Northeastern game indicates anything. After falling to powerhouse Northeastern, the Hens shut out the weaker Monmouth University with Howard's second hat trick this year. On Sunday, Delaware lost to No. 1 ranked Maryland. Tomorrow night the Hens face the much-less intimidating Towson....this game should be good, I'm excited.

Tennis off to encouraging start

While the men’s tennis team got off to a slow start this season, losing 2-5 to Villanova, they’re now looking much stronger. The men’s team swept Saint Joseph’s University at home last week. The men are 1-1 for the season and have done fairly well in three non-scoring tournaments, picking up both titles and promising records.

At the season-opening Swarthmore tournament, Austin Longacre and Jeff Marshall both walked away singles champions of their flight. Later, in the ODU tournament, No. 4 doubles team Ryan Kent and Camilo Perez won a title. Then at Lehigh, the Hens went 10-2 in men’s doubles play at the tournament. At the Lehigh University’s Invitational, the men went 29-3 on the weekend. Longacre broke the all-time career victories record at the tournament, earning his 58th, 59th, and 60th wins.

Nine of the 10 Hens have winning singles records this season, as do six of the Delaware men’s doubles combinations. The men’s team is 25-11 overall in doubles play and 48-18 in singles matches.


Delaware’s women’s team opened play this time last year, sweeping both Villanova and St. Joseph’s, a feat they almost repeated this season. The Hens beat Villanova 7-0 then went on to defeat St. Joe’s, 6-1. Things are looking great for the Hens as far as dual play is concerned. The women are 2-0 on the season and boast a 75-24 overall singles record as well as a 37-8 doubles record on the season. Each of the seven Hens has a winning singles record, while seven doubles combinations have winning marks.

Tournaments have boded nearly as well for the women as for the men. At the ODU tournament, Ivana Petrich and Montse Ripoll earned a title in No. 1 doubles play, defeating four opponents that weekend. Then the Lehigh University’s Invitational, the women went 19-4. The No. 3 Megan Doran and Kristen Mueller doubles team won its matches both days of the Lehigh tournament. The women were 4-2 in doubles action at Lehigh and 15-2 in singles play.

This weekend, both the men’s and women’s teams will be tested again at Lehigh. They certainly seem ready.

Posted by Ellen Craven.

This week in Delaware sports

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Men’s Soccer at Towson
3:00 PM

Friday, October 23, 2009

Field Hockey vs. Towson
7:00 PM

Ice Hockey vs. West Chester
7:00 PM

Volleyball vs. James Madison
7:00 PM

Women’s Soccer vs. Georgia State
7:00 PM

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Men’s and Women’s Tennis at Lehigh Tournament
TWO DAY EVENT

Men’s Soccer at UNC Wilmington
7:00 PM

Ice Hockey at West Chester
7:30 PM

Volleyball at George Mason
7:00 PM

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Rowing at Princeton Chase
ALL DAY

Women’s Soccer vs. UNC Wilmington
1:00 PM

Monday, October 26, 2009

Golf at UNC Wilmington
ALL DAY

Hens move up to No. 19 in The Sports Network poll

The Sports Network Top 25 10/19/2009

The respect is coming slowly, but its still not all there. Although Delaware was bumped up from 23 to 19, UMass is still ranked ahead of them at 14. Two weeks ago, Pat Devlin threw four touchdowns and the Hens smoked the Minutemen, 43-27 (and it wasn't even that close). Add in the fact that the Hens have more wins than UMass (the Minutemen stand at 4-2 and the Hens stand at 5-2) and Delaware brought the No. 1 team in the country to the final seconds in a game Keeler's squad should have won.
At least Delaware is ahead of James Madison this week as opposed to last week's poll which placed the then 2-3 (now 2-4) Dukes ahead of the Hens.
Delaware's only decisive loss was to the No. 5 ranked William and Mary Tribe. It's hard to decifer what it is the Hens need to do to break that top 10. Lets hope the same  people who vote on these polls don't make up the playoff selection committee come late November.

Devlin put on Peyton watch list

The Sports Network announced today that Hens QB Pat Devlin would be placed on the Walter Payton Award watch list. (http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/indexpic.htm).

After all the hype, the S.E. Pennsylvania high school all-time leading passer and Penn State transfer is actually living up to expectations. After all the hype last year because of a certain Ohio State transfer named Robby Shoenhoft, I was a little weary about getting too pumped about Devlin. But, maybe he really is the next Flacco. All of a sudden Devlin ranks 6th in the nation in total passing yards, and his stats are only getting better. The Hens have won three games in a row, all of which have been offensive gems, and two of which were played in sub-par weather (Maine and Towson). Just imagine what the gunslinger can do on a dry, sunny day. If the Hens continue to perform, Devlin will make a run for the Walter Payton award.

Don't get your hopes up though. In 2007 the Hens featured a quarterback who was drafted in the NFL first round and a runningback who scored more than 30 touchdowns in the season. I was banking on Cuff for the Heisman, let alone the Walter Payton award. Needless to say, neither he nor Flacco won either.

Field hockey falls in disappointing showing

The Hens lost 4-0 to the Terrapins this afternoon in a jolting match that's sure to have frustrated the team. Granted, No. 1 Maryland is 16-0 this year so the loss puts the Hens in good company. The Terrapins toppled powerhouses such as Virginia, Princeton and Wake Forest earlier this season. But still, realistically, the loss have been a lot better for the Hens.

The Hens are a nationally ranked team, but the Terrapins were toying with them. Maryland out-shot Delaware 21-5. The Terrapins keeper only had to make one save. Terrapins Emma Thomas and Nicole Muracco each had four and five shots on goal, respectively.

The Hens have proven what they're capable of this year, and that's better than what we saw this afternoon. Luckily, the upcoming game against Towson on Friday should completely turn things around for the Hens.

Posted by Ellen Craven.